publishing

Visiting Speaker – Alastair Horne

May 2nd, 2013 by Laura Jones | Posted in Blog | 1 Comment
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Alastair Horne‘s visit to Stirling on March 28th was much anticipated on Twitter, with talks the night before of red carpets and royal carriages on the 8:30am Edinburgh to Stirling train which students and tutors alike frequent to make the 10am start. Those of us lucky enough to take the Digital Process & Product module had a double dose of Alastair as he taught a class on digital start-up business models before taking up his position as visiting speaker at 2pm.

So as to avoid spilling the beans of our innovative, game changing business models (well, we hope) I will focus on Alastair’s visiting talk on the wonders of social media. Alastair himself has 10 years of experience in publishing, is the social media and communities manager at Cambridge University Press ELT with a personal Twitter account of 3.6k+ followers, a professional global Twitter account, a Facebook page for CUP ELT with 33k likes, fortnightly webinars… I could go on. Let’s just say Alastair knows what he’s talking about when it comes to social media.

His emphasis rested on building relationships with readers. Publishers need to let readers in, let them peek behind the curtain and feel part of the process. As the talk inevitably turned to Amazon, Alastair highlighted that their relationship with publishers is no longer mutually beneficial considering Amazon refuses to share stats and data. For this reason, publishers need to battle Amazon for reader loyalty. Nurturing a genuine relationship with readers is the best chance publishers have at reducing Amazon’s suffocating monopoly.

So, how does one go about shaping these vital relationships? Alastair offers two options.

1. Go to where the readers and conversations already reside and partake.
2. Create a new platform to start conversations and entice readers in. This option means not having to rely on a third party, particularly important if the conversation is, say, on Goodreads which is suddenly obtained by Amazon.* The rewards are greater for this harder option as Alastair pointed out that it took one year for CUP ELT to blossom from idea to actuality.

For publishers specifically, they need to learn to use social media effectively and to their advantage, for these 5 reasons.

1. Search visibility – Facebook Group graphs can offer great data about who is finding your page and how. Google+ brings together the social and the search by providing personalised search results through network lists.
2. Marketing – publishers must be stealthy with marketing and not post too many hard sales.
3. Customer support – Twitter can offer immediate customer support, turn a negative into a positive should someone be able to fix a problem quickly and efficiently.
4. Market research – where Goodreads was recommended as a valuable site for research.
5. Building relationships – the most important element. Trust must be built over time so publishers become part of readers’ lives. This kind of investment is long term and many publishers are too impatient to invest, especially as it’s time consuming and impossible to measure the direct effect.

And because Alastair loves a good list (who doesn’t?!) he also provided 12 suggestions for social media success.

1. Find home – you don’t need to be on every social media platform, find a platform that works best for your needs and make yourself at home.
2. Be regular – post daily on Facebook, 5x or more on Twitter, not too much, not too little. Spread out those posts.
3. Be prompt and responsive – you’re not a broadcasting station, engage with your readers, know when someone has mentioned you and don’t rely on scheduled tweets, you run the risk of looking mechanic and less human. Keep track of what your audience is discussing.
4. Involve the whole team – not just marketing, get everyone on board who is active and enthusiastic on social media, also get authors involved.
5. Share enthusiasm – let your audience know you’re excited about books. Let them see behind the scenes, the production, it can generate some very real excitement.
6. Involve the audience – get to know who shares and reads your content, make them feel valuable.
7. Encourage sharing – make it easy for your readers to share your content, create content that people will want to share.
8. Curation – you’re not the only source of good content, share other people’s content and involve the network you’re using. Add value by offering your voice to a retweet, don’t just mechanically RT something you find interesting, comment on it.
9. You’re a person – no one wants to talk to a corporation, introduce the team and open yourself up to your readers.
10. Re-purpose content – alter content for different platforms, make it applicable over the networks you’re using.
11. Take the conversation elsewhere – as above, don’t rely on those third parties.
12. Work out what’s working – all about analytics and tracking people. If it’s broke, fix it!

And so ends a crash course in social media. I was greatly encouraged by Alastair’s enthusiasm towards social media and the opportunities it can create for publishers, should they learn to use it to their advantage. I fully agree that publishers can’t create meaningful relationships with their readers fast enough. The sooner the better. Alastair was a fantastic guest and continues to be a fantastic presence on Twitter as he tweets valuable content from afar keeping true to his own advice.

*The day ended on a sour note as Amazon acquired Goodreads only hours after Alastair completed his talk, part of it recommending Goodreads as a valuable area of reader data and relationships for publishers. The irony was not lost.

