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Luke Bryant

Professor Munsell

ENC1102

4/6/2024

The research article, “Covid-19 and Book Publishing Impacts and Insights for 2021,” by

Cliff Guren, Thad Mcllory, and Steven Sieck discusses the effects that COVID-19 had on the

book publishing industry, the economy as a whole, and entertainment sectors related to book

publishing. The entertainment sectors that are discussed in the research article include gaming

streaming of content like movies and shows; music, film, and the different strategies for new

releases; and libraries and bookstores. The research article brings together the data, involving

increases and decreases in categories from gaming to libraries, and compares the data to form a

conclusion of where the book publishing industry is and where the book publishing industry is

likely to head next. The thesis of “COVID-19 and Book Publishing Impacts and Insights for

2021” can be summarized by stating that COVID-19 has affected the economy and many

economic sectors, but the effect of COVID-19 was not necessarily bad for the book publishing

industry. However, COVID-19 has definitely led to the use of new strategies by book publishers

and a different perspective on print versus digital books and vendors. The logos, which is used to

contribute to the thesis, includes the data presented. There are graphs and numbers provided

which show how popular certain books are over others in addition to the other data provided.

The pathos in the article included by the mention of COVID-19 and the effect that it had on the

economy is still well-known by the general population. Additionally, there is mention of how the

film industry was affected with having to delay the release of new movies repeatedly in addition
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to lacking a clear strategy for how to release the film at all. No one was going to movie theaters

during that time and consumers did not feel like paying up to thirty dollars extra to watch a

newly released movie on a streaming service they were already paying for. The ethos involved in

the article to further the thesis is that the three authors of the research article are involved with

publishing, writing, and research.

To summarize the article, the text explores how COVID-19 affected many different areas

of the economy, and then, showed how book publishers and the publishing industry were also

affected. The data included in the article shows an almost universal increase in book sales except

for mass market paperbacks, which experienced a decrease in sales. The film industry, which, in

comparison took much longer to find methods of counteracting the impact of the virus. The

discussion of the overall increase in online sales and how this affects the new strategy for

publishers even after COVID-19, is included in the conclusion to showcase a new perspective

the book publishers have for the online market.

The logos, which adds to the thesis mentioned in the introduction, includes all the data in

the article. Book sales are generally described as having increased during the time of the

COVID-19 pandemic. “In the largest sector, trade publishing (including children’s and young

adult), sales are up 7.5% to October 31, after a mere 0.4% increase in 2019 (and 1.5%% in 2018”

(Guren et al, 2021, pg 9). The data shows that books sales did not only increase during the

pandemic, but they nearly exploded in comparison to previous years. Juveniles and young adult

nonfiction increased more than juvenile and young adult fiction, though both experienced a large

increase in sales. Ebook sales also experienced an increase in sales. However, audiobooks and

mass market paperbacks experienced a decrease in sales. The decrease in audiobook sales, which

had been rising in popularity before the COVID-19 pandemic, is most likely due to the fact that
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most consumers listened to audiobooks on the way to work. Without a daily commute, there was

little reason for many consumers to keep buying audiobooks. Overall, the book publishing

industry still seems to have benefited from people being isolated in their homes during the

COVID-19 pandemic, even though there was a decrease in audiobook sales.

The pathos, which adds to the thesis mentioned in the introduction, is based on the

mention of how the film industry suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. An early problem

caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was the isolation protocols, which stopped all filming for a

time. Additionally, movies that had been filmed and were prepared for release had to have their

release dates delayed repeatedly as, also due to isolation guidelines, many people were not going

to watch movies in-person. However, the film studios still needed to make some money, at least

off the films that were ready, so they tried to put them on streaming services for a premium fee

or to place the film both in movies and on streaming services. The new strategies did not work

since consumers did not feel like paying up to thirty dollars to watch a movie at home on a paid

streaming service. So, overall, the film industry was not as successful during the COVID-19

pandemic for many of the same reasons that the book publishing industry was successful.

The ethos or credibility, which adds to the thesis, includes the authors’ involvement in

publishing, research, and writing. The authors of this article did not only experience COVID-19

as a consumer but also from a publishing perspective. They are able to add a different

perspective to the data that is provided in the article as they have some first-hand experience with

the publishing market. The conclusions the authors make in the article are more trustworthy

because the authors have experience in the area of publishing. Overall, the authors have

knowledge of the subject that is being discussed and can provide a different view of the data in

the article.
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In conclusion, the thesis of the research article, “COVID-19 and Book Publishing

Impacts and Insights for 2021,” by Cliff Guren, Thad Mcllory, and Steven Sieck is that the book

publishing industry increased during the pandemic while other sectors of the economy suffered

such as the film industry. The thesis was backed up logically with the data that was included in

the article. The data showed that book sales were generally increasing, though this was not true

for every facet of the book publishing industry. The pathos, which helped to further the thesis

was the inclusion of how the film industry tried to adapt to the new conditions created by the

COVID-19 pandemic. The film industry suffered for the same reasons that much of the book

publishing industry thrived. With people isolated and not gathering as much, studios had to think

of different strategies to remain profitable. However, the strategies that the studios tried were not

helpful and did not contribute to substantial increases in the film industry. Overall, the film

industry suffered as, in addition to having trouble with new releases, there was also a temporary

pause on filming. The credibility, which added to the thesis includes the authors having

experience in publishing, writing, and research. The knowledge and experience that the authors

have add another point of view to the data that is included. Additionally, their knowledge and

experience adds more credibility to the conclusions the authors make in the article. Overall, the

use of logos, pathos, and ethos was effective in adding to the thesis of the research article.
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Works Cited

Guren, Cliff, et al. “COVID-19 and Book Publishing: Impacts and Insights for 2021 - Publishing

Research Quarterly.” SpringerLink, Springer US, 19 Feb. 2021,

link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12109-021-09791-z.