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[Abstract] [Introduction] [Body] [Conclusion] [References] |
Instead of competing with thousands of other aspiring writers who submit to
traditional publishing houses, you can venture online. E (online) books are going to be a
big web phenomenon in the next few years. The book publishing industry has
changed dramatically over the centuries. Early technological innovations led to
developments. Compare that to the traditional process for publishing a book,
which typically takes months or years and requires a print run of at least a
thousand copies to make the effort profitable. Consequently, the traditional
method means many marketable and worthwhile books often go unpublished.
| Introduction |
Online book publishing
Many writers frustrated with the state of traditional publishing ask whether they should online-publish with one of the big "vanity" publishing sites now proliferating on the web. Online-publishing can be a viable option, if the writer understands how to market their work. But many online authors, enticed by the idea of being "published", will be sorely disappointed when their royalty statements arrive.
The
book publishing industry has changed dramatically over the centuries. Early
technological innovations led to developments such asmovable type, mass production, and the manufacture of paperback books. The 20th
century brought the invention of audiobooks,
the computerization of the book production process, the growth of the Internet
as a pathway for booksellers to reach readers, and continuing improvements in
the quality of computerized electronic books.<reference 1>
Publishers and booksellers categorize books in various ways. The type of book
that generally gains the most attention is the trade book, which is
typically a work of general fiction or general nonfiction. Trade books tend to
appeal to a wide audience. Other books fall into more specialized categories
such as education, business, science, technology, and reference.
The type of trade book that a publishing house chooses to publish often creates the public image of the house. Popular trade books sometimes financially support a company's other publishing ventures, but departments such as textbook, reference, religion, and medicine often make profits on their own. Many publishers are devoted almost entirely to one of these specialties. Similarly, paperback lines may be issued by a division of a general publisher, or they may be produced by houses specializing in paperbacks.
No
matter what kind of book is being produced, the editorial process is basically
the same. The production process has become increasingly sophisticated over the
years, as publishers have taken advantage of technological innovations.
In the case of general trade books, a publishing house will
plan to issue a yearly list of titles ranging in number from fewer than ten in
the smallest firms to several hundred in the largest. A few books are bought
from the thousands of unsolicited manuscripts that the major houses receive
annually, but most come from either outlines or manuscripts submitted by
literary agents. A large number of books also originate within the house, as
editors generate ideas and find authors to write the books. Authors receive royalties
(payments) at percentage rates varying with the number of books sold�the more
copies sold, the higher the percentage of profit the author usually receives.
After the manuscript is accepted for publication and received,
an editor takes charge of the project. Editors usually work with several books
at once, and in many publishing houses they are responsible for every stage of
book production. Editing practices vary considerably. Editors may work with
authors by suggesting changes in a manuscript, or they may do line-by-line
editing, going over the changes with the authors later.
The book also undergoes a specialized editorial pass called
copy editing. Copy editors correct grammar and spelling and also query authors
on possible errors of fact or meaning, peculiar constructions, or other internal
difficulties. Copy editors often do careful research as they work, consulting
reference sources to be sure the author's facts are accurate.<reference 2 and
4>
The next step in production is design, which may be done
within the firm or by freelance designers. The designer plans the book's
format�page size, number of lines on a page, size and style of type,
arrangement of pictures, and similar matters. Many talented designers have
worked in the publishing business, and some houses are noted for superior design
work.
In the manufacturing stage, the book is set in type and then
bound. In the 1970s the use of computers to aid in the typesetting
process became more and more common (see Typesetting
Equipment). In the decades that followed, the printing and binding process
became increasingly automated (Printing Techniques). <reference 3>
A major development in the late 20th century was print on
demand. By using powerful computers, some companies store digitized versions
of books. When needed, they use advanced printers and binding techniques to run
off as many books as required. Printing only as many books as needed allows
companies to save money, and being able to store books digitally means that
books can be printed whenever necessary, keeping them in print indefinitely.<reference
5> A
significant development in the book trade in the mid- and late 20th century was
the growing incidence of mergers, particularly the acquisition of publishing
houses by large companies with other media businesses. <reference 6 and 7>The book business had
traditionally been run by families, with control passing from one generation to
the next. But the tremendous growth of publishing led to the need for new
capital, which was acquired through public stock issues and mergers.