- Laura Jones (cross posted to publishthings.com)

Nicola Marr, MLitt in Digital Media, Publishing and Law 2012-2013

January 25th, 2013 by Nicola Marr | Posted in Student Profiles | No Comments
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My background is in psychology, which I studied at undergraduate level at the University of Aberdeen. I have a keen interest in adolescent development and behaviour, and have spent many years volunteering for organizations such as ChildLine and The Girlguiding Association.

After graduating I spent 2 years working in the sales and marketing department of Aberdeen Football Club, which provided a valuable insight into working life and most importantly, taught me the offside rule.

Itchy feet saw me spend the next 2 years living and working in Canada, where I worked for Virgin Mobile Head Office in Toronto. I enjoyed the fast-paced environment and the hustle-and-bustle of living in such a vast diverse city, but after a while I started to miss the home comforts of Scottish life (and the scenery!) so decided to move back home and embark on a Masters degree in Digital Media, Publishing and Law.

This year, I hope to combine my knowledge of children’s psychology with what I will learn during my Masters degree, and in the future I would love to work for a children’s publishing company focusing on how digital media can be used to improve the reading ability of children with special needs, which is what my Masters dissertation will focus on.

In my spare time I enjoy live music, board games and anything involving a slight risk of death – I’ve done two bungee jumps and swam in a tank full of sharks… thankfully I’m still here to tell the tale!

 

 

Paula Morris Lecture – How the Novelist Sees the World…

January 23rd, 2013 by tsarchdeacon | Posted in Blog | No Comments
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… With great big sweeping Venn diagrams to connect the myriad of people and organisations that contribute to the life-cycle of a novel. With detailed characterisations and in-depth analyses of the interplay between each Venn bubble, with a structured flow and a bit of conflict to keep it all moving nicely along. Novelists see the world (of publishing) as a fascinating place that might be much akin to the worlds of their books.

There are four kinds of people in the world, none of whom a novelist is particularly enamoured with:

  • Gatekeepers. Agents, publishers, booksellers, the media, festivals, and prizes.
  • Rivals. Other writers. (Note: ‘rivals’ and ‘friends’ are by no means mutually exclusive. Or so they would have us believe.)
  • Necessary Evils. The public, online reviewers, book clubs, festival audiences, etc.
  • Enemies. Yourself. Money. The world at large.

And yet novelists have far more to worry about than these frustrating gnats that surround them. Worries such as publicity, for one, which is an increasingly important aspect of the novelist’s life. It is no longer an isolated art; writers need to be actively engaged with the world through social media and self-promotion. They’re constantly bombarded with people asking questions or favours. They get e-mails by the giga-load.

Then there’s the insecurity. Writers are a ‘whirlwind of insecurity’. Will their next book be their last? Will it be a failure? It’s a life of unstable income and of second jobs – fixing, ghost writing, journalism, anything to keep writing.

It takes a hell of a lot more than talent to get published. It takes persistence and discipline, luck, ego (a.k.a. ‘drive’) and often a very thick skin. It takes a healthy aversion to reading too many reviews and the ability to ignore the call of the market (or risk becoming a hack). A good pen and a few nice turns isn’t enough anymore.

So all this begs the question… why? Why would anyone choose to take on such a career?

‘It’s not a career, it’s a vocation’, Morris said, ‘you should be doing it because you would be miserable doing anything else’.

See more from Paula Morris at her website.

-Talis S Archdeacon

Mariclaire White, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2012-2013

January 23rd, 2013 by Mariclaire White | Posted in Student Profiles | No Comments
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I began considering a career in Publishing while studying MA English Literature and Film Studies at the University of Dundee. During summer break between 3rd and 4th year, I became a marketing intern for a comedy company during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The job was frantic, consuming and required a lot of walking around rainy Edinburgh promoting a show alongside hundreds of competitors. While this may sound like hell to a lot of people, the reward of seeing a member of public you had encouraged at the show, was completely worth it. Once University began again, I sought a way to combine a lifelong interest in literature with my newfound passion for marketing, leading me to the logical choice of working within the publishing industry.

Whilst researching postgraduate degrees, I was immediately attracted to the MLitt in Publishing Studies at Stirling due to its reputation as a Centre for International Publishing and Communication as well as its excellent links to the publishing industry. In order to finally make up my mind about applying, I spoke to a former student who could not recommend the course enough and I have not been disappointed. I am so excited to progress with my studies and put the skills I learn into practice in the real world! You can find out how my studies are going on twitter!

Visiting Speaker – Ann Steiner

January 21st, 2013 by Nicola Marr | Posted in Blog | 1 Comment
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The visiting speaker series continued with an insightful talk from Ann Steiner, researcher and lecturer in Literature and Publishing Studies at Lund University, Sweden, who gave an academic’s perspective on recent developments in international publishing.

