Document Type : Original Article
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Knowledge & Information Science, Allameh Tabataba'i University ,Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Objective:
The objective of this research is to identify the issues, causes of occurrence, and solutions related to electronic book publishing in Iran, from the perspective of electronic book publishers.
Methodology:
The present study is an applied research conducted using a qualitative approach and a descriptive phenomenological method based on Colaizzi’s seven-stage model. The research population includes electronic book publishers who are members of the Digital Publishers Association. For sample selection, purposive sampling and the snowball technique were used. In the first stage, publishers whose licensing issuance dates were more than five years old were selected. In the second stage, 173 publishers who had published the largest number of electronic books were identified. In the third stage, 30 publishers with the highest volume of electronic book publishing and willingness to participate in interviews were selected. The data collection instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire, whose validity was confirmed by specialists.
Findings:
Based on the concepts extracted from the responses, 63 codes and 11 subcategories within five main categories—including creators, technology, security, legal affairs,and the electronic book publishing market—were identified. The findings show that the main issue in the area of creators is the lack of creators’ confidence in the observance of their rights. In technology, issues relate to the lack of security and the lack of up-to-dateness of distribution platforms. In security,technical, legal, and occupational insecurity are among the main concerns. In the legal domain,the lack of transparency regarding the shares of creators, publishers, and platform owners in the rights and benefits of electronic books, as well as shortcomings in observing these rights, are key issues. In the electronic book publishing market, the low share of electronic books in the household consumption basket and the high share of yellow books are among the most important issues.
Conclusion:
The electronic book publishing industry in Iran is a nascent industry facing numerous issues. Its organization and development are beyond the capacity of non-governmental actors alone. Recognizing the independence of this industry and governance intervention are necessary. At the same time, publishers and distributors can contribute to resolving these issues by creating professional mechanisms.
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