THE ROMANIAN BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY: AN IT-CONNECTED INDUSTRY

Abstract

The book publishing industry represents one of the most complex fields of activity, combining artistic and editorial creation with the specific technologies of book production and all the processes necessary for its sale. The field's evolution is closely related to the level of technological development of society, becoming very dynamic since the second half of the last century. In the last 50 years, the great qualitative leaps of the industry occurred with the development of digital technology that became the main technical support of the field. This article highlights certain aspects of the evolution of the book publishing industry in Romania in the last 30 years since the first private publishing houses appeared. The study focuses on the domain evolution in close connection with that of digital technology in recent decades. A series of negative influences suffered by publishing houses during this period are also presented, such as restructuring and reorganizations caused by economic crises, the Covid-19 pandemic, etc. The methodology is based on the analysis of recent studies and articles, as well as secondary research based on the analysis of large publishing houses' websites, as well as analyses and annual reports carried out by Romanian institutions. The study has a more qualitative character, determined by the difficulties encountered in conducting a rigorous industry analysis. The article is part of a larger research into the business of the book publishing industry, research that attempts to provide an overview of the field and the issues facing publishers. The study's conclusions are addressed to analysts and researchers, especially leaders and managers in the book publishing industry, who must be aware of the domain importance of national culture. They need to focus on getting political decision-makers to update the legislation according to the specific, current, prospective requirements to support and develop the sector.