Throughout
the summer, we feature the training and university courses available
to the publishing community. The following items were featured
between June and September 2002.
STUDY
PUBLISHING IN OXFORD
Publishing plays a larger part in Oxford's economy
than in any other British city. This has given Oxford Brookes
University a thriving industry with which to build highly valued
relationships. With three decades of experience at providing
publishing degrees, Brookes is recognised as both the longest
established and the most innovative provider within the sector,
and its industry links now extend nationally and internationally.
All members of staff at Brookes have worked extensively in the
book publishing industry or for electronic publishing companies
and continue to network extensively. They are supported by visiting
lecturers from publishing, printing and bookselling companies,
who bring state-of-the-art experience directly into the courses.
Courses include one-day short courses, MA Publishing, MBA Publishing,
MA Electronic Media.
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MA
PUBLISHING STUDIES, CITY UNIVERSITY
The
purpose of the course is to provide existing publishing professionals
and those seeking to enter (or return) to the industry with
a thorough understanding of the structure, organisation and
dynamics of book publishing in its British and international
context and equip them with the relevant skills.
Publishing has become a rapidly changing global industry which
must understand and confront the challenge of change to survive.
The course offers a coherent interpretation of these changes
and will enable students to acquire skills of critical analysis,
enabling them to apply their understanding of the nature and
dynamics of change (globalisation, commodification of knowledge,
technological change) to the successful realisation of their
publishing careers.
Why London? London is a world centre of publishing. Publishing
is by far the most important creative industry in London with
a turnover of £2,720 million and employing 89,000 people.
City University with its highly rated Department of Journalism
and its ethos of involvement in the key drivers of London’s
economy, is the natural home for world-class postgraduate publishing
education.
This course equips students with a sound understanding of
the structure of modern publishing as a business, and provides
or refreshes skills essential to those who seek to progress
to middle or senior executive positions.
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TO
TRAIN . . . OR NOT TO TRAIN?
Why should training be one of the first things to be cut
when we’re expecting a rough ride? Asks Alex Painter of
The Publishing Training Centre
There
is a view within the training industry – and one that is
often borne out by experience – that training budgets tend
to be slashed at the merest whiff of recession. There are those
who see it sitting alongside chocolate biscuits on the balance
sheet as ‘something that keeps staff happy, but that we
can do without if we have to’.
So we at The Publishing Training Centre could be forgiven for
being a little worried about the prospects for 2002, given the
uncertainty in the UK – and indeed the world – economy.
And even if some areas of publishing are doing rather better
than might have been anticipated when budgets were set, it would
be naïve to think that money would suddenly be made available
should things turn out to be rosier than expected.Of course,
to an extent it’s a knock-on effect of other measures,
such as recruitment freezes, put in place in anticipation of
a downturn in business. A large portion of any training budget
is frequently – and understandably – spent on basic
skills training and induction for relatively new recruits. And
there’s no need to train new staff if there aren’t
any!
But that’s unlikely to be the whole story. Training is
also one of those areas where it can be very hard to track the
return on your investment. Which is not to say it’s impossible.
There are various methods for working out the value of training.
Clearly, it’s easier in some areas than in others –
if someone learns a number of shortcuts and other time-saving
tips on a software course, then it may be relatively simple
to work out the amount of time saved per day and to put a monetary
value on it. But even in these areas, there is a cost involved
in the very act of trying to make such a calculation and, in
practice, few people seem to bother.
This contributes to the impression that training is little more
than a luxury – a day out of the office to help motivate
staff, but with few tangible benefits. But if this is really
all training is, then why bother at all?
And if there’s a reason to train people when times are
good, does that reason suddenly evaporate when you reach the
bottom of the economic cycle?
In many ways, training parallels advertising and PR in this
respect. Since it’s often difficult to track the success
of a particular activity, spending is cut, perhaps with finance
managers secretly hoping that it never really did any good anyway.
But when you do cut back it generally shows in loss of revenue
and reduced market share. In fact, some people advocate increasing
marketing spend during a recession, to capitalise on competitors’
budget cuts. In this way, you survive by grabbing a larger share
of a shrinking market.
