hey guys I was bored and decided to post this because I thought it was interesting

I heard on the news yesterday that to keep the storyline of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows a secret workers in the publishing industry's have to work in complete darkness so that they cant read the book and they took an oath of secrecy to make sure that if they have read the book they cant tell they're also searched every time the go in or out of the building for copies of the book and or anything that could help smuggle one in or out

I as wondering if all this was necessary to keep it a secret and was wondering what other ways they could have kept the storyline secret

Was the "darkness" literally...darkness? How can they work in the darkness, it would mess up everything that could be done. Maybe they meant they're not allowed to do anything...sort of like "keep to the shadows" or "sidelines". Know what I mean? I guess the oath would be good enough, or they sign something which would prevent them from saying anything or else.

There are very few people who are given access to the entire book at one time. Those who work on the book are forced to sign confidentiality agreements, which probably contain stiff penalties for violating them.

Why don't publishers sneak them out? Would you be willing to be fired over one book? I wouldn't. (That being said, some book store employees do sneak out copies. That is how I got my Half Blood Prince eight days before the release date.)

Just letting everyone know that I'm moving this over to the News Department of the forum

~Pix

Having worked as a printer for several years, and having watched my father work as a film stripper/plater his entire career, I can tell you that there is no way they are literally without light as they print DH. The machines involved in the printing process are too complex and delicate to be run in utter darkness. Plus the master printer has to check every five to six hundred pages to makes sure everything is still on track and lined up perfectly. Does this mean he or she has the opportunity to read what he's looking at? Nope. Running a press gives no time for reading what you're printing -- it's far too involved. I think "in the dark" refers more to the film strippers and plate makers not being allowed to work on more than a couple pages and under close observation to make sure they aren't reading the film. Actually, film stripping is easiest to do in the dark with light coming up from behind the film.

Cheers!
hermione

BTW Both my father and I worked for RR Donnelly in Crawford, Indiana -- the printer for the American Version. He had quit just months before the first HP came to press and I went with him. I was just an apprentice printer back then, but I would have begged him to stay if I had known what HP was going to become! The next company we worked for was nowhere near as exciting....

they probably weren't complete darkness butt to dark to read anything but numbers and whatever levers are on the machines are probably lighted up so that they could control the printing of the books properly