Role of the Publisher in the Dissemination of Knowledge

Abstract

In literate societies, publication is a major mode of the dissemination of knowledge. Far from being a neutral middleman in this process, the publisher influences both the production and consumption of intellectual works. The publisher forms an important part of the institutional setting in which authorship takes place. By commissioning authors to write some works, and through his influence at the editorial stage, the publisher influences the content of what is written. The publisher acts as a gatekeeper, determining which works will be made available to the public. He oversees the reproduction of works in multiple copies, determining the kind of book which is made from a work. Although normally not responsible for the distribution of books to consumers, the publisher plays a role in distribution both across geographical space and to different groups of readers. Through his role at the stages of production, assessment, reproduction and distribution, the publisher influences the consumption of knowledge. However, consumers also influence the publisher, and the publisher's decisions are made in light of his conception of the audience.

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References

This definition embraces the publication of both pictorial statements and sound recordings. This discussion, however, is limited to the publication of written works. Moreover, the focus is specifically on the publication of books, though much of what is said is relevant also to periodical publication

This is based on the definition of the publisher's functions in Cheney

O. H.

, Economic Survey of the Book Industry 1930–1931 (New York: National Association of Book Publishers 1931), p. 154

Shils

Edward

“Intellectuals, Tradition, and the Traditions of Intellectuals: Some Preliminary Considerations,”

Daedalus 101 (Spring 1972), pp. 24–25

See, the symposium “‘Creative Publishing’: Is It Proper for University Presses?” Scholarly Publishing 4 (1973), pp. 321–32

Farrar

John

“Selecting and Securing the Manuscript,” in What Happens in Book Publishing, 2d ed., ed. Grannis

Chandler B.

(New York: Columbia University Press 1967), p. 32

Farrar

“Selecting and Securing,” p. 33

Publishers of transatlantic reprints have sometimes carried this to extremes, rather foolishly altering passages which they thought would bewilder or offend the work's new audience. See, Bruccoli

Matthew J.

, “Some Transatlantic Texts: West to East,” in Bibliography and Textual Criticism, ed. Brack

O. M.

Jr. Barnes

Warner

, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1969), pp. 244–55

The publisher, it should be remembered, is by no means a passive gatekeeper, content merely to pass judgment on manuscripts as they are submitted to him. When he is dissatisfied with the traffic arriving at his portals of its own volition, he actively solicits works more to his liking

Jovanovich

William

Now, Barabbas (New York: Harper & Row 1964), p. 86

10.

See, Dessauer

John P.

“Too Many Books?”

Publishers Weekly, 30 September 1974, pp. 24–25; 7 October 1974, pp. 34–35; 14 October 1974, pp. 32–33

11.

See, Lacy

Dan

“The Economics of Publishing, or Adam Smith and Literature,”

Daedalus (Winter 1963), pp. 42–62

12.

Of course, if the author changes publishers just as he starts becoming profitable, the profits may fall to a rival publisher. Publishers naturally hope to reap the rewards of their own investments, but in practice they often reap the rewards of each other's

13.

See, Charvat

William

Literary Publishing in America 1790–1850 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press 1959), pp. 17–37

14.

Libraries are distribution agencies of great importance to the dissemination of knowledge, but as far as the publisher is concerned, the library is a consumer like any other book buyer, albeit an extremely important one

15.

See, Bliven

Bruce

Jr. Book Traveller (New York: Dodd, Mead 1975); originally published in the New Yorker 49, no. 38 (12 November 1973), p. 51 ff

16.

Booksellers are generally reluctant to stock and display books carrying less than a trade discount of about 40 percent, though they are usually willing to make special orders for books carrying a short discount of 20 percent. A publisher determines a book's discount—and thereby the manner of its distribution—according to his conception of the nature of its potential audience. Most books are assured of a certain minimum sale without bookstore display to libraries and individuals as a result of announcements and reviews. For highly specialized books with a well-defined audience, this minimum sale may constitute more than 95 percent of the total potential sale. When setting the discount on a book, the publisher tries to estimate whether the income from its total potential sale at a trade discount would offset that from its likely minimum sale at a short discount. See, Friedland

Abbot M.

, “Book Distribution, Discounts, and Dollar Sales,” Scholarly Publishing 4 (1973), pp. 153–61