<body><div class="booster-block booster-read-block">
 <div class="twp-read-time">
 	<i class="booster-icon twp-clock"></i> <span>Read Time:</span>4 Minute, 52 Second </div>

 </div>
<h5 class="wp-block-heading"><em>I have an unshakeable conviction that the fault for a badly written book lies with the writer while the fault for a badly published book belongs to the publisher’ and the shame is a joint venture. A respectable publisher should never knowingly publish a bad book. Therefore, if a book is badly published, whether in the physical aspects, or the quality of the writing, it is due to the publisher’s negligence. </em></h5>



<p>The reason behind this thinking, for me, lies in
the question: What is a publisher’s job? A publisher is a professional
organization that offers publishing-related services that include developing,
editing, laying, printing and packaging books. The self-respecting publisher
will ensure that “all is well with the innards of a book” (writing and
editing) before proceeding to wear it “a good cloth” (cover,
printing, binding and packaging). What this means is that, if a badly written
manuscript gets to a publisher, the first task is to beat it to the right shape
(with the writer). If this task fails to take off or land, publishing should
not occur. </p>



<p>Now, take note that I have been saying publisher, not printer. The person or service provider that turns your writing into a printed book can be either a publisher or a printer. There is a difference between the two terms. It is simple: The publisher does all the things I described in the preceding paragraph. A printer on the other hand simply collects a manuscript (in a flash drive, downloaded from a mail or typed) and simply prints it without any editorial input. In other words, publishers participate in the process of creating and modifying a book’s internal and external aspects while printers concern themselves with converting the manuscript to book. </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" src="https://www.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/stack-of-books-badly-published-book.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-38243" loading="lazy"><figcaption> Credit: Karolina Grabowska </figcaption></figure></div>



<p>It is for this reason that a publisher must accept all the blames for a badly published book. Even where the printing and design aspects of a book are top-notch, if the writing itself is poor, the publisher cannot be absolved of blame. Which is why I sometimes say there is no such thing as a badly written book. The idea here is that a writer can only deliver bad writing, after all, editors and publishers exist to make a book ready. Where the writing is found to be poor, even if a hundred editors have gone through it, it is the publisher’s duty to point it out before creating a disgrace with their logo on the back cover. Following this logic, a book is either badly published or badly printed. The writer’s fault ends where the manuscript was delivered to the professional: the publisher. </p>



<p class="has-background has-medium-font-size has-very-light-gray-background-color">Interestingly, many people cross the lines between printer
and publisher without knowing it. Let me make it simple. As a writer, each time
you leave a publisher who insisted on certain quality control measures for
another less-involved publisher, you are slowly making your way into the hands
of a printer. Similarly, as a publishing service provider, each time you lower
your standards to accommodate a paying writer who feels everything is perfect
with an obviously imperfect work, you are gradually becoming a printer and
selling your brand for peanuts. It is a two-way traffic: you must decide if you
want to PUBLISH a book or PRINT a book.</p>



<p>Understandably, some people will argue that ‘he who
dictates the tune pays the piper’. This is untenable, even where the book is published
under self-publication/vanity terms. A publisher must ascertain the readiness
of a material and/or charge the author a fee to make the book ready before
printing it. Doing otherwise makes that publisher a printer. It is like a surgeon
listening to a patient’s instruction when performing an important surgery and
then later blaming that patient for complications. The doctor knows he has a duty
to follow the right procedure for that operation or ask the patient to find a
puppet doctor elsewhere. </p>



<p>I have been both an author and a publisher. I know it is not easy. My recognition of the need for a publisher’s touch in producing good books is what made me leave most of my manuscripts unpublished, despite being a publisher myself. Many authors approach publishing with a <em>this-is-the-best-book-ever-written </em>approach and hound the poor publisher into submission. Unfortunately, some publishers bow to pressure because they want to add another title to their tally of publishes books. Most times, they get away it. Sometimes, however, shit hits the fan and we get to have these needless conversations on Facebook.</p>



