Teh, Lemuel D.

SE Business Economics
13-11498

March 21, 2014

Expository Essay
Eng 1 WFU2
Behind Its Pages:
The Truth About the Publishing Industry

I know Im not alone when I say that I love reading books. Though they come in different forms,
shapes, sizes, sometimes even in medium, I still consider them as a way for my hectic brain to release tension.
I can safely say that Ive read (most of) them all, except for the Twilight Saga (an entirely different story). Ive
bought and read the Sherlock Holmes Adventures, Nancy Drew novels, the Harry Potter series, John
Grisham, James Patterson, Suzanne Collins, David Levithan, John Green, Bebang Siy, Bob Ong, Leo Tolstoy,
Precious Hearts Romances (dont judge me), and everything in between.
However, I found out that though my love for books is immeasurable, my budget is unfortunately
small. I started to question how a book gets published and why it results to an exorbitant price, with some
books going high as Php1,500 or more. I guess Im speaking for every book lover out there when I say it
might be a violation of some obscure law, or maybe an exploitation of our hobby. Perhaps Im just that cashstrapped that I begin to hallucinate when I do not get to read books and as such, I try to find a loophole to
aid in my addiction.
As Gene Fowler puts it, Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of
blood form on your forehead. The journey of a book begins with the imagination of the author of course,
but after which it leads to a fork road: through a literary agent, a publishing house, or self-publication, all of
which can lead to (a) success and (b) not-so-much-success. When walking in a bookstore, one could see the
endless rows of books of varying genres and colors, prints and covers. But it is always noticeable on how they
are arranged: according to their appeal and profitability. Which leads me wondering: do publishers really take
into consideration the content of the manuscripts aspiring writers put their heart and soul into writing? Or do
they just accept soppy plot lines they think will achieve the best impact on consumers? Though it cannot be
denied that at the end of the day, the publishing industry is still a form of business and that its main goal is to
earn profit, is it tantamount to reckless publishing?
According to Nathan Bransford, the author of How to Write a Novel, it basically starts when the
writer finishes (or has plans to have) a manuscript. He may then take it to a literary agent that starts to offer it
to various publishing houses, since a lot of them would prefer these middle men, rather than speaking with
the authors themselves. An editor is then approached by the literary agent to read the sample pages, together
with the written proposal from the author, which may include some requirements should the book be

published. If the editor thinks it has a certain knack (which well never know since only book editors have
that magic knack detection), he then shares it with some editor friends to know if hes not the only one
who sees the book as the next financial windfall for the company. Given that hes really sold on the idea of
the book, he then drafts the contract between the author and the publishing house, which typically includes
an advance and royalties (For those interested, an advance is the amount of money paid to you by the
publisher, and royalties is the amount of money you earn after the sales of the book has reached an amount
equal to the advance, from which point on, you get the net profit of books sold!). The manuscript then
goes to a copyreader, which gets the main tone and idea of the book, and makes a style sheet (which ensures
that the terms and tones in the book are consistent). It then passes through a proofreader, who then checks
grammatical errors, spelling, and diction. Last but not the least, it is endorsed by various book clubs or
worthy newspapers who review it, in exchange for advance copies.
Though this sounds very enticing and easy, especially on the part of the author if it gets published,
there are some that are not so fortunate when it comes to their luck, often resorting to self-publishing.
In self-publishing, the writer finds a printing house where he could strike a bargain (in terms of
books printed per price value). He then gives the manuscript to a printer (in contrast to a publisher) and gets
it printed like a real book, which the writer himself is going to pay for, sans the publicity and the advance
from a company. The author has to copyread, proofread, and layout his own book. You get to be your own
editor and critic all at once. It may sound very risky and an option chosen by rich, spoiled wannabe writers
that want to get their ideas published, but as history may show, its not (entirely) the case. Some authors who
banked on self-publishing include Frank Baum, Edgar Allan Poe, William Strunk Jr., Mark Twain, Virginia
Wolff, e.e. Cummings, and Beatrix Potter (no, not that Potter), among others. These people may very well be
considered as one of the greatest authors of classic works of all time.
Well, if its too long and you didnt understand a thing, it basically says you give a dude your finished
manuscript, and if its damn good, it gets published, and voila! Theres the book on the shelf of a local
bookstore waiting to be bought. But like the question I raised earlier, is it really worth it?
The technical costs which includes printing, packaging, logistics, and manpower, amounts to around
Php45,000 if you choose to get self-published and if you only want a limited number of copies. You pay
nothing though if you get to be published by a (well) publisher. You see, what were paying for transcends the
expenses of printing a book; its about the intellectual product of the author in writing the book that we are
paying for. Even though it is a childrens book thats composed of only twelve lines that almost always
rhymes and colored with sickeningly bright hues of orange, blue, yellow, and red, its still the product of hard

work and labor of the very ones who made them. Their dedication to their work is the same with the one
who has seven books paged under her name together with movies made after them (Im just giving examples,
though. Not related to anyone in real life). I hear people bitching (pardon my French) about how expensive
the books nowadays are, and how theyd want to just download e-books, illegally may I add, which is
completely unfair for the writers, given that it probably took them months, or even years to finish the book
that they are holding right beneath their noses.
So next time you walk into a bookshop and see books that have outrageous price listings, but
captured your eye, just smile and (I hope) buy the book.
References:
Bradsford, N. (2009, August 13). Book Publishing Glossary | Nathan Bransford, Author. Nathan Bransford,
Author. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/08/bookpublishing-glossary.html
Bradsford, N. (2009, August 25). How a Book Gets Published | Nathan Bransford, Author. Nathan Bransford,
Author. Retrieved March 17, 2014, from http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/08/how-bookgets-published.html
Green, G., & Kremer, L. (n.d.). How to Get Your Book Published. For Dummies. Retrieved March 17, 2014,
from http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-get-your-book-published.html
Ong, B. (2005). 7. Stainless Longganisa (pp. 117-119). Makati City: Visual Print Enterprises.
Winkler, P. (2013, November 21). Famous Writers Who Self-Published: Busting a Self-Publishing Myth. The
Huffington Post. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peterwinkler/famous-writers-who-selfpu_b_4303994.html