PHILTECH INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.

SUBJECT: HISTORY OF GRAPHIC DESIGN

WEEK 6

LESSON 6: THE VISIBLE WORLD: CULTURES OF PUBLISHING: MODERN

PUBLISHING FROM THE 19TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT

TOPICS: The Visible World: Cultures of Publishing: Modern Publishing from the
19th Century to the Present

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this session, you will be able to:
 Understand the revolution of in culture of publishing
 Determine the culture of modern publishing from 19th century
 Identify the different types of book publishing
Modern publishing: from the 19th century to the present

The 19th century

 In the 19th century a whole new era in publishing began. A series of technical
developments, in the book trade as in other industries, dramatically raised output and
lowered costs.
 Stereotyping, the iron press, the application of steam power, mechanical typecasting and
typesetting, new methods of reproducing illustrations—these inventions, developed
through the century and often resisted by the printer, amounted to a revolution in book
production.
 Paper, made by hand up to 1800, formed more than 20 percent of the cost of a book in
1740; by 1910 it had fallen to a little more than 7 percent.
 Bindings, too, became less expensive. After 1820 cloth cases began to be used in place of
leather, and increasingly the publisher issued his books already bound.
 In Europe and America, expansion and competition were the essence of the century, and
the book trade had a full share of both. Improved means of communication led to wider
distribution, and a thirst for self-improvement and entertainment greatly expanded
readership, leading to a rapid growth in every category of book from the scholarly to the
juvenile.
 As the development of the railways encouraged people to travel, a demand arose for
reading material to lessen the tedium of the long journeys.
 Publishing was now well established, with its characteristic blend of commerce and
idealism.

Book piracy

 In the United States, publishing gradually became centralized in a few cities like
Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City.
 Although American literature put down strong roots during the 19th century, piracy from
Britain rose to great heights. There was sharp competition to be the first to secure proofs
of any important new book.
 There was also at least one famous case of piracy in reverse. When Harriet Beecher
Stowe’s antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin came out in the United States in 1852,
1,500,000 copies rapidly appeared in England, some editions selling for sixpence.
Development of Copyright Law
 Copyright underwent considerable development too.
 By the end of the century, most countries had some provision, and various terms of
protection were tried, running from publication or from the date of the author’s death.
 The United States first enacted legislation in 1790, France in 1793, and Germany in 1839.
Moves toward an international code began in 1828 in Denmark
Price Regulation

 While 19th-century publishing was competitive and individualistic, its growing volume
pointed increasingly to the need for greater organization.

 A major problem, once booksellers had become distinct from publishers, was suicidal
price-cutting in the retail trade.

 Though price regulation ran counter to accepted notions of free competition and met with
fierce opposition, in the general interest of the industry it was inevitable.

The early 20th century

 In the 20th century, the effects of state education in the more advanced countries became
increasingly apparent. Standards of living rose, and, as in earlier times, these two
conditions brought increased use and publication of books.
 During the late 1890s and early 1900s, many new publishing houses were founded. In the
industrialized countries, though wages were rising, a small business could be staffed
economically, and printing costs were such that it was economically feasible to print as
few as 1,000 copies of a new book

The first literary agents

 A new factor at this time, which was to change the financial climate for fiction publishers
in particular, was the advent of the literary agent.
 The first agent began business in 1875, and between 1900 and 1914 many more
appeared.
 Reasonable though it was that authors who were unable themselves to handle their
business with publishers satisfactorily should employ a professional to bargain for them,
the higher rates of royalty and larger advance payments thus secured cut seriously into a
publisher’s profit.

Sales methods
The discreet sales methods of the 19th century, whereby the sales representative merely
showed his samples and the publisher took small spaces in newspapers for the bare
announcement of title and author of his new books, were replaced by more forceful techniques.

Effects of World War I

 The coming of war in 1914 naturally had a disrupting, though not wholly destructive, effect
upon book publishing in European countries.
 Shortage of paper necessitated rationing to two-thirds of prewar consumption in the case
of Britain, while from hundreds of thousands of those in the armed forces came a
tremendous demand for light reading.

World War II and the postwar period

 The war that in 1939 European publishers had feared would utterly destroy their business
proved in many respects less terrible in its effects on books than had been imagined.
 While the destruction of buildings, plants, and vast stocks of books, most notably in
London and later in Leipzig, brought publishing to a stand still for individual firms and the
activity as a whole continued.
 As in 1914 but to an even greater extent, the demand for reading matter for both
instruction and entertainment grew enormously.
 In the United States, though they were subject to some shortages and inconvenience,
publishers were comparatively untouched by the war, and their business expanded
rapidly.
 In countries that suffered severe paper shortage there was, of course, a sharp reduction in
the number of new books and in the size of editions; consequently, with the increase in
demand, the available books were rapidly sold out.