<p>At my company, Words Rhymes &; Rhythm Publishers (WRR), we always carry our authors along, but we also always insist on doing due diligence and a minimum quality standard. Even though what we offer is <a href="https://www.wrr.ng/publishing-packages/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="ASSISTED-AUTHORSHIP PUBLISHING (opens in a new tab)">ASSISTED-AUTHORSHIP PUBLISHING</a>, where the author pays for traditional publishing quality services, we have terminated some publishing contracts midway because the authors insisted on what was clearly below our standards. This is not to say mistakes do not happen at WRR, they often do. However, it is easier to fall into the hands of the Printer’s Devil than the Publisher’s Devil (if at all there is one). We once published 1000 copies of a book with the old title (that was later changed) and we took responsibility, recalled the books and reprinted it. We lost money but it kept our credibility intact.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" src="https://www.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/wrr-books-banners1-1024x732.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-34958" loading="lazy"></figure>



<p>Therefore, when next the subject of a bad book comes
up, the first question we should ask is this: was the book printed or
published? If it was printed, we must tell the author to suck-it-up and shut
up. If, however, it was published, then we have a printer disguising as a
publisher and such a business needs schooling, sanctioning or both. </p>
 
 <div class="booster-block booster-author-block">
 <div class="be-author-details layout-square align-left">
 <div class="be-author-wrapper">
 <div class="booster-row">
 <div class="booster-column booster-column-two booster-column-mobile">
 <div class="be-author-image">
 <img alt="" src="https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b75f88cadfa530f44c52ed1f8256fe25878ecc134172c196f36c53adfc34533d?s=400&;d=mm&;r=g" class="avatar avatar-400 photo avatar-img" height="400" width="400" loading="lazy"> </div>
 </div>
 <div class="booster-column booster-column-eight booster-column-mobile">
 <div class="author-details">
 <header class="twp-plugin-title twp-author-title">
 <h2>About Post Author</h2>
 </header>
 <h4 class="be-author-meta be-author-name">
 <a href="https://www.wrr.ng/author/kukogho/" class="booster-url-link">
 Kukogho Iruesiri Samson </a>
 </h4>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-description">KIS, author of two poetry collections, ‘WHAT CAN WORDS DO?’ and ‘I SAID THESE WORDS’, is an award-winning Nigerian writer, photographer, and media professional with experience in journalism, PR, publishing and media management. In 2016, he was listed in Nigerian Writers Awards' list of 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL NIGERIAN WRITERS UNDER 40. The same year 2016, he won the Nigerian Writer’s Award for ‘Best Poet In Nigeria 2015.’ he had also won the Orange Crush 1st Prize for Poetry in 2012. 
He is the CEO of Words Rhymes &; Rhythm LTD.</div>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-email">
 <a href="mailto:%20kukogho.samson@gmail.com" class="booster-url-link">
 <span class="booster-svg-icon booster-svg-envelope"><svg class="booster-svg" aria-hidden="true" role="img" focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path fill="currentColor" d="M0 3v18h24v-18h-24zm6.623 7.929l-4.623 5.712v-9.458l4.623 3.746zm-4.141-5.929h19.035l-9.517 7.713-9.518-7.713zm5.694 7.188l3.824 3.099 3.83-3.104 5.612 6.817h-18.779l5.513-6.812zm9.208-1.264l4.616-3.741v9.348l-4.616-5.607z"></path></svg></span>kukogho.samson@gmail.com </a>
