Publishing
is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information – the activity of making information available for public view. Independent publishing alternatives; Writers in a specialized field or with a narrower appeal have found smaller alternatives to the mass market in the form of small presses and self-publishing. These publishing alternatives provide an avenue for authors who believe that mainstream publishing will not meet their needs or who are in a position to make more money from direct sales than they could from bookstore sales, such as popular speakers who sell books after speeches. Authors are more readily published by this means due to the much lower costs involved. Publishing includes: the stages of the development, acquisition, copyediting, graphic design, production, printing and marketing and distribution. Publication is also important as a legal concept: as the essential precondition of being able to claim defamation; that is, the alleged libel must have been published, and for copyright purposes, where there is a difference in the protection of published and unpublished works.
