Publishing program

A publishing program is the total number of products a publisher has .

The program manager or the publisher is responsible for its planning; the sales department and the commercial management often have a say. The program consists primarily of the new publications ( Front List ) as well as in the broader sense of the already published titles ( backlist ). A publishing program is designed using the new publications, which are usually planned one to three years in advance. For book publishers in German-speaking countries, a six-monthly program rhythm with a spring and autumn program is common. A printed or online program preview is produced for the book trade at an early stage for each program .

The publisher's program is the most important instrument for shaping the publisher's profile , which is built up over medium and long-term periods. Compared to bookstores and the press, a high profile program makes it easier to appear, as it creates expectations in advance. In order to better distribute the attention of the book trade and the press, large publishing programs are divided by means of imprints . The program profile also structures the preliminary decisions about new titles that will be accepted because they fit into the program or rejected because additional advertising expenditure would be necessary for a promising title that is not part of the program.

literature

• Dietrich Kerlen : The publisher. Textbook of the book publishing industry . Dr. Ernst Hauswedell & Co., Stuttgart, 14th edition 2006, ISBN 978-3-7762-1206-8 ; therein the chapter “Program and Editing”, pp. 69–106.