Training is a little different of course. Although you might
sometimes expect training to impact directly on revenue, more
often than not it’s about improving efficiency – enabling
staff to do their jobs quickly, effectively and without mistakes.
But, however hard it is to see, the effect on the bottom line
is still there. In terms of publishing, a lack of training might
show itself in an extra set of proofs that should never have
been needed or the added cost of having two print runs instead
of one, because of a miscalculation in estimating how many copies
would be required.
Two simple mistakes that could easily cost more than the training
needed to avoid them.
And two mistakes that are just as likely to happen in a recession
as they are in a boom.
But does the industry see it this way?
Among our own customers, attitudes seem to vary, with some appearing
to cut back on spending and others spending as much as they
ever did.
The reasons? Well, it may or may not have something to do with
the arguments set out above. But as the training provider for
the industry, we at The Publishing Training Centre are keen
to help our customers establish the link between training and
running a successful business.
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PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT DIPLOMA
Publishing today is so competitive that employers can afford
to be very selective – demanding experience as well as
a degree even for the most junior posts. So how do you ever
get a foot on the ladder?
The West Herts College Professional Development Diploma in Publishing
offers a viable alternative to that essential first work experience.
Completing the six-month course will give you and prospective
employers the confidence that you understand how publishing
works (and what’s right for you), and is proven to give
you the edge in job applications.
Some of the most desirable publishing companies now choose West
Herts College for their graduate recruitment because we have
a proven record of providing students with the knowledge and
skills that employers are looking for.
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PUBLISHING
AND ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING
The School of Information and Media, The Robert Gordon University,
Aberdeen, offers a variety of postgraduate courses and modules
in the area of Publishing. The PgCert/PgDip/MSc in Publishing
Studies is offered on a full-time (one year) or part-time, distancelearning
(three years) basis. It is aimed at either graduates looking
to start a career in the publishing industry or those who are
at the beginning of their careers in the industry. The full-time
course includes a four-week placement period.
The part-time course is delivered by distance learning and all
course modules are available over the Internet on the University’s
Virtual Campus. Essential textbooks are supplied and support
is delivered via the Virtual Campus. Modules from the course
are also now available on an individual, continuing professional
development basis, with students starting and finishing at times
of their choosing.
The School also offers a PgCert/PgDip/MSc in Electronic Publishing.
This course is intended for graduates in any discipline and
is designed to provide an educational preparation for those
who are looking to commence a career in the industry. The course
aims to develop an understanding of the characteristics of the
publishing industry and expertise in the development, management
and use of electronic media systems. The full-time course includes
a four-week placement period. Again, the course is also offered
as a part-time distance-learning course.
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WHAT'S
ON OFFER AT THE LCP
Des O’Rourke, course leader for the Publishing
MA, discusses new developments and explains the holistic nature
of the publishing programme
Much at the Elephant and Castle campus has changed since the
first postgraduate certificate in printing and publishing was
introduced in 1969.
Today, our alumni probably account for the largest group of
book and journal publishers who navigated their entry into the
seemingly impenetrable world of publishing, after attending
one of our courses. DALI, the LCP’s training development
arm, continues to offer a portfolio of over 70 short courses,
including day courses in publishing, printing, design, photography
and web production. DALI works closely with publishers to develop
tailor-made programmes, particular to their individual training
needs.
Over the past few years the School of Printing and Publishing
has reoriented its postgraduate provision, building on the certificate
level managed by Kumar Maitra, now retired. A diploma course
was added in 1996, later incorporated into a revised MA framework
in 1999 by Joan Burks. Bob Thompson, the current course director
of the programme and head of research, added an alternative
production pathway, now led by Susan Homewood. The increasing
numbers who enrol every September demonstrate the relevancy
of the new curriculum. Parallel with new course developments,
additional investment in staff and facilities have been made.
I came into the programme to offer expertise in supervising
masters and to teach marketing, which today occupies every publisher’s
agenda.
So what characterises today’s LCP postgraduate? Our graduates
are familiar with content creation, editorial practice, profitability
spreadsheets, technology in both print and electronic media;
they are armed with the best techniques to manage content, new
projects, production values, budgets and marketing plans. These
synergies are not accidental, since the ethos and assessment
strategies of the programme hold that publishing, as a creative
management process, needs to be holistic in philosophy and delivery.
Peter Kindersley expounded this holistic view in a lecture,
shared with 50 postgraduate students, across disciplines, held
at the LCP on 12 June. Kindersley, an alumnus of the London
Institute, recalled how he promoted his enthusiasm for design
throughout the DK organisation, by often seating editors, designers
and production staff beside one another. A marvellous opportunity
to integrate the various communications’ disciplines at
LCP will occur when the £27m rebuild is completed in 2003,
at the Elephant and Castle campus, bringing design, journalism
and publishing to a single location.
Enquiries www.lcptraining.co.uk; PG Cert/PG Dip/MA,
E-mail: d.o-rourke@lcp.linst.ac.uk Tel: 020 7514 6729
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PgDip/MA
PUBLISHING COURSE AT EXETER
This is taught at the Exeter campus of the University
of Plymouth, in the south-west of England. The course was established
in 1975 with the aim of providing hands-on experience of publishing
for graduates seeking to enter the industry. It enjoys a good
reputation within the publishing world and maintains links with
many companies and individuals who generously give lectures
and tours of their premises to students each year.
This is a practical course that examines all areas of the publishing
industry, including the work of the editorial, production and
marketing departments. Computer technology plays a central role:
working with Macintosh computers and using software such as
QuarkXPress, Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Dreamweaver, students
learn to produce publications for both paper and the internet.
The MA lasts one calendar year, running from September to September
each year. However, students have the option of leaving the
course at Postgraduate Diploma stage in June and, if they wish,
completing the MA on a part-time basis while they work. This
is an intensive course and applicants should expect to devote
approximately 5 hours a day to their studies - though the pattern
of work varies throughout the year and longer hours may sometimes
be necessary. Class size is typically 10 to 12 students per
year. While many students are British, the course has also attracted
students from a variety of countries around the world.
Publishing students come to Exeter with a variety of first degrees,
ranging from English to Law to Physiology, and no previous publishing
or design experience is required.
Programme content:
• The publishing process: editorial production, marketing,
contracts, rights for either paper, CDROM or the www.
• Publishing skills, discrimination and good practice:
differing qualities of publishable material: appropriate principles
of editorial and design.
• Publishing: product and business, a case study: follow
a title through a publishing house.
• Professional practice, innovation and the convergence
of publishing technologies: work placement and remote publishing
files.
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MscPUBLISHING,
NAPIER UNIVERSITY
The course is for recently qualified graduates
in disciplines other than publishing who intend to enter the
publishing industry, and for people already working in the industry
who are seeking the opportunity for special training and experience.
The programme offers a range of modules across the four areas
of publishing: editorial, production, marketing and management.
New media and electronic/digital publishing are covered too.
In addition, the Masters degree requires students to submit
a 20,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choosing by the
end of the September following the academic year. The core modules
are: Publishing Business, Issues in Editorial Practice, Digital
Publishing, Production Processes, Management in Publishing.
The rest of the programme offers a choice of modules depending
on which area of study the student is most interested in.
The programme is also available part-time. It will extend over
two years instead of one, with four modules being taking in
the first year instead of eight. At the moment the degree is
only offered during the day. Evening classes are not yet available.
Graduates find initial positions as production editors, editorial
assistants, marketing assistants with book and magazine publishers,
and quickly move into positions of more responsibility. There
are also an increasing number of jobs in new media such as web
designers and web editors.
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STIRLING
WORK FOR POST-GRADUATES!
This year, the Centre for Publishing Studies at Stirling University
celebrates its twentieth birthday. The Centre is the only institution
solely dedicated to post-graduate publishing education.
The Centre's MPhil course provides an up-to-date view of publishing
both in terms of the UK industry and internationally. The framework
of the course remains constant, but the detailed course content
alters from year to year, reflecting the ever-changing focus
of international publishing.
