63-766: Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House , a subsidiary of Penguin Random House ; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin Jr. , Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine , with funding from Grosset & Dunlap and Curtis Publishing Company . It has since been purchased several times by companies including National General , Carl Lindner 's American Financial and, most recently, Bertelsmann , which in 1986 purchased what had grown to become
126-407: A founder of Bantam Books , announced that he would "offer trade publishers a plan for simultaneous publishing of original titles in two editions, a hardcover 'regular' edition for bookstore sale, and a paper-cover, 'newsstand' size, low-priced edition for mass market sale." When the first Ballantine Book, Cameron Hawley 's Executive Suite , was published in 1952, the publishing industry saw that
189-400: A literary critic, and in the case of Moby Dick , with a selection of critical essays on the novel appended as well. Authors originally published exclusively or significantly by Bantam include: Publishing house Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software, and other content available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally,
252-540: A modern, large-scale industry disseminating all types of information. " Publisher " can refer to a publishing company, organization, or an individual who leads a publishing company, imprint , periodical , or newspaper. The publishing process covering most magazine , journal , and book publishers includes: (Different stages are applicable to different types of publishers) Newspapers or news websites are publications of current reports, articles , and features written by journalists . They are free, sometimes with
315-677: A particular field and often push the boundaries established in these fields. They usually have peer review processes before publishing to test the validity and quality of the content. A magazine is a periodical published at regular intervals. It features creative layouts, photography, and illustrations that cover a particular subject or interest. Magazines are available in print or digital formats and can be purchased on apps or websites like Readly or accessed free of charge on apps or websites like Issuu . The global book publishing industry consists of books categorized as fiction or non-fiction and print , e-book , or audiobook . The book market
378-400: A premium edition, or paid for, either individually or through a subscription . They are filled with photographs or other media and usually are subsidized with advertising . Typically, they cover local , national, and international news or feature a particular industry. Some organizations charge premium fees if they have the expertise and exclusive knowledge. The news industry is meant to serve
441-403: A registered ISBN to identify it. Directories contain searchable indexed data about businesses, products, and services. They were printed in the past but are now mostly online. Directories are available as searchable lists, on a map, as a sector-specific portal , as a review site (expert or consumer), or as a comparison site . Although some businesses may not consider themselves publishers,
504-435: A shop with a small margin (or none at all) compared to a website is very cost-effective because it acts as a huge billboard that offers a browsing experience that enables consumers to make purchasing decisions. It gives them a feel for the brand, has a presence in the community, and creates jobs. Also, using social media publishing to advertise has a good ROI if trending, high-quality content is created that reflects positively on
567-758: A single franchise, e.g., Ballantine 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 ) 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
630-492: A stand-alone imprint within Random House; as of 2023, it continues to publish as the Bantam imprint, again grouped in a renamed Ballantine division within Random House. Bantam began as a mass market publisher, mostly of reprints of hardcover books, with some original paperbacks as well. It expanded into both trade paperback and hardcover books, including original works, often reprinted in house as mass-market editions. The company
693-623: A subsidized income for publishers. If the advertising has a return on investment (ROI), the publisher can boost income exponentially by increasing the spending. An ROI of up to £10 per £1 invested is possible, as seen in the John Lewis & Partners Christmas campaigns . Likewise, any cost savings that harm the customer/consumer experience can impact a brand in the long term. Multichannel marketing can be more cost-effective in creating an immersive experience that cannot be replicated with one channel. For example, when considering marketing spend,
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#1732794117706756-459: A website, from which anyone can download and read it. An increasing number of authors are using niche marketing online to sell more books by engaging with their readers online. Refer to the ISO divisions of ICS 01.140.40 and 35.240.30 for further information. Publication is the distribution of copies or content to the public . The Berne Convention requires that this can only be done with
819-404: Is a modern term for publishing a book but printing so few copies or with such lack of marketing, advertising, or sales support that it effectively does not reach the public. The book, while nominally published, is almost impossible to obtain through normal channels such as bookshops, often cannot be ordered specially, and has a notable lack of support from its publisher, including refusal to reprint
