Editor and Publisher

A book publisher is a group or person who is responsible for bringing the book to the public for reading purposes. The book publisher is involved in the major steps of developing, marketing, producing, printing, and distributing the book. The book publisher negotiates with authors over intellectual property rights, rights to distribute, and rights to change the book. The publisher also offers the author a bonus, royalties, or a percentage of sales. See self-publishing-steps.com for the steps required to publish a book yourself.

Book publishers must go through an initial process of negotiation with the author. Intellectual rights must be negotiated. The intellectual rights laws for every country is different, so the author must demonstrate which countries he/she would like to market the book in, and what his/her desires are for the rights of the book in each country. If there is a digital printing of the book, the author would also discuss which rights would be allowed with the internet. There have been many issues of download copyright protected material from the internet, however this is a complicated issue, as many countries have not yet passed laws against this act, or do not enforce already present legislation on downloading copyrighted material from the internet.

The book publisher also deals with the editorial phase of book creation. This phase involves utilizing a large staff of editors, artists, copyeditors, writers, and other members to change and alter the book to the chief executive editor’s preferences, as well as the author’s preferences. The amount of editing that takes place, as well as the different levels of editing depends on how large the book publisher is. Larger publishers may go through several rounds of editing before the book is finally released, and there is more of a lengthy process involved. The more clout that an author has, the less that the editor can alter the book.

Finally, the book publisher will produce and distribute the book. The production process is the process of physically creating the book. This process may be accomplished using onsite facilities, or the publisher may go to a third party production company to fulfill this need. The book is then wrapped and shipped to a variety of bookstores where it is displayed to the public. The publisher usually has negotiated some kind of deal with the bookstore to get their books displayed.

Looking To Hire A Freelance Writer? Check out the 5 essential qualities a good freelance writer must possess if you want to add a bit of sparkle to your publication…

Read through this handy check-list of 5 essential qualities a professional freelance journalist must offer editors to ensure regular gigs and paychecks in the mail…read on to find out if your chosen writer possesses these skills before you make a hiring decision – your readers will thank you for it!

1) An ability to provide quality research, write customized articles, attention to fact-checking and ability to conduct great interviews, taking responsibility for delivering original content on time and quoting relevant experts to enhance content value are rated higher than a degree in journalism by Editors and Publishers worldwide.

Publishers and fellow scribes, are you surprised to learn that?

Well, you are not alone, dear reader. I was just as surprised as you are on discovering that having the right certifications, degrees and diplomas in journalism or being a product of an elite school of media studies holds little hiring value for many top magazine and newspaper Editors. Most Editors prefer taking on a freelance writer who can hit the road running – preferably in the direction a nose for news would guide them!

Since most editors and publishers typically hire freelance journalists or freelance writers when they are short on staff writers or when editorial team layoffs are the only way out (as a cost-cutting measure for the organization), they are naturally on the look-out for experienced freelancers – minus the ‘Diva’ attitudes (courtesy the right credentials, in most cases).

The ‘I-hung-the-moon’ attitude of many new media school graduates makes them misfits for real-time reporting and hard hitting journalism, particularly in cases where a creative expansion of flexible writing styles and editing skills is required for different writing projects.

Add to this requirement, desirable qualities like being able to:

2) Meet the need for quickly substituting a story, churning out filler articles

3) Provide a change of writing style for promotional or business journalism as a departure from the writer’s regular projects.

4) Ensure quick turnarounds for a series of articles and meet tight deadlines.

5) File multiple stories and features within a space of a couple of weeks, days, even hours.

And you have the makings of the 5 qualities every editor and publisher looking to hire a quality freelance journalist needs!

The 5 qualities should be present in any professional Editors consider hiring, for a quality freelance journalist possessing these is an asset to any publication – and these facts have been kindly shared with me over the course of my 10 year career as a freelance writer by editors and publishers of various print and web magazines, newspapers, journals, guides, books and new media content, such as websites and blogs that I’ve had the privilege of working with.

Apply these 5 tip-offs before hiring a freelance journalist or freelance writer for your publication is a sure-fire way to avoid ending up with dead-beats on your editorial team.

