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Demand Distribution Dynamics in Creative Industries: the Market for Books in Italy

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  • Edoardo Gaffeo
  • Antonello E. Scorci
  • Laura Vici

Abstract

We studied the distribution dynamics of the demand for books in Italy. We found that for each of the three broad sub-markets into which the book publishing industry can be classified - Italian novels, foreign novels and non-fiction - sales over a three-year sample can be adequately fitted by a power law distribution. Our results can be plausibly interpreted in terms of a model of interactions among buyers exchanging information on the books they buy.

Suggested Citation

  • Edoardo Gaffeo & Antonello E. Scorci & Laura Vici, 2008. "Demand Distribution Dynamics in Creative Industries: the Market for Books in Italy," Department of Economics Working Papers 0804, Department of Economics, University of Trento, Italia.
    • Handle: RePEc:trn:utwpde:0804
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Beck, Jonathan, 2008. "Diderot´s rule," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Competition and Innovation SP II 2008-13, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    3. Ramboll & The Evaluation Partnership & Europe Economics, 2015. "Economic Study on Publications on all Physical Means of Support and Electronic Publications in the context of VAT," Taxation Studies 0057, Directorate General Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission.
    4. Aloys Leo Prinz, 2022. "The concentration of power in the market for contemporary art: an empirical analysis of ArtReview’s “Power 100”," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(1), pages 1-32, January.
    5. Ursprung, Heinrich W., 2021. "Financial returns to collecting rare political economy books," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    6. Rustam Ibragimov & Johan Walden, 2010. "Optimal Bundling Strategies Under Heavy-Tailed Valuations," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(11), pages 1963-1976, November.
    7. Karthik Natarajan & Melvyn Sim & Joline Uichanco, 2018. "Asymmetry and Ambiguity in Newsvendor Models," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(7), pages 3146-3167, July.
    8. Jordi McKenzie & Vladimir Smirnov, 2018. "Blockbusters and market expansion: evidence from the motion picture industry," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 42(2), pages 341-352, May.
    9. P. Belleflamme & D. Paolini, 2015. "Strategic Promotion and Release Decisions for Cultural Goods," Working Paper CRENoS 201508, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    10. Paul Belleflamme & Dimitri Paolini, 2019. "Strategic attractiveness and release decisions for cultural goods," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 198-224, April.
    11. Philip Hans Franses, 2023. "On the life cycles of successful rock bands," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(5), pages 4693-4707, October.
    12. Kostas Bimpikis & Mihalis G. Markakis, 2016. "Inventory Pooling Under Heavy-Tailed Demand," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(6), pages 1800-1813, June.
    13. Chaolin Yang & Zhenyu Hu & Sean X. Zhou, 2021. "Multilocation Newsvendor Problem: Centralization and Inventory Pooling," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(1), pages 185-200, January.
    14. Elisabetta De Antoni, 2009. "Money and finance: the heterodox views of R. Clower, A. Leijonhufvud and H. Minsky," Department of Economics Working Papers 0908, Department of Economics, University of Trento, Italia.
    15. Fernández Blanco, Víctor & Prieto Rodríguez,Juan, 2009. "Análisis de los hábitos de lectura como una decisión económica/," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 27, pages 113-138, Abril.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Book publishing industry; Information transmission; Power law distribution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics

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