882-421: Is also undertaken by governments, civil society, and private companies for administrative or compliance requirements, business, research, advocacy, or public interest objectives. This can include annual reports , research reports , market research , policy briefings, and technical reports . Self-publishing has become very common. Publishing has evolved from a small, ancient form limited by law or religion to
945-448: Is an academic publisher run by a university. Oxford University Press is the largest in the world and specializes in research, education, and English language teaching internationally. A catalog is a visual directory or list of a large range of products that allow you to browse and buy from a particular company. In print, this is usually in the format of a softback book or directory. Smaller visual catalogs can be known as brochures. With
1008-421: Is huge, with around 1.5 billion people speaking English. Translation services are also available to make these texts accessible in other languages. Self-publishing makes publishing widely accessible through small print-run digital printing or online self-publishing platforms. E-reader screen technology continues to improve with increased contrast and resolution making them more comfortable to read. Each book has
1071-491: The Harry Potter and James Bond franchises. The publishing landscape is continually evolving. Currently there are four major types of publishers in book publishing: 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
1134-588: The Bantam Spectra science fiction imprint, the juvenile Skylark imprint, the Bantam Air & Space imprint, and editions of Shakespeare. The series was started in 1958. It reprints mostly public domain, unabridged classic books , intended to increase backlist sales and reintroduce the works to new audiences. More than a hundred books have been released in the series. Like competing editions, some Bantam Classics are printed with an introduction from
1197-595: The Star Trek Logs , a ten-volume series of Alan Dean Foster adaptations of the animated Star Trek . In 1968, Ballantine published a non-fiction book related to Star Trek , The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry . In 1976, Ballantine published the novelization of a forthcoming science fiction film, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas ( ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster ). The book, like
1260-597: The Zacherley anthologies, the paperback of Hunter Thompson 's Hell's Angels , Harvey Kurtzman 's The Mad Reader and other early Mad paperbacks. He made four contributions to Mad and other magazines edited by Kurtzman. In 1956, Shir-Cliff edited a humor anthology, The Wild Reader , for Ballantine, including essays, poems and satirical pieces by Robert Benchley , Art Buchwald , Tom Lehrer , John Lardner, Shepherd Mead , Ogden Nash , S. J. Perelman , Frank Sullivan, James Thurber and others. The 154-page paperback
1323-589: The development of books . The Chinese inventor Bi Sheng made a movable type of earthenware c. 1045 , but there are no known surviving examples of his work. The Korean civil servant Ch'oe Yun-ŭi , who lived during the Goryeo Dynasty, invented the first metal moveable type in 1234–1250 AD. In what is commonly regarded as an independent invention, Johannes Gutenberg developed movable type in Europe around 1450, along with innovations in casting
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#17327941177061386-777: The Bantam Doubleday Dell publishing group. Bertelsmann purchased Random House in 1998, and in 1999 merged the Bantam and Dell imprints (amongst other mergers within the sprawling publishing house) to become the Bantam Dell publishing imprint. In 2010, the Bantam Dell division was consolidated with Ballantine Books (founded in 1952 by Bantam co-founders Ian and Betty Ballantine) to form the Ballantine Bantam Dell group within Random House. By no later than February 2015, Bantam Books had re-emerged as
1449-495: The Department of Justice, filing a permanent injunction on the merger. Although newspaper and magazine companies still often own printing presses and binderies, book publishers rarely do. Similarly, the trade usually sells the finished products through a 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
1512-468: The Internet, they have evolved into searchable databases of products known under the term e-commerce . Interactive catalogs and brochures like IKEA and Avon allow customers to browse a full range if they have not decided on their purchase. Responsive web and app design will allow further integration between interactive catalog visuals and searchable product databases. Until recently, physical books were
1575-540: The Land (#7), Al Capp 's The World of Li'l Abner (#8, with Farrar, Straus & Young) and LaSelle Gilman's The Red Gate (#9). During the early 1950s, Ballantine attracted attention as one of the leading publishers of paperback science fiction and fantasy , beginning with The Space Merchants (#21). The Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth novel had first appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction under
1638-482: The Random House publishing group in 2008. Ballantine Books was merged with Bantam Dell in 2010. In 2013, Random House merged with Penguin to form Penguin Random House . Bantam has published the entire original run of the " Choose Your Own Adventure " series of children's books , as well as the first original novels based upon the Star Trek franchise, publishing about a dozen such books between 1970 and 1982, when