Moreover, these tips used as a check-list by new editors or publishers launching a new magazine will help refine your hiring process for an experienced and dedicated freelance writer who will deliver quality content in a professional manner to help you enhance your publication’s reach, readership, surpassing your subscription targets!

In this new wave of self-publisher’s coming to the scene, the function of an editor’s duties will on the most part be absorbed by the self-publisher. This is not to say that the self-publisher will not have a component editor to give the final manuscript the once over before your book goes to a printer. That’s if he even uses a printer. Today we now have these e-books or print-on-demand or desk-top publishing that puts everyone out of a job!

Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. It’s generally done at the expense of the author. Vanity presses cater exclusively to this market niche, but authors may prefer to hire a printer directly, or use an e-book format.

Although it represents a small percentage of the publishing industry in terms of sales, it has been present in one form or another since the beginning of publishing. In earlier centuries most publications were self-published because they were written, printed and sold by the owner of the printing press.

Over time the roles of author and publisher separated until the self-publication of books was considered unusual. In recent years, self-publishing has increased with technology including xerography, desk-top publishing systems, print-on-demand and the World Wide Web. Cultural phenomena such as the punk/DIY movement, the proliferation of media channels and blogging have contributed to the advancement of self-publishing.

Editing is the process of selecting and preparing language, images, sound, video or film through processes of correction, condensation, organization and other modifications in various media. A person who edits is called an editor. In a sense, the editing process originates with the idea for the work itself and continues in the relationship between the author and the editor. Editing is therefore, also a practice that includes creative skills and human relations.

At this point I must mention the role of a relief printer for those who use a printer even though; you may be playing the role of a self-publisher. Letterpress printing is the common term for relief printing done from movable type, from lines of type cast in one piece or from metal plates in relief may print both text and illustrations.

Letterpress is the most widely used method of printing and the relief process is the oldest. Most letterpress printing is done in small shops. But some establishments are very large and employ hundreds of workers.

Since the internet has become main stream, the era of the publisher, editor and printer are becoming less and less for our purposes. Nowadays it’s all about cost, speed and customer satisfaction. As long as the self-publisher can handle all the task of getting information into the hands of a customer in the form the customer wants, and make a profit, this is the end result and all that matters!

When you want your manuscript published, you take it to one of the many available book publishers/editors. They polish it up, correcting any mistakes. But how do you go about selecting a good publisher?

The first step involves conducting research. While there are numerous book publishers/editors, you need to pick those who are not only qualified but with the relevant experience. The internet is the best place to do this. A good number of editors have taken to advertising their services online so as to be able to reach more people. Sometimes, an agent or someone close to you may recommend a particular editor or publisher. Before you hire him/her, you must hold discussions and ascertain that he/she is indeed the right one for your type of writing. If you have to ask for referrals, you should seek advice from other writers.

There are two main reasons why you should seek the services of book publishers/editors. First, they evaluate your manuscript and decide whether it needs more work or is ready for publication. The second is that he/she polishes it up, editing and proofreading, with the aim of preparing it for submission to a publishing body. Editors have the necessary skills and are therefore the best people to handle your work before it is published. However, this only applies when you pick the best.

When hiring book publishers/editors, there are a number of things you need to consider. Cost is by far the most important. Prices vary from one publisher to the next but you are bound to come across editors that charge either peanuts or an arm and a leg for their services. Only settle for an editor that is reasonably priced and will give you value for money. This is why it is advisable never to hire the first publisher you come across. Before signing a working contract with an editor, look around and compare the services of a few. There are times when you may come across a good publisher but who charges hefty fees. Do not be afraid to negotiate. After all you have nothing to lose.

Prior to leaving the publisher’s office, you need to have agreed on payment. It is worth noting that a majority of editors mandate that you give a down payment. This is just a fraction of the final amount. It serves as security. Editors use it to protect themselves in the event that you fail to pay them for their services.

It is also important to take into consideration the editor’s credentials and level of experience. Since you will be paying for the services, you must never be scared of asking the editor about his educational background as well as how many years he/she has been in the profession. The answers he/she provides will help you make an informed decision. Also ask for the contact details of his previous clients. You will gain a lot of insight by talking to them.