My name is Yuemeng Feng. Lillian is my English name.

The major of my undergraduate study is packaging engineering, specialize in packaging printing. After dealing with numbers and experiments for years, I want to have a chance to know what an arts student’s life is like. A teacher of mine graduated from International Publishing Management of Stirling. He speaks very highly of publishing projects here. But the thing attracted me most was a word of program introduction saying: the MLitt program is not only for the professionals of publishing, but also fit for those who want to enter the publishing world for the first time. That’s would be perfect for someone like me who have no prior knowledge of publishing.

I think University of Stirling is really a good choice for me. Teachers are very knowledgeable and kind. And my classmates are very friendly.  I learned a lot about the publishing world. Together with my classmates, I researched different types of bookshops and publishing companies in the UK, learned some basic skills of editing and commissioning editing, knew a lot about the e-book and copyright and acquired much knowledge of project design. In a word I have never regretted traveling 16 hours to study here.

With an excellent academic record, I was admitted into Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, majoring in Printing Engineering. Its high teaching quality and rich research atmosphere has created many opportunities for my personal growth and academic studies in 2008. By learning compulsory modules, such as Introduction to Printing, Image Processing and Plate-Making Technology, Introduction to Printing Device, Principle of Printing, Post-press Technology, TV Directing and Editing, Fine Arts, Photography and Original Preparation, etc, I have established a solid academic foundation. With my painstaking efforts, I ranked the top 2 in my class. As a good return for my outstanding performance, I was honorable awarded the Three Goods Student, the Third-class Scholarship, the Second-class Scholarship, the First-class Scholarship respectively. And I also obtained the ISO9000 Quality Management System Internal Auditor Qualification Certificate. Meanwhile thanks to my teachers, they not only taught my professional knowledge, but also cultivated my independent thinking and problem solving ability.

The education I received in our university benefited me a lot. I developed adequate proficiency in theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The study of English language has developed proficiency in listening, speaking, writing, reading and translation which will allow me to actively participate in further higher education in the U.K. In my spare time, I also read lots of books including Publishing Regulations, Toward Media, British and American Media Collection, Fundamentals of Communication, Journalism and Communication and so on. Additionally, I also served as Secretary of the Youth League Branch Committee in my class, and I have done lots of work for my classmates.

In order to put theoretical knowledge into practice and accumulated related working experience to enrich myself, in summer 2011, it was my great honor to have the opportunity to do an internship in Jiangxi Academic Publishing House for about two months. As intern editor, I was in charge of editing and proofreading. During this period, I have a certain understanding of publishing industry. Directed by experienced colleagues, I gained not only extra-curriculum theoretical knowledge but also some valuable hands-on experience. Meanwhile I widened my professional prospective, mastered interpersonal skills and well developed teamwork spirit.

Then I applied for the University of Stirling and have became a postgraduate student in International Publishing Mangement. I have the opportunity to widen and deepen my understanding and recognition in this domain, I appreciate it very much. I find that this program has a reputation for academic excellence. The course arrangement and teaching mode of my school attracts me deeply. After graduation from this university, I hope to come back and work as editor, and do preparation for my long term aim to have my own publishing house in the future.

Cheers!

What I love about Scotland is the fact that people give thanks to bus drivers when they get off the bus; you have a destination, you get there safe, so you appreciate the drivers work. The best appreciation I could imagine to receive as a – hopefully soon-to-be – employee in the publishing industry, would be the knowledge that I helped making somebody’s day with a great book.

My undergrad studies in English literature and language – which I did back at the Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg ,Germany – were pretty much based on theoretical knowledge, I would be lost in the working world after my Bachelor’s degree to be honest. A few weeks into the Publishing Studies programme at the University of Stirling and I already feel much more confident and eager to get out there – to put in my two pennies worth. My focal point in publishing right at this moment would be children’s and young adult’s literature; after I graduated from school, I volunteered to do a social year at an integrated kindergarten in Bremen where I was in charge to help a deaf three-year-old boy through his day. Seeing him and the other children interact, him teaching all of us his language and ways to communicate with him, simply amazed me. Children are great people. And what I wish for is to contribute in the process of them becoming great adults.

You might ask yourself now, why not work at a kindergarten then, why do I choose to work in publishing? To be honest, I don’t really have an answer to that question. It is a gut feeling. Ever since 11th grade I knew that I wanted to work in the media. It’s got to be a virus of my generation; “What do you want to do as your professional career after school?” – “Well, I don’t know, probably something with media.” Well, yes, I’m one of those guys. So, I was never really sure whether all this was just some mainstream interest I shared, until I did an internship at the Schardt publishing company last year for four months. Ever since, I know that it is not mainstream, it is my stream I am following. And luckily it brought me here, to Stirling.

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