Publishing

This little book is one of a series of books being published by Thomson Gale to provide young people with a better understanding of what their future would hold as they decide on a career. Although the general field of publishing covers a wide range from the local newspaper to magazines and everything else, this book really concentrates on book publishing. This is a profession in the midst of drastic change as new technologies emerge. No one yet knows what the internet is going to do to publishing. As you read this, you are getting the information that was published on the net, displaying it, and reading about a book published using olf fashioned dead trees. In spite of the changes, the industry published a record of about 175,000 new books and revised editions in 2003. The industry is growing, particularly among the publishers who fill small niche markets. This is causing a demand for people in virtually all aspects of publishing. The book concentrates on those jobs that are unique to publishing. The people in more general professions from accounting to janitorial remain the same in the publishing industry. The book has chapters on: The Writer The Literary Agent The Editor The Book Designer The Sales Representative. It gives a very good summary of these jobs, including such sage advice as just because you are writing, don't quit your day job. You can only say so much in a book describing an industry, you don't know how much detail to include. This is an excellent first introduction.

Publishing is written for young people considering going into the business of creating books. From writer to sales rep, this book covers the publishing industry in a clear stlye. Throughout are pictures and quotes from famous writers and professionals in each of the different publishing fields. Though written with young adults in mind, I recommend Publishing: Careers for the Twenty-First Century to anyone considering or just beginning in any area of the publishing business.