Investigating a bit further, it seems that the Witnesses definitely used the term "publisher" long before the New World Translation was produced. The earliest Yearbook I have (1939) uses the term "publishers" in the service report. A quick search of the early Watchtower reprints online suggests that the term "publishers" was not used in its current sense during the Russell era.
This would suggest that the term was coined early during Rutherford's presidency and that Franz opportunistically included the term in the New world Translation in Acts in verses where other versions use words like "announce" and "declare". A quick look through Rotherham's version and the ASV as well as the King James and the Diaglott offers no pointers for a precendent in using this terms in the book of Acts.
So it seems that Franz moulded the scriptures to fit prior Witness usage in this case - as was also the case with his translation of "elder" as "older man" (they didn't believe in "elders" when the NWT was originally produced), and the infamous "door to door" scripture.
So I wonder when the term "publisher" really began to be used and why?
Shame Leolaia is on holiday, she would no doubt know the answer.
Slim