Media And Publishing Codexery

Publishing

Industry making content available to the public in print and digital forms.

Last updated

Publishing is the process of making content available to the public for sale or free of charge, in physical or digital form.[1] The commercial publishing industry includes large multinational conglomerates and thousands of small independent publishers.[2] Modern publishing, which disseminates all types of information, grew from a small, ancient practice that was once constrained by law or religion.[3]

Last updated 2026-10-03 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Known for
Making content available to the public through print and digital media
Scope
  • Includes trade
  • educational
  • academic
  • scientific
  • government
  • and civil society publishing

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

The Korean civil servant Ch'oe Yun-ŭi invented the first metal movable type in 1234–1250 AD.[4] Missionaries brought printing presses to sub-Saharan Africa in the mid-18th century.[5] By the mid-19th century, New York City became the industry's center, with large houses like Harper and Wiley.[6] In 2013, Penguin and Random House merged, creating the largest consumer book publisher globally.[7]

Academic journals require submissions to undergo peer review to ensure validity and high quality.[8] Printed materials produced in Europe prior to 1501 are referred to as incunables or incunabula.[9] The first printing press in what would become the United States was established in Massachusetts in 1638, marking the start of the country's publishing industry.[6] Different stages of the publishing process apply to different types of publishers, such as those producing magazines, journals, and books.[10]

Current reports and articles written by journalists are published by newspapers and news websites, which typically rely on advertising for financial support.[11]

What the cited sources add

A 2016 study surveying 34 US publishers found that straight, able-bodied, white females overwhelmingly represent the industry.[12] Salon described the situation as a "lack of diversity behind the scenes in book world".[12] A 2020 survey found no significant statistical change in the lack of diversity since 2016.[12] The John Lewis Christmas campaigns achieved a profit ROI of up to £10 per £1 invested.[13]

Modelling calculated that advertising drove £1.2 billion incremental sales and £411 million net profit.[13] According to a 2020 Associated Press report, the highest-level editorial roles within the publishing industry showed the smallest degree of diversity.[14]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Publishing meaning", Cambridge English Dictionary (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "GLOBAL 50. The world ranking of the publishing industry 2019", Issuu, 28 October 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Publishing industry history and challenges Britannica", britannica.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Newman, "So, Gutenberg Didn't Actually Invent Printing As We Know It", Literary Hub, 19 June 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gazemba, "African Publishing Minefields and the Woes of the African Writer", The Elephant, 2019-12-13 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chandler B. Grannis, Martha W. Grannis, "Book Publishing," Encyclopedia of New York City (2nd ed. 2010) pp.142-144 .; Carl F. Kaestle, and Janice A. Radway, eds. A history of the book in America: Volume 4: Print in motion: The expansion of publishing and reading in the United S (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Alter, "Penguin Random House to Buy Simon & Schuster", The New York Times, November 25, 2020; Pfanner, "Random House and Penguin Merger Creates Global Giant", The New York Times, October 29, 2012; Grady, "The planned Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster merger has been struck down in court", Vox, August 25, 2022 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Journals", The Royal Society (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Clapham, Michael, "Printing" in A History of Technology, Vol 2. From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution, eds,. Charles Singer et al. (Oxford 1957), p. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "New Oxford Style Manual", Oxford University Press, 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Freedom of expression, media freedom and safety of journalists"; Kahneman, "Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases", Cambridge University Press, 1982 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Flood, "Publishing industry is overwhelmingly white and female, US study finds", The Guardian, 2016-01-27; Lee, "White women of publishing: New survey shows a lack of diversity behind the scenes in book world", Salon, 2016-01-26; Flood, "US publishing remains 'as white today as it was four years ago'", The Guardian, 2020-01-30 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. "John Lewis Christmas Campaigns". facts only, no text reused. ipaeffectivenessawards2020.awardsengine.com
  14. Wikipedia, "Publishing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Italie, "Missteps lead publishing industry to review diversity effort", Associated Press, 2020-02-11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Publishing (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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JournalismMagazineMass mediaMultimediaLe MondeNational GeographicLibrary of CongressNature (journal)NewsNews mediaNewspaperPhotojournalism

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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