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Definitions[]

Publishing is

the overall process of creating, reproducing, and releasing or issuing informational material for sales or distribution.[1]
the set of processes involved in transforming the raw content of a book (as created by the author) into the publicly available product for sale (or lease) to consumers. It includes editing and formatting of the text, packaging, publicity and marketing of the book product, registration and administration of copyright, and handling of commercial and practical arrangements for distribution of material to points of sale.[2]

Publishing is "[t]he act of making data publicly available.[3]

Overview[]

Authors of book content have, for hundreds of years, handed over editorial, legal and intellectual property rights, to those with the resources required to produce and distribute it to "the public." The arrangement relies, in particular, on the publisher's control of:

  • The significant resources required for production, storage and distribution of books
  • The relationships with wholesale distribution networks and booksellers
  • Publicity and marketing campaigns
  • Advance payments for content creation
  • Responsibility for legal and regulatory compliance (copyright and content censorship).

With their privileged access to limited resources, on the one hand, and their role as judge and arbiter of standards for publicly available content, on the other, publishers are positioned as the gatekeepers for the book industry. They have effectively assumed both the responsibility, and the right, to select, and to shape, the content of the printed reading material distributed for public consumption.

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