Abstract

Books are unique products. The publishing industry is deeply influenced by the changes resulting from globalization, the ever-increasing competition and the rapid introduction of novel information technologies. These changes alter the book production, sales and pricing, advertisement, marketing, promotion and distribution processes. The paper focuses on marketing issues concerning the Greek book publishing industry. After providing an overview of the main features of the Greek publishing industry, which is representative of the small European book markets, the paper investigates marketing techniques and methods employed by the publishing companies in regard to the printed book in Greece. For that purpose a survey based on a structured questionnaire, which had been distributed to all the large and medium-sized Greek publishing companies, was carried out between May and July of 2007. The results of this research may contribute to the study of marketing issues of the Greek book publishing industry, and indeed may enlighten patterns of book policy by the publishing companies in Greece and other similar book markets. Furthermore, they may provide some issues of the Greek book market, and more particularly on the role of novel technologies, of open access, of mass media and of bookshops.