Publishers prepare, manufacture, and sell books, newspapers, magazines, almanacs, and other printed materials. A publisher may even write the material that will be published, like newspaper articles, interviews, or editorial cartoons.
There were many weekly newspapers called "gazettes" during the 1800's. At first only wealthy people who knew how to read would subscribe to these papers, because the newspapers were so expensive. The "Penny Press", which began in the 1830's, made it possible that many citizens could receive the paper, because the price was just a penny.
One newspaper that began being published in Massachusetts was the "Vineyard Gazette", a weekly newspaper that was established in 1846 on Martha's Vineyard. The "Atlantic Monthly", a magazine that appeared in 1857, contained articles about literature, politics, science and the arts. By the end of two years, more than 30,000 people were reading the magazine. Longfellow, Emerson, and Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote for the "Atlantic Monthly", as did Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mark Twain. Another newsletter called the "Lowell Offering" included poetry, essays, and letters written by mill girls in Lowell.