Editing Publishing (section)

=== Mainstream publishers ===
These companies traditionally produce hardcopy books in large print runs. They have established networks which distribute those books to bricks-and-mortar stores and libraries.  

When a mainstream publisher accepts a book for publication, they require the author to sign a contract surrendering some rights to the publisher.  In exchange, the publisher will take care of all aspects of publishing the book at the publisher's cost.  They rely entirely on sales of the book to recoup those costs and make a profit. The author receives a royalty on each sale (and sometimes an advance on royalties when the book is accepted<ref>{{Cite web |last=Louisa |date=2023-01-04 |title=how book advances work in traditional publishing |url=https://louisadeasey.com/how-book-advances-work-in-traditional-publishing/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Louisa Deasey Author |language=en-US}}</ref>).  Because of the [[financial risk]], mainstream publishers are extremely selective in what they will publish, and reject most manuscripts submitted to them.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jr |first=Thomas Umstattd |date=2020-09-30 |title=How to Get Published with a Traditional Publishing House |url=https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-get-published-with-a-traditional-publishing-house/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Author Media |language=en-US}}</ref>   

In 2013, [[Penguin Group|Penguin]] (owned by [[Longman|Pearson]]) and [[Random House]] (owned by [[Bertelsmann Stiftung|Bertelsmann]]) merged, narrowing the mainstream publishing industry to a handful of big publishers as it adapted to digital media.<ref name="Penguin Random House to Buy Simon & Schuster">{{cite news |last1=Alter |first1=Alexandra |last2=Lee |first2=Edmund |date=November 25, 2020 |title=Penguin Random House to Buy Simon & Schuster |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/books/simon-schuster-penguin-random-house.html?surface=most-popular&fellback=false&req_id=737305395&algo=bandit-all-surfaces&imp_id=517891980&action=click&module=Most%20Popular&pgtype=Homepage |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116095449/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/books/simon-schuster-penguin-random-house.html?surface=most-popular&fellback=false&req_id=737305395&algo=bandit-all-surfaces&imp_id=517891980&action=click&module=Most%20Popular&pgtype=Homepage |archive-date=16 November 2021 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The merger created the largest consumer book publisher globally, with a global market share of more than 25 percent.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pfanner |first1=Eric |last2=Chozick |first2=Amy |date=October 29, 2012 |title=Random House and Penguin Merger Creates Global Giant |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/business/global/random-house-and-penguin-to-be-combined.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126032442/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/business/global/random-house-and-penguin-to-be-combined.html |archive-date=26 November 2020 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> {{As of|2022}}, approximately 80% percent of the United States trade market for books was controlled by the "'''Big Five'''" publishing houses: [[Penguin Random House]], [[Hachette Book Group USA|Hachette]], [[HarperCollins]], [[Simon & Schuster]], and [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grady |first=Constance |date=August 25, 2022 |title=The planned Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster merger has been struck down in court |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/23316541/publishing-antitrust-lawsuit-merger-department-justice-penguin-random-house-simon-schuster |access-date=September 12, 2024 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

In November 2020, ViacomCBS agreed to sell Simon & Schuster, the third largest book publisher in the United States, to Penguin Random House in a deal that, if it had gone through, would have formed the largest publishing company in the world.<ref name="Penguin Random House to Buy Simon & Schuster" /> On November 2, 2021, the [[United States Department of Justice]] filed a lawsuit (U.S. v. Bertelsmann SE & CO. KGaA, et al.) to block the merger on antitrust grounds,<ref>{{cite web |date=2 November 2021 |title=U.S. V. Bertelsmann SE & CO. KGaA, et al |url=https://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-v-bertelsmann-se-co-kgaa-et-al |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808004033/https://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-v-bertelsmann-se-co-kgaa-et-al |archive-date=8 August 2022 |access-date=August 6, 2022 |website=www.justice.gov}}{{title missing|date=September 2022}}</ref> and on October 31, 2022, the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia|D.C. District Court]] ruled in favor of the Department of Justice, filing a permanent injunction on the merger.<ref name="Judge Blocks a Merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster">{{cite news |last1=Alter |first1=Alexandra |last2=Harris |first2=Elizabeth |date=October 31, 2022 |title=Judge Blocks a Merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/31/books/penguin-random-house-simon-schuster.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122173104/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/31/books/penguin-random-house-simon-schuster.html |archive-date=22 November 2022 |access-date=December 3, 2022 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Although newspaper and magazine companies still often own printing presses and binderies, book publishers rarely do.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} Similarly, the trade usually sells the finished products through a [[distribution (business)|distributor]] who stores and distributes the publisher's wares for a percentage fee or sells on a sale or return basis.

Some major publishers have entire divisions devoted to a single franchise, e.g., Ballantine [[Del Rey Books|Del Rey]] LucasBooks has the exclusive rights to ''Star Wars'' in the United States; Random House UK (Bertelsmann)/Century LucasBooks holds the same rights in the United Kingdom. The [[video game]] industry self-publishes through BL Publishing/[[Black Library]] ([[Warhammer Fantasy (setting)|''Warhammer'']]) and Wizards of the Coast (''[[Dragonlance]]'', ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'', etc.). The [[BBC]] has its own publishing division that does very well with long-running series such as ''[[Doctor Who]]''. These multimedia works are cross-marketed aggressively, and sales frequently outperform the average stand-alone published work, making them a focus of corporate interest.<ref name="cave">Shelagh Vainker in Anne Farrer (ed.), "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas", 1990, British Museum publications, {{ISBN|0-7141-1447-2}}.</ref>

The advent of the [[Internet]] has provided an alternative mode of book distribution and most mainstream publishers also offer their books in ebook format. Preparing a book for e-book publication is the same as print publication, with only minor variations in the process to account for the different publishing mediums; E-book publication also eliminates some costs like the discount given to retailers (usually around 45 percent).<ref name="ireaderreview.com">{{cite web |title=Book Cost Analysis – Cost of Physical Book Publishing – Kindle Review – Kindle Phone Review, Kindle Fire HD Review |url=http://ireaderreview.com/2009/05/03/book-cost-analysis-cost-of-physical-book-publishing/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402155142/http://ireaderreview.com/2009/05/03/book-cost-analysis-cost-of-physical-book-publishing/ |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date=26 March 2015 |work=Kindle Review}}</ref>