In the 1990s companies began
to use the Internet
as a tool for selling books. Through their Web sites, Internet booksellers allow
buyers to choose from an enormous selection of books. Once the order is placed,
the bookseller obtains the book and sends it to the buyer. Amazon.com, which
started business in 1995, was the first major online bookseller, but others soon
sprang up, and established booksellers also developed Web sites.<reference
8>
A significant development in the book trade in the mid- and late 20th century was the growing incidence of mergers, particularly the acquisition of publishing houses by large companies with other media businesses. The book business had traditionally been run by families, with control passing from one generation to the next. But the tremendous growth of publishing led to the need for new capital, which was acquired through public stock issues and mergers. Later merger activity included the acquisition of several major American publishers by foreign-owned companies, and the pattern that began taking shape was one of a superstructure of immense, international media conglomerates, surrounded by smaller, more specialized publishing houses.
Modern publishing and bookselling in Europe began in the mid-15th century, when people began printing with movable type. The first professional printers often served as editors of the works they produced and then sold them directly to readers; they employed agents at universities to sell their books there.<reference 9> Anton Koberger, who in 1470 became the first printer to establish a business in N�rnberg, had 16 shops, as well as book agents in almost every city in the Christian world.
In the late 1990s several companies introduced electronic books, or e-books.
These computerized devices display the text of books on a small screen designed
to make reading easy. Booksellers and publishers sell e-books over the Internet
in the form of computer files. A reader makes a purchase, then downloads the
text to a personal computer or a personal
digital assistant (PDA). In the late 20th century publishers began producing
books in new formats, and technological advances had a huge impact on the book
publishing industry. Audiobooks,
which had been produced and marketed since the 1950s, exploded in growth in the
1990s. Audiobooks offer readers the option of listening to a book that has been
narrated and recorded onto a cassette or compact
disc. They are especially valued by people who are blind or have low vision.<reference
10>
Conclusion
Publishers control the presentation of their publications, the
"experience" of the content, by specifying how it looks and acts. It
is true for distribution, since the Web (with its insistence on open markup
languages and protocols) is open for even the most minute scrutiny from the
user. Online publishing has never been driven by the needs of the user, only by those of the publisher.
And the Internet is the antithesis of this ideal.
References
1."Online Book Publishing," Microsoft� Encarta� Online Encyclopedia
2001 (Online)
� 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.[avaliable:
http://encarta.msn.com] (accessed 23 january 02)
2.
Altbach,
Philip G., and Edith S. Hoshino, eds. International
Book Publishing: An Encyclopedia. Garland, 1995. Comprehensive
international reference that surveys the book publishing industry. [avaliable
from http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=online+bookpublishing &w=dir&fr=op&o=a&h=&g=181&n=20]
(accessed 23 january 02)
3. Dessauer, John P. Book Publishing: A Basic Introduction. Continuum, 1993. Primer on book marketing and manufacturing.
4 .Rob Raisch, The Internet Company (online). 7 May 1995, http://www.i-m.com/May-1-7-1995/0059.html/ [Accessed 23 Jan 2002].
5.
King
hits the Web, again By Bob Minzesheimer, USA TODAY..(Online)
http://www.usatoday.com/life/enter/books/2001-02-23-stephen-king.htm
(accessed on 24 Jan 02)
6. Ken Mayer, Web Nerds publishing, 1999 [avaliable : http://www.google.com/~claird/misc.writing/publications.html] (online accessed 23 Jan 02)
7. E-zine, information Publishiners... [avaliable from http://www.altx.com/interviews/mary.gaitskill.html] (online accessed on 24 January 02)
8. Reshma Hardisa, Guide web publisher, westinum, 1997 (online) [avaliable from www.dogpile.com/*lists/ression/web+pub/intro/ring.html] (accessed on 24 January 02)
9. stepin rock, publishing news era, (online) [avaliable : www.search.com/1$25w/news+publishing23/lookto/] (accessed 23 January 02)
10. Vill linder, notification rule of publishing, 2002 [ online avaliablev: http://www.webpower.com/viewmain/clark /phen.html] (accessed 23 January 02)