Ann began by explaining that the publishing industry as a whole is very culturally specific, with different countries experiencing vastly varying market structures and stability. Using Sweden as a case study, we learned about ways to promote literature within the limits of population and language. Sweden, a fairly large country with a relatively low population, has around 300 major publishing houses all operating on an international level, yet only 5 of them producing work specifically for the Swedish market.

Ann then went on to talk about different integration models of publishing in Sweden, using the example of The Bonnier Conglomerate – a large family run media corporation who dominate the market and control all aspects of the publishing chain from printing to retail stores. This monopolization leaves very little room for competition, with smaller publishers struggling for visibility in the mainstream market. This can be seen as detrimental to the Swedish publishing industry as a whole, and Ann was part of a commission who raised concerns about this exploitation to the Swedish government.

An interesting point raised by Ann was the difference in reading habits between Swedish readers and UK readers – most notably the fact that many Swedish people are not familiar with electronic reading devices. The e-book industry in the UK is an ever-expanding market, a trend many of us would expect to see continuing worldwide. However as Ann pointed out, although e-books are available in Sweden the market hasn’t reacted as favourably as in other parts of the world, which is surprising considering the high internet saturation in Sweden. Ann suggests one reason for this unusual cultural difference is a problem which is recognized at national level – that if the e-book market flourishes it may cause a decline in the number of Swedish-language books being read, as it is expected the majority of e-books accessed will be English titles. Ann predicts that the market in this area will eventually mature and if one retailer chooses to promote a particular device, Sweden may see an increase in e-book sales.

The next topic of discussion focused on the way Swedish consumers buys books – or don’t, as the case may be. Current figures show 35% of all books are currently bought in bookstores, with 22% of books being purchased online. However, Ann discussed a worrying trend in the demise of bookstores in small communities. This has been caused in part by the de-regulation of book pricing in Sweden in the 1970’s, which has since seen the price of books plummet, meaning bookstores struggle to make a profit. This low pricing structure has altered the consumer perception on the value of books in Sweden, meaning people now expect to buy books at very low prices. The closure of bookstores throughout the country is expected to have a knock-on effect on the industry as a whole, with recent figures already showing a worrying decline in the reading ability of young boys in Sweden.

Next, Ann spoke about Swedish literature within the context of the rest of the world. Historically, Sweden was an import country with over half of all fiction and non-fiction literature coming from other countries. Although mainly translated, Sweden also has a fairly thriving foreign language market. Over recent years, the success of Swedish crime fiction has seen a massive upturn in the export market, particularly after the international success of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Ann also touched briefly on the ways in which Swedish literature is perceived in other countries, pointing out that particularly in the German market, Swedish books are often portrayed as stereotypically cold and harsh, with covers that would not sell in the Swedish market.  Ann finished the talk by pointing out the importance of country specific publishing,  stating that books are very much intertwined with culture and can be deeply important for a national sense of being.

During a brief Question and Answer session afterwards, students got the chance to learn more about the publishing course run by Ann at the University of Lund and the similarities in the teaching content. Ann also spoke briefly about her predictions for the Swedish market in the future – most notably that the Swedish crime fiction genre will eventually die out and hopefully make way for new trends in Swedish literature.

An interesting, enlightening and at times surprising insight into the Swedish market and how it differs from the UK market, I think the whole class will agree we learned a lot during this session. Thanks, Ann!

-Nicola Marr

Aija Oksman, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2012-14

January 19th, 2013 by Aija | Posted in Student Profiles | No Comments
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As I completed my Bachelor’s degree in English Literature at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, I was left with a conundrum of what to do next. Having been a expatriate since twelve years, I planned to keep at it, and hence I arrived in Edinburgh. I set up my humble home in Edinburgh city and began my studies at Stirling. I had lived in Ireland before, and had truly enjoyed the general jovial atmosphere I experienced there – and after some queries, I was informed Scotland is much, much better – and in all aspects nonetheless. Shocking, eh?

As I have a strong passion for literature and theatre, and anything to do with the written and spoken word in any form – be it poetry, songs, fiction, ghost writing or anything else – and having learned foreign langauges since I was very young, I have always appreciated the fine nuances of languages that make them unique. My goal is one day to be able to work with minority and translation literatures as I believe that is where my strength lies. But on the road there, I wish to expand my abilities and knowledge as much and have it as varied as humanly possible. And enjoy my life whilst doing it.

Talis S. Archdeacon, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2012-2013

January 16th, 2013 by tsarchdeacon | Posted in Student Profiles | No Comments
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Most people reading these student profiles already know what a dynamic and fascinating industry publishing is, with never-before-imagined possibilities and innovative new technologies at every turn. There’s no need to tell you how a profound love of stories in all forms – fiction and non-fiction, long and short, in books and magazines – irresistibly draws us all into the world of publishing.

