module specification

Publishing and the Book Part 2 introduces students to contemporary conditions of authorship and follows the process of production of both literary material and the book.
The module emphasises employability and immerses students in London’s current publishing industry. Through a series of guest lectures and masterclasses students will learn about the process of author rights and representation, commissioning, editing, book production, design, marketing and sales, digital and audio publishing, and the post-production landscape of bookselling, literary festivals, prizes, podcasts and blogs.

The module aims to give students a current understanding of the process of taking a manuscript from author to publisher, bookseller and reader, and an opportunity to devise a research project, a group studio publishing project and/or a placement in the industry.

The module is taught through a combination of guest speaker sessions and masterclasses, studio project group activities, and is assessed by critical portfolio, publishing studio project and/or professional placement/shadowing in situ.

Completion and pass (120 credits) of previous level. This module cannot be taken in conjunction with SJ6019S.

The second half of the module takes students through the commercial processes of literary publishing today from author to reader (LO1/LO2), and on the basis of guest speaker presentations and studio discussion students initiate, refine and produce publishing projects (LO3/LO4) focussing on a given aspect of the industry (LO5). Where possible students may also undertake placements in industry contexts (LO5).

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Students are expected to, and have the opportunity to, continue with their studies outside of scheduled classes. There will be a range of learning strategies deployed and individual learning styles will be accommodated. The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery, have been scrutinised and will be regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive approach to pedagogic practice.

The module and course utilise the University’s blended learning platform to support and reinforce learning, to foster peer-to-peer communication and to facilitate tutorial support for students. Reflective learning is promoted through assessment items and interim formative feedback points that ask students to reflect on their progress, seek help where they identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and make recommendations to themselves for future development. Throughout the module, students build a body of work, including reflections on progress and achievement.

The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum supports students’ personal development planning. Through these initiatives, students are increasingly able, as they progress from year to year, to understand the professional environment of their disciplines, the various opportunities available to them, and how to shape their learning according to their ambitions.

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

Cognitive intellectual abilities
LO1 articulate coherent understanding of London’s literary and publishing culture;

Knowledge and understanding
LO2 evaluate literary production in terms of wider commercial, material, critical and cultural contexts;

Subject specific skills
LO3 produce critical and/or creative responses to the contemporary contexts of literary publishing in London;

Transferable skills
LO4 develop and contribute to critical and creative teamwork projects in response to publishing industry norms;
LO5 reflect and report on commercial and industry norms.

• 001 (40%) – 10-15 minutes presentation on portfolio, placement or project work
• 002 (60%) – 1500 word publishing portfolio/project/report

Assignment 001 allows students to reflect on, evaluate and present aspects of contemporary London publishing (LO1/LO2/LO3).

Assignment 002 allows students to reflect on their own imaginative, critical and creative practice in response to publishing industry processes and norms (LO3/LO4/LO5).

Core textbooks
Clark, G. and Phillips, A., (2014) Inside Book Publishing, Taylor and Francis
Cunningham, I., (2005) A Reader’s Guide to Writers’ London, Andre Deutsch Ltd
Thompson, J. B., (2012) Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century, Polity Press
Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2018, (2017), Bloomsbury Yearbooks

Other textbooks
Groes, S., (2011) The Making of London: London in Contemporary Literature, Palgrave Macmillan

Journals
The London Journal (Leeds: Maney) – e-journal
Literary London: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Representation of London (Northampton) – e-journal
The Bookseller

Electronic Databases
Project Muse
JSTOR
Academic Search Complete
Cambridge Core

Social Media Sources
Twitter