Ramdarshan Bold Melanie - The publishing business : a guide to starting out and getting on

Bloomsbury Visual Arts

An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

www.bloomsbury.com

This electronic edition published in 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

First edition published by AVA Publishing SA, 2012

This second edition is published by Bloomsbury Visual Arts, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Copyright Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2018

Kelvin Smith and Melanie Ramdarshan Bold have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Authors of this work.

All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the authors.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-1-4742-4951-5 (PB)
ISBN: 978-1-4742-4953-9 (eBook)
ISBN: 978-1-4742-4952-2 (ePDF)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Smith, Kelvin (Kelvin John), author. | Ramdarshan Bold, Melanie, author.

Title: The publishing business : a guide to starting out and getting on / Kelvin Smith and Melanie Ramdarshan Bold.

Description: Second edition. | London ; New York : Bloomsbury Visual Arts, [2018] | Revised edition of: The publishing business : from p-books to e-books / Kelvin Smith. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017005298| ISBN 9781474249515 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781474249539 (epub) | ISBN 9781474249522 (epdf)

Subjects: LCSH: Publishers and publishing. | Publishers and publishingVocational guidance. | Publishers and publishingTechnological innovations. | Electronic publishing.

Classification: LCC Z278 .S55 2018 | DDC 070.5dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017005298

Series: Creative Careers

Cover design by Duncan Blachford, www.tempohaus.com

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Introduction

The purpose of this book is to teach you something about the many elements that make up modern publishing practice. Publishing is one area where the impact of information technology was felt early on, but for some years, this was mainly confined to the back office areas of origination and production of texts and illustrations. In recent years, the effects of the digital culture have swept rapidly through the industry all the way from writers to readers. The way in which publications are written, designed, produced, promoted, distributed and read has changed; and the financial models and legal structures that have been central to publishing for many decades have been challenged. For example, self-publishing is now a viable, and vibrant, route for authors and has become an important part of publishing industry discourse. Well explore both traditional and non-traditional publishing models in this book.

From writer to reader

We explore the book-publishing process from writer to reader, passing through the essential publishing activities performed in editorial, rights, design, production and marketing departments. By laying out clearly the tasks and responsibilities at each stage of the publishing process, this book provides a sound basis on which to build.

Case studies and interviews give examples of publishing practice in different parts of the industry, including childrens, academic and trade publishing. Charts and tables provide information on aspects of the industry in an international context.

Discussion questions help you to evaluate what you have learned. They help to build your knowledge and skills in making decisions on content and form, and give you practise in formulating the plans, schedules and budgets needed during the book-publishing process. With a sound knowledge of these fundamentals, you will be well prepared to learn more about specialist areas of publishing, and to explore your own path into this challenging and rewarding career.

Preparing for change

Michael Pietsch, CEO of the Hachette Book Group, believes that we are in a golden age for books: more interesting and complex than when Gutenberg introduced printing to Europe. Therefore, this is an exciting time to be starting a career in publishing and The Publishing Business introduces you to the profession at a hectic time in its development. The effects of the digital revolution are creating major advances in ways that affect everyone in publishing, whether they are writers, agents, editors, designers, marketers, booksellers, journalists, librarians or researchers. Therefore, you need to be prepared for change. You need flexibility and imagination, willingness and adaptability if you are to prosper in the publishing future. You also need to understand the context in which publishing has developed and from which it must move forward into a future that will continue to be subject to technological, economic, social and political developments. Technology is also changing the way that readers access and engage with content: understanding the reader, and building audiences, has never been more important.

The Publishing Business provides you with ways to understand what book publishing is and what it might become. It encourages you to acquire the skills and knowledge that will be vital to you as you continue your life in publishing. The book aims to make sure that you have a sound foundation on which to base your further studies of editorial, rights, production, marketing, distribution or finance, in whichever specialist area of book publishing may beckon as your career develops.

You will never stop learning about publishing. So now is the time to develop the habit of following up all links and references, grasp new technologies and new business models, read the trade press, blogs and specialist websites, follow publishers, publishing professionals, and authors on social media, set up your own book-related blog, vlog, Instagram, Pinterest account etc., attend events hosted by organizations such as The Society of Young Publishers, Young to Publishing, BookMachine, Byte The Book etc. Never lose an opportunity to see what others are thinking, saying, writing and dreaming about publishing, and try to contribute to the conversation yourself.

Throughout the book you should take the opportunity to stop and think about what you are learning, and to get used to the idea that there are sometimes no right or wrong answers. Good publishing often comes down to sound judgement, and you should make this your goal. Learning about publishing is an ongoing activity and you need to keep an open and agile mind to make sense of the changes that are taking place. This may sound challenging, but it will be worth it!