: Re: How exactly does a book go from typewritten pages into an actual mass-produced unit ready for the consumer, and do authors have any control? I want to be clear that I'm asking about this both

@Murray165

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Sorry, Amori L; 1970s or 1950s or 1920s or longer ago perspectives are in no useful way different, for the simple reason that the technology is relevant to printing, not to publishing.
It simply doesn't work the way you suggest (and crucially, where did you get those ideas?)
There are three roles involved: author, publisher and printer… they could be only two entities, or a single person.
I happen to have experience or knowledge or both of today’s and all your 1970s or 1950s or 1920s methods and I notice you seem to be confusing “printing” - exclusively about technique - with “publishing” - dealing with everything else.
Since the 1920s printing has changed greatly; publishing, hardly at all.
Let's not bother to say anything, ever, about how Mr Author got a type- or manuscript to a publisher. Who thinks that could matter, speak up!
You missed out all that matters after (someone) receives the work, most obviously that if there is really one person turning a script into pages that’s a rare co-incidence; not at all industry custom or practice. There will usually be several; often many people involved.
Hoping you follow the differences among author, publisher and printer, long before and far above the purely technical processes you imagine, author and publisher will negotiate what authority either has to make changes, and why.
That has nothing to do with typographical rules and impacts the fixing of typos only in the event that the author insists no changes be made; possible, yet highly unlikely.
“… changing the formatting of the script” means what, please?
To re-iterate, no; your idea is not at all how it works.
The one difference technology makes between 1920s’ and today’s methods is that yes, Mr Author today can deliver “the actual final book", formatted as he wants it to be printed.
If you were to write a book yourself, it would be up to you to negotiate a contract stipulating all that mattered to you, including whether the quoting style used "dash quotes”, never mind what a particular market expected.
The same applies to "fixing” what you may have intended, or words made up yourself, and precisely how the proof-readers tell the difference.
Most publishers would refuse to handle your book if you insisted on 100% control; the more so if you presented what you Posted here as justification.
Many printers would print what they were given, legalities excepted.
Whether you do it yourself or use an ordinary publisher broadly, four things count: editing; printing; distribution; marketing.
Editing, you negotiate…
Printing should be a done deal; basically, a matter of copying…
Distribution and marketing are quite separate.
Distribution is highly unlikely to be anything an author would take an interest in, beyond "The more the merrier"…
Marketing might well be something over which the author wanted complete control. Artistically, that’s wholly reliant on the content. Technically, they’re hardly connected.
Of course publishers allowing the author more control will charge more, or take a bigger cut of the profits. Is it not ever thus?
How is it confusing that some books are published by different companies/people from different countries and times? Would you expect all books to be published by the same companies/people in the same countries at the same time?
“Public domain" is basically "out of copyright," which broadly means either the work is too old to qualify for copyright in a particular jurisdiction or the copyright owner - often but by no means necessarily the author - has relinquished all rights.
If you have a special definition of “the original script" please explain it. Otherwise yes, people do just photocopy the actual pages directly. I have a good dozen such books on my shelves.
More expensively yes, they OCR existing books…
If the books are dated, fine. Otherwise to re-format “slightly” would be no protection against copyright infringement. To the extent the original work was recognisable through your re-formatting, you’d be liable.
Far more than feasible, it’s commonplace for today’s authors to deliver PDF files to be printed. What you seem to be missing is that no special skill is involved.
Anyway, why do you Ask?

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