The elders mentioned in this revelation were given a sacred charge to oversee the printing of the revelations. Most of the men involved in this endeavor were with Joseph Smith from the beginning, though Sidney Rigdon and William W. Phelps were newer to the work. Joseph Smith, anxious to recognize those involved in the work, declared during the November 12 conference,

Brother Oliver has labored with me from the beginning in writing, etc., Brother Martin Harris has labored with me from the beginning, and Brothers John and Sidney also for a considerable time, and as these sacred writings are now going to the Church for their benefit, that we may have claim on the church for recompence—if this conference think these things worth prizing to be had on record to show hereafter—I feel that it will be according to the mind of the Spirit for by it these things were put into my heart which I know to be the Spirit of truth. (Minute Book 2, p. 18, JSP)

While Joseph Smith believed that the elders involved in the compilation and printing of the sacred writings were entitled to compensation for their time and labor, the rest of the revelation shows that their recompense would feed directly into the law of consecration to benefit the poor and the needy in the Church. Church leaders did not ask the members of the Church to enter into any kind of economic arrangement that they themselves had not entered into. Like King Benjamin, the leaders of the Church were asked to serve side by side with the members, laboring together to help the poor and bring the words of the Lord to more people (Mosiah 2:14).

The law referred to in verse 10 is the law of the Church, particularly the law of consecration, revealed earlier in Doctrine and Covenants 42:30–42. This revelation demonstrates that, although the principles of the law of consecration are eternal, the implementation of the law is adaptable given the circumstances. Joseph Smith and the elders mentioned in this revelation were organized into a smaller consecrated group and given the charge to oversee the publication of the revelations and other Church literary projects. Entering into consecration was an expectation for everyone who chose to move to Missouri, as would be emphasized in a later revelation (D&C 72:17–18).

The elders who were asked to join the Literary Firm followed an adaptation of the law of consecration. They sacrificed their time and property to ensure the printing of the revelations, and in turn, the needs of their families were met through the money raised from the sale of the revelations. Once the needs of these families were met, the surplus was returned to the Church for use in the bishop’s storehouse and to help others in the Church meet their needs. This is among the earliest examples in the history of the Church that show that the principles of consecration set forth in the scriptures can and should be adapted to meet the current conditions and needs of the Church. The task for Church leaders in any dispensation is to take those same principles and adapt them to the circumstances they live in.

The Literary Firm continued to operate until 1836. Initially the conference called for printing ten thousand copies of the revelations (Minutes, 1–2 November 1831, p. 15, JSP). That number was reduced to three thousand. W. W. Phelps purchased a printing press in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he was able to begin setting up the printing operation in Independence, Missouri, by December 1831. The next year, the Literary Firm began publishing The Evening and the Morning Star, a Church newspaper. By December 1832, the first copies of the revelations, titled The Book of Commandments, went to press. On July 20, 1833, a mob destroyed the Church press in Independence. Only a few copies of the printing were saved, and fewer than five hundred copies of the Book of Commandments were ultimately salvaged.

Undeterred by persecution, the Literary Firm set up shop in Kirtland, Ohio, and began work on a new and updated version of the Book of Commandments, which was eventually titled The Doctrine and Covenants. The press in Kirtland also continued to produce The Evening and the Morning Star, along with the Latter-day Saints Messenger and Advocate, and a political paper, the Northern Times. The press in Kirtland was also responsible for the first Latter-day Saint hymnbook, published in 1835 (Collection of Sacred Hymns, 1835, JSP). These early papers are invaluable sources for the teachings of early Church leaders and for the preservation of the revelations given to Joseph Smith. Although persecutions and the high cost of printing kept the Literary Firm hovering just above insolvency, the group managed to preserve and publish some of the most important documents of this crucial formative period of the Church (Cook, Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 112–117).