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What is a Publishing House?

Susan Grindstaff
Susan Grindstaff

A publishing house is another name for a publishing company. It is a company that takes the written work of a writer or musician and makes it available to the general public. Most all books and songs are published through a publishing house.

A large publisher typically works with writers who have already established themselves in their genre. The publishing house works with both the writer and his or her agent to negotiate publishing contracts. Many times, a particular publisher contracts a writer for more than one book, over a period of years. During this period, the writer may or may not be allowed to publish her work through other publishers. This type of contract is usually referred to as an “exclusive” agreement.

A publishing house might be in charge of printing textbooks.
A publishing house might be in charge of printing textbooks.

Once a publisher has a written agreement and the book has been accepted, editors employed by the house generally make revisions. Depending on the terms of the contract, the editors may or may not have the final say. Some writers specify in their contracts that they will review editor suggestions, but that the final wording will be up to them.

After editing is complete, the publisher typically makes decisions regarding actual production of the material. This includes book covers, size of the book, and the type of paper used. In addition, the publishing house makes decisions related to marketing and sales, such as advertising venues, and the target market for the book. One of the most important decisions the publishing house makes is in regard to the number of copies printed, as this often signals what it expects in sales. Publishers seldom order huge quantities unless they believe the book will be very successful.

There are different sizes and types of publishing houses, and though there are numerous large and well-known publishers all over the world, small publishers also do important work.
There are different sizes and types of publishing houses, and though there are numerous large and well-known publishers all over the world, small publishers also do important work.

There are different sizes and types of publishing houses, and though there are numerous large and well-known publishers all over the world, small publishers also do important work. Sometimes small publishers devote their work to a specific genre, which may limit their growth as a company. New York City is known for being the home of many large and small publishing houses.

Publishing houses oversee the process of getting books printed and to the public.
Publishing houses oversee the process of getting books printed and to the public.

Many new writers begin their writing career with a small publishing house, because it is often difficult to get larger publishers to take a chance on untested and unknown talent. Small publishers are often on the lookout for new talent in the hopes that a successful book by a new writer could change their standing in the publishing community. From the point of view of an author, a small publishing house is usually preferable to self-publishing or not being published at all.

Discussion Comments

backdraft

I used to work for a publishing house that specialized in test prep materials. I was a freelance writer and they had me write practice tests for the SAT, ACT and a lot of other standardized test that no one has ever heard of.

It was actually really hard. I was good at the English and language and composition parts of the test, but when it came to science and math I had to get some outside help.

chivebasil

There are more publishing houses than a lot of people realize. There are the big ones like penguin and Random House but then hundreds more below them that specialize in certain types of genre fiction, poetry, translations and on and on. And this does not take into account all the academic publishers, education publishers and corporate publishers.

We think of publishing and think only of big novels but there are millions and millions of pages beyond that that get published and printed every year.

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    • A publishing house might be in charge of printing textbooks.
      By: zefart
      A publishing house might be in charge of printing textbooks.
    • There are different sizes and types of publishing houses, and though there are numerous large and well-known publishers all over the world, small publishers also do important work.
      By: Monkey Business
      There are different sizes and types of publishing houses, and though there are numerous large and well-known publishers all over the world, small publishers also do important work.
    • Publishing houses oversee the process of getting books printed and to the public.
      By: Andrzej Tokarski
      Publishing houses oversee the process of getting books printed and to the public.