Level: S

DRA: 40
Social Studies
Strategy:
Question
Word Count: 1,765

6.1.1 Build Vocabulary

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books

1032998
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN
 by Jamie Stanton

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Table of Contents

Starting with an Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

From Idea to Manuscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Meet the Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Art and Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The Final Steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

New Kinds of Publishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

What Is the Future of Book-Making? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Starting with an Idea
Bookstores and libraries hold thousands of books.
Each one began with an idea. Perhaps it was an idea
for a scary story. Or maybe it was for a book about
skateboard tricks or why bees buzz.
Ideas for books come from many sources.
Often a writer is the one who has an idea for a book.
Sometimes people who work at publishing companies
come up with the ideas.
It takes a lot of work to turn an idea into words
and images on a page. This book explains how an idea
becomes a published book.
“These are not books, lumps of lifeless
paper, but minds alive on the shelves.”
— Gilbert Highet

Reading is a
popular hobby
among people
of all ages.

3
 How Do Books Get Published?

Writers create
manuscripts.

Agents help writers sell

their work.

Editors choose manu-

scripts and help writers
improve them.

Photographers and illus-

trators create pictures.

Marketing people decide

how to sell the book.

Artists combine words

and pictures to make
the pages.

Production people figure

out how much it costs to
make the book.

Printers print, cut, and

bind the pages and put
on the cover.

Books are shipped to

bookstores and libraries.

4
From Idea to Manuscript
Authors are people who write books. It’s their job
to take an idea and produce a manuscript. Not that
long ago, most writers used a typewriter — or paper
and pencil. Most writers now use computers to create
their manuscripts.
Most writers try to sell their idea first, before they
finish the manuscript. They try to get a book contract.
If they can get a contract, they’ll get an advance.
(An advance is money paid to writers before their
book is published.) An advance allows writers to
complete their manuscript.
Many authors hire literary agents to help them
sell their ideas. These agents know editors who work
at book publishers. Part of an agent’s job is pressuring
editors to buy an author’s work. If they succeed,
the writer gets a contract — and the much-needed
advance!
It’s not an easy decision to buy a book idea,
though. People who work at the publishing company
have to answer a lot of questions first. Who will read
this book? How many will we sell? How much will it
cost? Only if the book is likely to be a success will a
contract be offered.

5
 Meet the Editors
Putting a book together is like making a puzzle.
Editors make sure all the pieces fit together.
The editorial department performs many different
jobs in creating books. Some editors choose which ideas
to buy. Others come up with ideas for books. Then they
look for the right author to write the manuscript.
Most editors work with authors to make a book
better. They suggest changes or revisions to the
manuscript. Editors may ask an author to cut some
parts and make others longer. They may even ask an
author to start all over and rewrite the manuscript.
That’s when it’s handy to work on a computer!
The author and editor work
together until both are happy
with the manuscript. Then
a copyeditor reads it to
make sure all the details
are right.

Editors and writers

work closely
together to make
books better.

6
 Editors don’t just think about words. They also
talk to the marketing people. Together, this team
comes up with ways to sell the book.
Following a book from start to finish is like
walking a maze. Some editors have to manage a
book’s progress along this twisting and turning path.
They make sure everything gets done on time. Most
importantly, they make sure the book is well-written.

Art and Design

Editors and authors also team up with artists.
Together, they decide what kind of images the book
should have. They look for the right style to match
the author’s words. They may want silly pictures for
one book. Another book may have a more gentle, wry
sense of humor.
Most book covers also have images. Book covers
need to suggest what the book is about. They also
need to appeal to shoppers, so they’ll buy the book.
Artists who draw or paint pictures for books
are called illustrators. Some books use photographs
instead of illustrations. Editors or artists search for the
photos they want. Sometimes they hire a photographer
to take new photos.

7
 Even books without pictures have a certain
look or design. Artists decide what style of type
the book should have. Each type style, or font, has
a different personality.
Artists also choose the size of the type. Then they
decide how to arrange the type on the page. They
want it to be easy to read and nice to look at. Readers
often don’t notice good design. A poor design for a
book can make it hard to enjoy reading it, though.