1701-612: The World Wide Web in 1989 soon propelled the website into a dominant publishing medium. Wikis and blogs soon developed, followed by online books , online newspapers , and online magazines . This also facilitated the technological convergence of commercial and self-published content and the convergence of publishing and production into online production through the development of multimedia content. A U.S.-based study in 2016 that surveyed 34 publishers found that straight, able-bodied, white females overwhelmingly represent
1764-496: The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) have called for reform of the paid-for publishing sector. These unions, representing 14,800 authors, jointly published a report to expose widespread bad practices among companies that charge writers to publish their work while taking away their rights. When an author self-publishes a book, they retain all rights and assume responsibility for all stages of preparing, publishing and distributing
1827-632: The author must cover all the costs of publication, surrender some rights to the publisher, and pay royalties on sales. Vanity presses often engage in deceptive practices or offer costly, poor-quality services with limited recourse available to the writer. In the US, these practices have been cited by the Better Business Bureau as unfavorable reports by consumers. Given the bad reputation of vanity publishing, many vanity presses brand themselves as hybrid publishers. The Society of Authors (SoA) and
1890-633: 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 ). Because of the financial risk , mainstream publishers are extremely selective in what they will publish, and reject most manuscripts submitted to them. In 2013, Penguin (owned by Pearson ) and Random House (owned by Bertelsmann ) merged, narrowing
1953-510: The average stand-alone published work, making them a focus of corporate interest. 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
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2016-614: The book. The author may hire professionals on a fee-for-service basis as needed, (e.g. an editor, cover designer, proofreader) or engage a company to provide an integrated package. Accessible publishing uses the digitization of books to mark them up into XML and produce multiple formats to sell to customers, often targeting those who experience difficulty reading. Formats include a variety of larger print sizes, specialized print formats for dyslexia , eye tracking problems, and macular degeneration , as well as Braille , DAISY , audiobooks , and e-books . Green publishing means adapting
2079-566: The brand. Film, television, radio, and advertisements publish information to their audiences. Computer games, streaming apps, and social media publish content in various ways that can keep audiences more engaged. Marketing additional products closely related to a major film, such as Star Wars , is an example of tie-in publishing. These products include but are not limited to spin-off books, graphic novels, soundtrack albums, computer games, models and toys, social media posts, and promotional publications. Examples of tie-in publishing based on books are
2142-646: The commission's blacklisting practice constituted an unlawful prior restraint on free expression in violation of the First Amendment. The Court held that any system of prior censorship on publications "strikes at the very foundation of freedom of expression" and cannot be enforced unless regulated by precise rules with procedural safeguards. This was an influential decision reinforcing First Amendment protections against government censorship of published materials. In 1964, Grosset & Dunlap acquired full ownership of Bantam from Curtis. In 1968, Grosset & Dunlap
2205-547: The consent of the copyright holder, which initially is always the author. In the Universal Copyright Convention , "publication" is defined in Article VI as "the reproduction in tangible form and the general distribution to the public of copies of a work from which it can be read or otherwise visually perceived." Privishing ( priv ate publ ishing , but not to be confused with self-publishing )
2268-422: The discount given to retailers (usually around 45 percent). Small publishers, also called independent or indie publishers, operate on a traditional model (i.e. the author surrenders some rights in exchange for the publisher bearing all costs of publishing), but their precise terms can vary greatly. Often, they do not pay an advance on royalties. A hybrid publisher shares the costs of publication (and therefore
2331-442: The film Star Wars released the following year, was an enormous success and sold out its initial print run. In the first three months, Ballantine sold 3.5 million copies. After publishing The World of Li'l Abner , Ballantine introduced Shel Silverstein in 1956 with his Grab Your Socks! collection of cartoons from Pacific Stars and Stripes . As an editor at Ballantine during the 1950s and 1960s, Bernard Shir-Cliff handled
2394-603: The formats of both magazines and paperbacks. In the early 1960s, the company engaged in a well-known rivalry with Ace Books for the rights to reprint the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and Edgar Rice Burroughs in paperback form. Ballantine prevailed in the struggle for the Tolkien work, with their editions of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings including a message on the back cover from Tolkien himself urging consumers to buy Ballantine's version and boycott "unauthorized editions" (i.e.
