The Types of Book Publishing

Book publishing is the process of producing novels, textbooks, manuals and other types of books. There are various types of book publishers, ranging from the traditional trade publishers to vanity press.

Trade Publishing

Trade publishing companies produce books designed for general customers. Trade publishers sell books through established channels, including libraries, wholesalers and bookstores.

Scholarly and Professional Publishing

Scholarly and professional publishing companies produce books designed for professionals in various fields, including science, law, business, medicine and technology. This type of publishing is often called STM, which is short for scientific, technical and medical publishing.

Educational Publishing

Educational publishing companies produce various textbooks and workbooks. Higher education publishers produce material for university and college students, while school publishers produce material designed for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing allows writers and authors to keep inventory at a minimum by using print-on-demand (POD) technology.

Independent Publishing

Independent publishers are typically smaller, privately held publishing companies. Independent publishing companies produce a variety of books, and many specialize in specific fields.

Vanity and Subsidy Publishing

Vanity or subsidy publishers require writers to pay all of the publishing costs, including editing, printing and promoting the book. Bookstores frequently refuse to carry books published by vanity and subsidy publishing companies.

References

• Book Connection: Kinds of Publishers
• BookJobs.com: Types of Publishers

Resources

• Types of Publishers
• Book Connection: A Publisher by Any Other Name