The 7 Types of Book Publishing Companies

There are different types of book publishers, depending mainly on the market for the
book. While we often think of "trade" publishers, those who publish the books typically found in
bookstores, there are also academic publishers, professional publishers, and of course, self-
publishing services. Whether you aspire to be an author or dream of getting a job in editorial,
you should know about the different types of book publishers.
1.Trade Book Publishers
 Trade book publishers acquire, edit, produce, publish, and sell the books you're most likely
to see in a brick-and-mortar bookstore.
 These are traditional publishers creating books for a consumer readership. While the
internal company structures and organization of conventional trade publishers vary, each
generally publishes books in a broad variety of formats (hardcover, trade paperback, mass
market paperback, e-books, audiobooks), and a wide selection of topics and genres.
 Note that some trade book publishers are parts of larger media entities that may also own
textbook publishers. While there are many trade publishers in the United States, the major
ones are referred to as "the Big Five" book publishers.
2.Book Packagers and Book Developers
 Book packagers are companies specialize in creating books to be published under the
imprint of a trade publisher. Another way to look at is that the publisher "outsources" the
development of their book.
 In adult publishing, packaged books often involve a lot of photography or illustration, and
the publisher finds it more cost-effective to buy the books already produced than to
develop and produce the volumes themselves. Some young adult fiction series are also
packaged.
 The book packager develops an idea for a book (or series of books) and then sells the
concept to a publisher. The packager then does all of the editorial and production work for
the publisher (with publisher approval at key junctures of the process) and generally ships
the finished books directly to the publisher's warehouse.
 In some cases, the packager provides the files, and the book publisher prints and binds
the books.
 While the name of the book packager is usually unknown to the consumer buying the
book, there's typically an indication of the packager somewhere on the title page.
 The authors of packaged books are generally contracted as "work for hire;" that is, they
are paid a flat fee and do not get paid royalties on the book sales. An example of a book
packager is the San Francisco-based Weldon Owen.
3."Bargain" Book Publishers
 These publishers create low-cost books and book-related products (such as calendars or
activity kits that include books) for the "bargain" section of the bookstore.
 The low-cost non-fiction books are usually highly illustrated (souvenir books, craft books);
the fiction includes bind-ups of several novels from a prominent, prolific author or reprints
of classics in the public domain.
 Some promotional book publishers also buy and re-sell the remainders of trade books.
 Authors who write original books for this market are almost always contracted for work-
for-hire. Established authors who are reprinted into this market are doing so under reprint
clauses in their publishing contracts and receive royalties for their work.
4.Textbook Publishers and Academic Publishers
 Textbook publishers create books for school and university classrooms, usually with a
specific course syllabus in mind. School book publishers are referred to as "elhi," a
combination of "elementary" and "high school."
5.Professional Publishers
 Professional publishers create books and databases for professionals who need access to
reliable, widely accepted information and standards.
 These include (but aren't limited to) accountants, architects, doctors, lawyers, and
psychologists. Because of the amount of data in these books and the need for regularly
updated information, much of this information has moved from predominantly book form
to online access.
6.Self-Publishing Services
 In general, self-publishers, by any name, allow an author to see their book in print or
online and accessible to an audience. However, there are distinct differences between
"being published" traditionally and having your book produced by a self-publishing service.
7.Hybrid Publisher
 Hybrid publishers' services fall somewhere between a self-publishing company and
a traditional publisher.
 Hybrid publishers differ significantly in their terms. Still, they generally offer their authors
some level of in-house editorial expertise and distribution support, and they share in the
profits that result from the book sales.

QUIZ 1: True or False

Directions: Select TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if otherwise.
1.As the development of the railways encouraged people to travel, a demand arose for reading
material to lessen the tedium of the long journeys.
2.In the 18th century a whole new era in publishing began.
3.The United States first enacted legislation of copyright law in 1790, France in 1793, and
Germany in 1859.
4. Development of copyright of law moves toward an international code began in 1828 in
Denmark.
5. The first agent began business in 1875, and between 1900 and 1914 many more appeared.
6.The coming of war in 1914 naturally had a disrupting, though not wholly destructive, effect
upon book publishing in European countries.
7. During the World War II in the United States, though they were subject to some shortages and
inconvenience, publishers were comparatively untouched by the war, and their business
expanded rapidly.
8.While the destruction of buildings, plants, and vast stocks of books, most notably in London
and later in Leipzig, brought publishing to a stand still for individual firms and the activity as a
whole continued.
9, Trade book publishers acquire, edit, produce, publish, and sell the books you're most likely to
see in a brick-and-mortar bookstore.
10. Book packagers are companies specialize in creating books to be published under the imprint
of a trade publisher.
11. Book packagers create low-cost books and book-related products (such as calendars or
activity kits that include books) for the "bargain" section of the bookstore.
12. Professional publishers create books for school and university classrooms, usually with a
specific course syllabus in mind.
13. Textbook publishers create books and databases for professionals who need access to
reliable, widely accepted information and standards.
14. Self-publishing services allow an author to see their book in print or online and accessible to
an audience.
15.Hybrid publishers' services fall somewhere between a self-publishing company and
a traditional publisher.