Here are some examples of

different styles of type.
“A book holds a house of gold.” Lucida Grande

“A book holds a house of gold.” Times New Roman

“A book holds a house of gold.” Diskus LT Std

“A book holds a house of gold.” Tr ajan Pro

— Chinese Proverb

8
 Graphic designers set
the manuscript to
make it look like a
real book instead of
just words on a page.

Production
Finally, the words and pictures are ready. Now
it’s time to make the actual pages of the book. Artists
who do this kind of work are often called graphic
designers. They use computers to set the words in
type. Then, they add the images. The designers make
sure everything fits and looks good. With computers,
it’s easy to make changes.
The designer makes copies of the pages, so the
team can check them. The editor, the author, and
the artists make sure all the words and images are
right. They work until everyone is satisfied. Then the
designer gets the book ready for the printer.
9
 Printers are usually separate businesses
from publishers. They produce the final books.
The printer helps the publisher choose the right paper
for the book.
Pictures in a book have many different colors.
Yet, printers use just four colors of ink to print the
pictures. They mix red, blue, yellow, and black ink to
make all the other colors. Designers use computers to
prepare the book for printing.
The printer uses the computer files from the
designer to make metal printing plates. The plates
are treated with chemicals so the ink sticks where
the words and pictures are, but not to anywhere
else. Then the press puts the ink on the paper.
(Some printers use other processes to print a book.)
Now, the book is ready to be printed!

If a book is expected
to be a bestseller,
bookstores will ask the
printer for thousands of
copies before the book
is even released.

10
 Printers make as many copies as the publisher
wants. They use large printing presses to print
thousands of books very quickly. Presses may print
on large sheets or huge rolls of paper. Presses are
noisy. Workers must protect their ears so the constant
whooshing and clanking sounds are muted.
The printer sets up the book’s pages so they
will be in the right order after the paper is cut and
folded. Machines fold the pages in sections and bind
them together with glue. Another machine adds the
cover. The book is now ready to be sent to bookstores,
libraries, and schools.

11
 The Final Steps
A lot of people work together to produce a book.
Others were busy selling it. Marketing people plan the
book’s publicity. They send copies to book reviewers.
Reviewers write about the book in newspapers and
magazines. Authors often travel to different cities to
talk to readers.
The publisher’s sales people talk to bookstores
and libraries. They tell them why they should buy
the book. The bookstores and libraries order the
books they want from the publisher’s warehouse.
The warehouse ships the books to those who ordered
them. Finally, readers can now buy the book or borrow
it from their library.

A History of Book-Making
c. 3000 B.C.E. c. 1050
Sumerians write on clay Chinese use
tablets. Egyptians use movable clay type
rolls of papyrus.
for printing.

c. 400
c. 105 C.E. Books are made from
Chinese invent paper. folded sheets of paper.

12
 New Kinds of Publishing
Long ago, printers set type by hand, one letter at
a time. Now designers set type and create pages on
computers. In fact, computers are changing all parts of
the publishing business.
People don’t just buy books on the Internet.
They can read them there, too. For example, many
students look up information in online encyclopedias.
You probably know about email. Email is short for
“electronic mail.” Now there are electronic books,
or e-books.
Some publishers produce both printed books and
e-books. Others only publish e-books. People can
read e-books on their computers or special e-book
readers. Some even read e-books on their cell phones!

c. 1450 1980s–1990s
Gutenberg prints Computers start c. 2000
the Bible using changing book Electronic
movable metal type. production. books appear.

1940s
Paperback books
become popular.

13
 What Is the Future of Book-Making?
E-books are changing how books get made and
sold, not just how they’re read. If an e-book is never
printed, would you still consider it a book?
Authors no longer have to sell their ideas to
publishers. They can bring their books directly
to readers.
New kinds of presses let authors print books as
customers order them. These presses may print only
one book at a time. It can take just minutes to produce
a complete book. This kind of publishing is sometimes
called “publishing on demand.”
There are pros and cons to publishing on demand.
Good companies that publish on demand will disclose
potential problems with this method. For example, “on
demand” books often cost more because just a few are
printed. And authors shouldn’t expect huge profits.
Most “on demand” books sell less than 200 copies.
Today, there are many ways to publish a book.
In the future, there may be even more ways. Do you
have an idea for a book? If so, what’s your plan for
getting it published?

14
 Responding
TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder
The suffix -ing at the end of a verb, such as
publishing, means that the action is currently
happening. This verb form is called a gerund.
Copy and complete the chart below.

Present Tense Verb Gerund

publish publishing

copy copying

? ?

Write About It
Text to Self Write a paragraph about a
publishing job that interests you and explain
why. Use two words from the Word Builder in
your writing.

15
 TARGET VOCABULARY

disclose muted
editorial pressuring
literary publishing
manuscript revisions
maze wry

TARGET STRATEGY Question Ask questions

about a selection before you read, as you read, and
after you read.

Which vocabulary word is a kind of bread

you’d find at a bakery?

16
Level: S
DRA: 40
Social Studies
Strategy:
Question
Word Count: 1,765

6.1.1 Build Vocabulary

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books

1032998
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN