Module Content and Indicative Topics 

This module is designed to provide literature students with essential knowledge about the publishing industry, with a specific focus on the UK, and will further explore critical perspectives on transnational publishing. The module combines a historical approach on the development of the book industry with practical knowledge on modern-day practices of how to initiate, produce and sell books. Throughout the term you will work on a group-based publishing project, which will involve independent research of a chosen comparative topic in literature and publishing. Past projects have explored topics such as peripheries and centres in global publishing, progressive publishing of children’s literature and minority voices in UK publishing. 

The module aims to: 

 

provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of the publishing industry and with practical skills that connect academic learning with workplace learning; 
	combine a general understanding of the publishing context with the language and/or area studies expertise that you have acquired in the course of your degree; 
	allow you to produce a small-scale publication directed at an audience and follow this through all stages of its publishing cycle. 
Teaching Delivery 

The course will be taught through a combination of lectures, practice-oriented seminars, group-tutorials and panel discussions with invited guest speakers from the publishing industry. You will learn to use the industry-leading publishing software (InDesign) in dedicated workshops. Working individually and in groups, you will leave the course having researched, written, designed, pitched and produced your own publishing project. 

Recommended Reading 

In preparation for the module, we advise that you familiarise yourself with some of the following texts: 

Banou, C. (2017). Re-inventing the Book: Challenges from the Past for the Publishing Industry. Cambridge, MA: Chandos Publishing. 

Bowman, K. (2004). Systems Analysis: A Beginner's Guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Brown, S. (ed.) (2006). Consuming Books: The Marketing and Consumption of Literature. Abingdon: Routledge. 

Feather, J. (2003). Communicating Knowledge: Publishing in the 21st century. Munich, K.G. Saur. 

Feather, J. (2006). A History of British Publishing. London: Routledge. 

Gordon, J. et al. (2006). Learn Adobe InDesign CC for print and digital media publication. Adobe Press. 

Greco, A. N. et al. (2014). The Book Publishing Industry. New York and London: Routledge. 

Schreibmann, S. and Seimens, R. (2007). A Companion to Digital Literary Studies. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. 

Schreibmann, S. et al. (2004). A Companion to Digital Humanities. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. 

Smith, K. and Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2018). The Publishing Business. A guide to starting out and getting on. Second edition. London and New York: Bloomsbury.  

Squires, C. (2007). Marketing Literature: The Making of Contemporary Writing in Britain. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Thompson, J. B. (2012). Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-first Century. Cambridge: Polity. 