Packt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Packt, pronounced Packed, is a publishing company based in Birmingham, UK. Founded in 2004 as an independent company, they are unique and modern in their approach to publishing, focusing on supporting and promoting Open Source.
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[edit] Company
Packt focuses on producing books containing newer information for communities of IT developers, administrators, and novices equally. They published their first book, Mastering phpMyAdmin for Effective MySQL Management, in April 2004 and continue to specialize in publishing focused books on specific technologies and solutions. The company supports and publishes books on smaller projects and subjects that standard publishing companies cannot make profitable. The company's business model, which involves print on demand publishing and selling direct, enables them to make money selling books with lower unit sales. This business model also gives authors high royalty rates and the opportunity to write on topics that standard publishers tend to avoid.
[edit] Books
By the end of 2006, Packt will have published almost 70 books on a number of different subjects. They are perhaps better known for their books on content management systems, however their range covers AJAX and Asterisk to WordPress and Web Host Manager. Packt has developed distinctive branding for its book covers, using a variety of interesting, colorful and sometimes abstract photographic images. These were originally designed by British graphic designer Helen Wood.
[edit] Open Source Project Royalties
The company supports and promotes Open Source projects and concepts. When a book, written on an Open Source project, is sold Packt pays a royalty directly to that project. This scheme has resulted in the company providing sustainable revenues to many of the Open Source projects since 2004.
[edit] Open Source Content Management System Award
In July 2006, the Open Source Content Management (CMS) Award was launched. The Award scheme is designed to encourage, support, recognize and reward an Open Source Content Management System that has been selected by a panel of judges and visitors to the website. In November 2006, Joomla! was announced as the first winner of the Award receiving $5,000. Drupal finished second receiving $3,000 with Plone finishing third and receiving $2,000.