The Stirling International Publishing Unit, (SIPU), located
within the Centre, has a special interest in international issues
and is currently building a unique collection of textbooks from
all over the world.
The course covers Contemporary Publishing, Marketing, Production
and Design Issues, Intellectual Property and the Business of
Publishing. There are several special projects that develop
practical skills and explore specific publishing issues.
[Stirling graduates occupy senior positions in publishing in
many countries; we listen to their ideas and experience as we
change and modify the course. They tell us that the time and
money they have invested in the course has provided them with
a continuing advantage in their working lives.
The Centre for Publishing Studies at Stirling has over the years
become a professional community, of staff, students, and former
alumni, all of us committed to high standards in publishing.]
CAN BE CUT
For further information please contact James McCall or Andrew
Wheatcroft on 01786 467510.
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LEARNING
THE ROPES AT CHAPTERHOUSE
Chapterhouse Training is a specialist partnership owned and
managed by experienced publishers, and has been training proofreaders
and editors in the book publishing industry for over 11 years.
The company specialises in face-to-face seminars and correspondence
courses. Its costs are low and our fees are competitive. As
well as many individuals from all walks of life, Chapterhouse
has trained employees from a wide range of companies including
the BBC, Council of Europe, Longmans International, Hodder Headline,
Ford (UK), British Gas and the Inland Revenue. Chapterhouse
has twice delivered its courses in Hong Kong to University and
publishing staff.
Seminars are held either at the Exeter Training Centre or at
University College, London. Correspondence courses can be undertaken
at any time and the student proceeds at their own pace, usually
taking between three to six months.
Chapterhouse’s well-established editorial skills course
offers publishing employees and others who produce printed materials
a thorough grounding in copy-editing and proofreading skills
with highly experienced tutors. Course materials are kept up-to-date
and the skills taught are always placed in the context of the
total publishing process.
Chapterhouse believes in a highly practical approach to teaching,
and its seminars are hands-on and fun. There is no pressure
to participate, but all are encouraged to voice their views
about technical and wider publishing issues.
Correspondence students are as important to the company as seminar
delegates; tutors are on hand at all times, not merely for formal
assessment of assignments but also to answer individual questions
at any stage of the course.
Chapterhouse’s main market for seminars is relatively
inexperienced proofreaders and editors or, indeed, beginners
who want to learn the basic skills thoroughly in a small group,
typically 10-15, in a friendly, informal environment.
Chapterhouse will also provide bespoke training for your staff
in your own offices. Here the client may want to focus on specific
in-house matters, or the course may be pitched at a higher level
of staff.
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LCP
ENHANCES ITS ROLE WITH INDUSTRY
The links between the LCP and its publishing partners are being
strengthened, explains by Des O’Rourke, course leader
for the Publishing MA
Marrying educational and skills development with publishing
practice has always been the key aim of the LCP postgraduate
publishing courses. This linkage is now even more important,
with a more intensive competitive publishing landscape and the
rapid change in publishing systems. The need for the publisher
of the future to have a comprehensive toolkit that enables the
formulation and implementation of creative solutions –
across a diverse range of subjects – demands holistic
people.
To augment the learning programme, from this September the LCP
is inviting publishing practitioners to contribute voluntarily
to the hosting of lectures and workshops at the LCP across a
couple of hours of their time. Every week, throughout the next
year, the teaching course team will hold an additional learning
unit termed Publishing in Practice. The aim of this unit is
to allow LCP students to gain insights into how publishers are
tackling innovation and adopting best practice in their own
roles. As well as benefiting the students, the new unit also
allows practitioners to have the fun of interacting with inquisitive
minds, and to build relationship networks for possible placements
or new staff in the future.
Interested principals and managers across books and journals,
in all specialists’ subject areas: editorial; commissioning;
rights; production; marketing; IP; distribution; technology;
design; finance; and personnel are invited to participate.
Contact Des O’Rourke, MA Publishing Course Director, Tel:
020 7514 6729, E-mail des.o-rourke@lcp.linst.ac.uk
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