De uitgeverij als poortwachter?

Publishers are often compared to gatekeepers both on account of the role they play
in the selection process as on account of their vital contribution to the social recognition
of authorship. The comparison signals an important phenomenon but has
its limitations. The first is of a historical nature. For centuries the printing culture
coexisted with the much older manuscript culture. Publishers only started to play a
key role between authors and the market at the moment when in the 18th and 19th
century a print society originated. The second limitation concerns the distinction
between literary genres. Those who call publishers gatekeepers suggest that they do
so all across the board. That this is incorrect appears from an investigation into the
publication of poetry and plays.