Authors don’t write books, they write manuscripts. Publishing is the process of getting an author’s manuscript into the hands of a reader, by materializing it — giving it form, as a book. This may be printed (a codex) or digital (an ebook).

The author’s manuscript is either solicited (the publisher asks them to write it) or unsolicited (the author writes it, then shops for a publisher). Being rejected is awful and publishing contracts are complicated, so many authors employ an agent to negotiate a deal with a publisher.

The “publisher” refers to either the publishing house (such as Penguin Random House), or the person whose title is Publisher. Within a single publishing house there may be several publishers, each overseeing a different list based on genre.

Within the publishing house, different departments deal with different aspects of the publishing process. Editorial is concerned with content: ensuring the story/information is communicated in a clear and engaging way. Sales, Marketing and Publicity are concerned with context: figuring out where the book sits in the market, how to get it into bookstores, and reviewed.

The designer is generally commissioned by the publisher or editor overseeing the title.

The designer is given a brief, a document that outlines the format (size and shape), production schedule, information about the content and context of the book including a blurb (a version of what end ups on the back cover), and passages that represent the writing style and plot. Some designers also read the full manuscript. Unless it’s a math textbook.

Designers usually communicate directly with the publisher/editor, but need to respond to critical feedback from Sales/Marketing to develop a cover that communicates both the content of the book and the context.

Designers usually present two to three different concepts, roughly mocked up to show how the final cover might look.

A quick design process might involve seven or eight different iterations before a final design is chosen, followed by a process of fine-tuning (make the title bigger, try a script font, Marketing wants the author in gold foil, etc). A painful design process can involve dozens of covers; There is a record of 50 different approaches for the one cover.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【手稿 】 shǒugǎo manuscript the original copy of a book before it is printed

【微调】wēitiáo finetune to adjust precisely so as to bring to the highest level of performance or effectiveness

作者写的不是书，他们写的是手稿。出版发行的过程就是把作者的手稿送到读者手中的过程，把手稿实体化——给它书的外壳。手稿可能会被印成纸质书，或者做成电子书。

作者的手稿可能是征稿渠道来的（出版社会要求作者写书）或者是非征稿渠道来的（作者写完之后拿着手稿找出版社出售）。手稿被拒绝的滋味不好受，而且出版合同也很复杂，所以很多作者会雇佣代理人帮自己与出版社协商。

“Publisher”这个词可以指代出版社（比方说企鹅兰登书屋），也可以指代拥有“发行人”头衔的管理者。一家出版社可能有多个发行人，每个人管理一个按文学体裁或流派分类的书单。

针对出版过程的各个环节，出版社设置了不同的部门。编辑部关注的是内容，他们要保证故事/信息清晰地传达，且引人入胜。销售部、市场部、以及广告部关注的就是发行环境，他们要弄清楚该书籍的市场定位，怎样让书打入书店，以及如何让书评人写好评。

负责某本书的发行人或者编辑会委托设计师做装帧设计。有些出版社会有创意总监，他们会委托自由职业的设计师做设计，或者指派自己社内的设计师做。

设计师通常会收到一份任务简介，里面说明了版式开本（包括大小和形状）、付印计划、关于书本内容和发行环境的信息，其中包括一份书的简介（即印在封底的内容）、以及能够代表写作风格与情节的原文段落等。有些设计师会通读手稿，除非那是一本数学教材。

设计师们通常与发行人/编辑直接联系，但也需要回复来自销售/市场部的挑剔反馈。他们设计出的封面需要传达书籍内容，还需要关照发行环境。

要达到这种平衡，设计师会用到不同的方法画多张草图。他们通常会画出2-3种不同的方案，然后做成印刷样品，看看最终的成品封面是什么样子。

通常快速的设计需要7-8个版本的迭代才能选出定稿，之后还需要做一些微调（把标题调大一点儿、换一个正文字体、市场部要求作者的名字用金箔等）。碰到磨人的设计，要做出几十个封面，最高记录是做了50个版本的封面。

(chinadaily.com.cn)