2457-417: The holding Bantam Doubleday Dell . In 1998, Bertelsmann acquired Random House from Advance Publications ; Random House became the name of the overall holding company of the various publishing imprints. In 1999, Bertelsmann merged some of the many publishing units it held in Random House, including a merger of Bantam with Dell Publishing , forming the Bantam Dell publishing imprint. Bantam Dell became part of
2520-454: The license was taken over by Pocket Books . Bantam also published a dozen volumes of short story adaptations of scripts from Star Trek: The Original Series . Bantam was the former American paperback publisher of The Guinness Book of Records . Another series was "Bantam War Book" from the 1970s to the 1990s, with the majority of books from World War II, but also from Vietnam, Korea and other conflicts. Other series include Bantam Classics,
2583-515: The mainstream publishing industry to a handful of big publishers as it adapted to digital media. The merger created the largest consumer book publisher globally, with a global market share of more than 25 percent. 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 , HarperCollins , Simon & Schuster , and Macmillan . In November 2020, ViacomCBS agreed to sell Simon & Schuster,
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2646-616: The paperback edition instead gave the book more publicity. After the film rights were sold to MGM , Robert Wise directed the 1954 film , nominated for four Academy Awards. On the heels of that kind of sales and publicity, other Ballantine titles were seen in spinner racks across the country. Executive Suite was followed by Hal Ellson 's The Golden Spike (#2), Stanley Baron's All My Enemies (#3), Luke Short 's Saddle by Starlight (#4, also with Houghton Mifflin), Ruth Park's The Witch's Thorn (#5, also with Houghton Mifflin), Emile Danoen's Tides of Tide (#6), Frank Bonham 's Blood on
2709-573: The primary source of recording knowledge. For accessibility and global reach, this content can be repurposed for the web. The British Library , for example, holds more than 170 million items with 3 million new additions each year. With consent, content can be published online through e-books, audio books, CMS -based websites, online learning platforms, videos, or mobile apps. On the Internet, writers and copy editors are known as content writers and content editors, although their roles vary from their print-based counterparts. Advertising can provide income or
2772-489: The public interest, hold people and businesses to account, and promote freedom of information and expression. Editors manage the tone of voice of their publication; for example, negative versus positive articles can affect the reader's perspective. A journal is an academic or technical publication also available in digital and(or) print format, containing articles written by researchers, professors, and individuals with professional expertise. These publications are specific to
2835-457: The publishing industry in the US. Salon described the situation as a "lack of diversity behind the scenes in book world." A survey in 2020 by the same group found there has been no significant statistical change in the lack of diversity since the 2016 survey. Lack of diversity in the American publishing industry has been an issue for years. Within the industry, the least amount of diversity
2898-410: The publishing process to minimize environmental impact. One example is the concept of on-demand printing, using digital or print-on-demand technology. This cuts down the need to ship books since they are manufactured close to the customer on a just-in-time basis. A further development is the growth of online publishing, where no physical books are produced. The author creates an e-book and uploads it to
2961-442: The risks) with the author. Because of this financial risk, they are selective in what they publish. The contract varies according to what is negotiated between author and company, but will always include the surrender of some rights to the publisher. Hybrid publishing is the source of debate in the publishing industry, due to the tendency of vanity presses to masquerade as hybrids. A vanity press will publish any book. In return,
3024-483: The scribes of Europe had produced since Constantine founded his city in A.D. 330." The history of modern newspaper publishing started in Germany in 1609, with the publication of magazines following in 1663. Missionaries brought printing presses to sub-Saharan Africa in the mid-18th century. Historically, publishing has been handled by publishers , although some authors self-published. The establishment of
3087-447: The simultaneous hardcover and paperback editions were obvious successes. Houghton Mifflin published the $ 3.00 hardcover at the same time Ballantine distributed its 35¢ paperback. By February 1953, Ballantine had sold 375,000 copies and was preparing to print 100,000 more. Houghton Mifflin sold 22,000 hardback copies in its first printing. Ballantine's sales soon totaled 470,000 copies. Instead of hurting hardback sales as some predicted,
3150-735: The term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works , such as books , comic books , newspapers , and magazines . With the advent of digital information systems, the scope has expanded to include digital publishing such as e-books , digital magazines , websites , social media , music , and video game publishing . The commercial publishing industry ranges from large multinational conglomerates such as News Corp , Pearson , Penguin Random House , and Thomson Reuters to major retail brands and thousands of small independent publishers. It has various divisions such as trade/retail publishing of fiction and non-fiction, educational publishing, and academic and scientific publishing . Publishing
