The Publishing Route

 

The broader meaning of ~publishing~ is making something

publicly known. Usually the term is used to refer to the

issuing of printed materials, such as books, magazines,

periodicals etc. It started since the need for the extra

copies of manuscripts were needed. It can be said that the

practice goes back to ancient times; in Rome there were

booksellers ~ Horace mentions the Sosii, who were

apparently brothers ~ and the copying of books by trained

slaves reached considerable proportions. In the middle of

the 15th century printing was introduced in Europe, and

thus book publishing sprang into action. Earlier, the

author, the printer, and the publisher of a work were

sometimes all the same person. The differentiation appeared

as the patrons of literature had books printed for

distribution and booksellers by others to meet the growing

demand.

 

The first important publishing house (1583~1791) was that

of the Elzevir family in Holland. As printing, publishing,

and bookselling spread across the West, it helped many as

the interest in reading grew. Printing and publishing was

used to print religious controversies and arguments in

broadsides, pamphlets, and books to hand them out to

partisans. Similarly, people~s interest in knowing the

future increased the amount of literature issued by

bookseller-publishers. Modern European cities with long

traditions of publishing are Vienna, Florence, Milan,

Z~rich, Paris, London, and Edinburgh. In the United States,

Boston, Philadelphia, and especially New York City took the

lead. During the late 19th century and throughout the 20th

century, specialization entered book publishing. So, some

publishing houses were specialized in religious books,

textbooks, art books, technical books, and children's books.

 

Hardcover books were expensive. United States of America

started the `Paperback Revolution~. Pocket-sized, paper

bound books became popular in English speaking countries

in 1930s and 40s. Inexpensive but durable `quality~

paperback editions of well-known writers came in 1950s. In

United States, 14 percent of all books sold by 1998, were

mass ~market and trade paperbacks.

 

Technology is a boon as well as a bane. Advancement in

technology adversely affected the business of publishing.

Television and databases ensured that the tasks such

transmission, storage, and distribution of data did not

remain only with the publishers. Copying machines also

threatened the privacy of publishers. The advent of

computers, internet, storage facilities such as CDs and

floppies made copying mush easier. While these inventions

assisted publishing the scope of copying electronically

published material raised copyright issues. This has led

governments to come up with copyright laws that specify the

extent to which the material can be copied.

 

The positive side of technology was that it led to the

development of the ~electronic book~ or ~e-book.~ With the

entry of e-book facilities, numerous books were being

digitized.

Fitzgerald Lozan is the webmaster of

AP Publishing,Inc.

which is a premier resource for you publishing needs.

Contact us at, go to http://www.appublishing.com

 

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