(a) The Secretary shall, annually, prepare and publish a Register and Manual that shall give a complete list of the state, county and town officers, of the judges of all courts and of the officials attending thereon. The population, railroad and postal facilities and other items of general interest concerning each town shall also be given in such book and such other information in relation to state departments, state institutions and other matters of public concern as the Secretary deems desirable. The number of copies of the State Register and Manual published each year shall be determined at the discretion of the Secretary. The Secretary shall determine, by regulations adopted in accordance with chapter 54, the agencies and officers of the federal, state and municipal governments to whom the State Register and Manual shall be distributed without charge and the number of copies of such manual to be distributed to each such agency and officer. The price to be charged for any additional copies distributed or sold, except for copies sold pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, shall be twenty dollars per copy for soft-bound copies and thirty-eight dollars per copy for hard-bound special edition copies. Any copies not distributed or sold by July first of the year following publication may be distributed, at no cost, except the cost of mailing if mailed, to any person making a request to the Secretary. Any remaining copies may be disposed of at the time of the next annual publication.

(b) The Secretary shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54, providing for the sale of copies of the Register and Manual through an agent or agents, including, but not limited to, wholesale and retail booksellers according to a discount schedule similar to one that would be available to such agents from commercial book publishers and generally in keeping with standard book industry practices, provided the price of the Register and Manual under such schedule shall be not less than the cost of producing the Register and Manual.