3213-497: 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. 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, and on October 31, 2022, the D.C. District Court ruled in favor of
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#17327941177063276-507: The title Gravy Planet . Kauffman scored when he acquired and edited Ray Bradbury 's Fahrenheit 451 (originally in Galaxy as a shorter version, "The Firemen"). Ballantine's science fiction line also included the unusual Star Science Fiction Stories . With cover paintings by Richard Powers , this innovative anthology series offered new fiction rather than reprints. Edited by Frederik Pohl , it attracted readers by successfully combining
3339-540: The title. A book that is privished may be referred to as "killed." Depending on the motivation, privishing may constitute a breach of contract , censorship , or good business practice (e.g., not printing more books than the publisher believes will sell in a reasonable length of time). Publishing became possible with the invention of writing and became more practical upon the introduction of printing . Before printing, distributed works were copied manually by scribes . Due to printing, publishing progressed hand-in-hand with
3402-469: The type based on a matrix and hand mould . The invention of the printing press gradually made books less expensive to produce and more widely available. Early printed books, single sheets, and images created before 1501 in Europe are known as incunables or incunabula . "A man born in 1453, the year of the fall of Constantinople , could look back from his fiftieth year on a lifetime in which about eight million books had been printed, more perhaps than all
3465-461: The version from Ace Books). A separate Canadian edition of the books was published with different front cover art work. Tolkien asked for (and received) permission to add the back cover message. Betty Ballantine recalled: "And we did put a little statement on the back covers saying that Ace was not paying royalties to Professor Tolkien, and everybody who admired Lord of the Rings should only buy our paperback edition. Well, everybody got behind us. There
3528-453: The way the data is displayed is published. A textbook is an educational book, or e-book, that contains information on a particular subject and is used by people studying that subject. The need for textbook publishing continues due to the global need for education. Textbooks from major publishers are being integrated with online learning platforms for expert knowledge and access to a library of books with digital content. A university press
3591-495: Was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains part of that company. Ballantine's original logo was a pair of mirrored letter Bs back to back, later changing to two Bs stacked to form an elaborate gate. The firm's early editors were Stanley Kauffmann and Bernard Shir-Cliff . Following Fawcett Publications ' controversial 1950 introduction of Gold Medal paperback originals rather than reprints, Lion Books, Avon and Ace also decided to publish originals. In 1952, Ian Ballantine,
3654-454: Was acquired by conglomerate National General , run by Gene Klein . National General was acquired by American Financial Group in 1973. American Financial sold Bantam to the Italian firm IFI in 1974. Bertelsmann acquired half of Bantam in 1977 and assumed full ownership in 1980. IN 1986, Bantam began publishing audiobooks. In 1986, Bertelsmann acquired Doubleday & Company and created
3717-480: Was failing when Oscar Dystel , who had previously worked at Esquire and as editor on Coronet magazine was hired in 1954 to manage it. By the end of the next year the company was profitable. Dystel retired as chairman in 1980. By that time Bantam was the largest publisher of paperbacks , had over 15% of the market, and exceeded US$ 100 million in sales. The company was involved in an important Supreme Court case, Bantam Books, Inc. v. Sullivan in 1963. Bantam Books
3780-525: Was illustrated with cartoons by Kelly Freas who also did the front cover. Another contributor to both Ballantine and the Kurtzman magazines was the cartoonist-author Roger Price . He did two humor books for Ballantine. I'm for Me First (1954) details Herman Clabbercutt's plan to launch a revolutionary political party known as the "I'm for Me First" Party. In One Head and Out the Other (1954) popularized
3843-400: Was in higher-level editorial positions. Publishing on specific contexts Publishing tools Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann . Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine . Ballantine was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn
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#17327941177063906-541: Was literally no publication that did not carry some kind of outraged article. And of course, the whole science fiction fraternity got behind the book; this was their meat and drink." In 1969, Lin Carter edited the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series , which brought a number of rare titles back into print, as well as launching Katherine Kurtz 's Deryni series . During the mid-1970s, Ballantine published
3969-855: Was prevented from distributing some of its publications in Rhode Island by a state commission called the Rhode Island Commission to Encourage Morality in Youth. The commission, headed by the Rhode Island Attorney General, would essentially blacklist books and magazines it deemed "objectionable" for sale, threatening distributors with publicity and reputational harm. Bantam Books sued, arguing this commission violated freedom of press protections and amounted to illegal censorship without due process. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Bantam Books, deciding that
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