 </div>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-url">
 <a href="http://brainypoet.blogspot.com.ng/" target="_blank" class="booster-url-link">
 <span class="booster-svg-icon booster-svg-sphere"><svg class="booster-svg" aria-hidden="true" role="img" focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path fill="currentColor" d="M 11.25 1.5 C 5.035156 1.5 0 6.535156 0 12.75 C 0 18.964844 5.035156 24 11.25 24 C 17.464844 24 22.5 18.964844 22.5 12.75 C 22.5 6.535156 17.464844 1.5 11.25 1.5 Z M 17.617188 16.5 C 17.816406 15.550781 17.941406 14.546875 17.984375 13.5 L 20.972656 13.5 C 20.894531 14.535156 20.652344 15.542969 20.253906 16.5 Z M 4.882812 9 C 4.683594 9.949219 4.558594 10.953125 4.515625 12 L 1.527344 12 C 1.605469 10.964844 1.847656 9.957031 2.246094 9 Z M 16.078125 9 C 16.304688 9.960938 16.441406 10.964844 16.484375 12 L 12 12 L 12 9 Z M 12 7.5 L 12 3.109375 C 12.34375 3.210938 12.679688 3.375 13.011719 3.609375 C 13.636719 4.050781 14.230469 4.726562 14.738281 5.566406 C 15.085938 6.148438 15.386719 6.796875 15.640625 7.5 Z M 7.761719 5.566406 C 8.269531 4.726562 8.863281 4.050781 9.488281 3.609375 C 9.820312 3.375 10.15625 3.207031 10.5 3.109375 L 10.5 7.5 L 6.859375 7.5 C 7.113281 6.792969 7.414062 6.148438 7.761719 5.566406 Z M 10.5 9 L 10.5 12 L 6.015625 12 C 6.058594 10.964844 6.195312 9.960938 6.421875 9 Z M 2.246094 16.5 C 1.847656 15.542969 1.605469 14.535156 1.527344 13.5 L 4.515625 13.5 C 4.558594 14.546875 4.683594 15.550781 4.882812 16.5 Z M 6.015625 13.5 L 10.5 13.5 L 10.5 16.5 L 6.421875 16.5 C 6.195312 15.539062 6.058594 14.535156 6.015625 13.5 Z M 10.5 18 L 10.5 22.390625 C 10.15625 22.289062 9.820312 22.125 9.488281 21.890625 C 8.863281 21.449219 8.269531 20.773438 7.761719 19.933594 C 7.414062 19.351562 7.113281 18.703125 6.859375 18 Z M 14.738281 19.933594 C 14.230469 20.773438 13.636719 21.449219 13.011719 21.890625 C 12.679688 22.125 12.34375 22.292969 12 22.390625 L 12 18 L 15.640625 18 C 15.386719 18.707031 15.085938 19.351562 14.738281 19.933594 Z M 12 16.5 L 12 13.5 L 16.484375 13.5 C 16.441406 14.535156 16.304688 15.539062 16.078125 16.5 Z M 17.984375 12 C 17.945312 10.953125 17.816406 9.949219 17.617188 9 L 20.253906 9 C 20.652344 9.957031 20.894531 10.964844 20.972656 12 Z M 19.46875 7.5 L 17.222656 7.5 C 16.785156 6.121094 16.179688 4.914062 15.457031 3.949219 C 16.453125 4.429688 17.355469 5.066406 18.144531 5.855469 C 18.648438 6.359375 19.089844 6.910156 19.46875 7.5 Z M 4.355469 5.855469 C 5.144531 5.066406 6.046875 4.429688 7.042969 3.949219 C 6.320312 4.914062 5.714844 6.121094 5.277344 7.5 L 3.03125 7.5 C 3.410156 6.910156 3.851562 6.359375 4.355469 5.855469 Z M 3.03125 18 L 5.277344 18 C 5.714844 19.378906 6.320312 20.585938 7.042969 21.550781 C 6.046875 21.070312 5.144531 20.433594 4.355469 19.644531 C 3.851562 19.140625 3.410156 18.589844 3.03125 18 Z M 18.144531 19.644531 C 17.355469 20.433594 16.453125 21.070312 15.457031 21.550781 C 16.179688 20.585938 16.785156 19.378906 17.222656 18 L 19.46875 18 C 19.089844 18.589844 18.648438 19.140625 18.144531 19.644531 Z M 18.144531 19.644531 "></path></svg></span>http://brainypoet.blogspot.com.ng/ </a>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div class="be-author-profiles">
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </body>
WHO IS TO BLAME FOR A BADLY PUBLISHED BOOK: AUTHOR, EDITOR OR PUBLISHER?