I started my career as a journalist about six years ago in Riga, Latvia. I moved up quickly and within a few years found myself editor-in-chief of the largest English-language newspaper in the Baltic States. After that I ran a local second-hand bookshop and attempted to launch a new publication – an entertainment listing service in three languages. Though that idea soon failed (I didn’t really know at that point how to deal with the many challenges of a start-up publication), my interest in publishing had been piqued and I was eager to get myself into the industry proper.

But how? I tried applying for a few jobs in a few different countries, but my disparate and tangential experience made it difficult. My academic degrees were unrelated to the field. I needed something to tie it all together.

The publishing programme at Stirling is the ideal way to do just that. I joined the master’s degree programme to help transfer my related skills in journalism and bookselling to publishing and to learn about the rapidly evolving market.

This is one of the most exciting times in history to be in publishing. We, the publishing students of today, are at the very forefront of these changing times and are nearly ready to take our places as the industry leaders of tomorrow.

Nieske Zuidema, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2012-2013

January 12th, 2013 by Nieske Zuidema | Posted in Student Profiles | No Comments
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My name is Nieske Zuidema and I’m a student on the MLitt in Publishing Studies course. I come from the Netherlands, where I’ve worked at two book stores. While it was fascinating to see what happens to a book after it has been published, I became more and more interested in what happens beforehand: the publishing process. I therefore always had a career in publishing in the back of my mind while doing my undergraduate degree in Communication Studies.

When looking for a master’s program, it soon became clear to me that a publishing course in the UK would suit me best, since I love reading English books and since the publishing industry here has a major influence on the rest of the world. The program in Stirling especially interested me, as it focuses on all aspects of publishing (editing, production, marketing, etc.) and combines theory and practice. After only week into the course, I definitely felt like it will give me a good preparation for a job in the industry, and I’m very glad that I’ve decided to come here!

Visiting speaker: Peggy Hughes, City of Literature

November 17th, 2012 by Aija | Posted in Blog | No Comments
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The delightful Peggy Hughes amused the Publishing studies 2012/2013 class  with her lively presentation on the UNESCO badge of City of Literature  – a designation, which was bestowed upon Edinburgh back in 2004. The City of Literature Trust  is head by Peggy herself and her boss Alison Bowden.

Why Edinburgh should be designated as a City of Literature by UNESCO, you might ask. Well, when a group of prominent figures in the literary scene having a post-prandial discussion they came to the surprising conclusion that as Edinburgh was “brilliant at books,” something should be done to make sure this would become general knowledge. Simply because Edinburgh has a huge literary heritage, and has a vibrant contemporary scene – already hosting some of the world’s most well-known and largest poetry and literature festivals and events.

Organisations from grassroots up to government level Edinburgh worked together to create The Bid, an audit of all Scottish literary accomplishments in two volumes – talking about putting things in a nutshell – We Cultivate Literature on a Little Oatmeal. It took a bundle of Scottish treats (whiskey, haggis, bagpiper among others) to convince the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Among her lively and very fast paced presentation, the class was entertained with best bits of past events that had aimed to hold Edinburgh to its badge of honour as well as a selected few spoilers over the upcoming events. Working together with other Edinburgh literary events and organisations, the City of Literature has proven to be worth every bit of the designation, more than holding its own among the others with its goals of establishing partnerships, promoting participation, learning as well as advocating awareness towards Edinburgh and keeping the focus on creativity, bringing people together in literature.

Thank you to Peggy for the grand insight into the Scottish literature scene and its uniqueness, and I’m sure the class cannot wait to see the ‘Stache-mob or join the Literary Salon.

 

Beck Hansen’s Song Reader

November 14th, 2012 by Blake Brooks | Posted in Blog | No Comments
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Beck Hansen is a music artist with many strings to his bow. In a career which has spanned almost twenty years, Hansen has experimented with various genres such as folk, rock, country, and rap, and the artistic forms he has assumed are also numerous; from refusing to sign exclusive label deals in order to record two contrasting albums at once, releasing singles mixed with video game soundtracks, to remaining a highly sought-after producer. Needless to say, avant-garde doesn’t cover it. However, his latest project further pushes the boundaries of modern concepts of music. In December Hansen will release a twenty track ‘album’ entitled Beck Hansen’s Song Reader which will be published only as sheet music. Sold unrecorded, this is an album in its most primal form; musical scores to be deciphered and created by each individual. Musicians may see a challenge while others may consider the album a prized collectible, but those who just want to hear Beck’s latest album may find it frustrating to learn they may need to pick up a ukulele in order to do so.

In America McSweeney’s will publish The Song Reader, while UK publisher Faber will be profiting from this experimental project. The album will retail in the UK at £18.99, more than your average album or book, and it is uncertain how well it will sell. Undoubtedly the experimental form will alienate much of Beck’s audience; a fanbase he has built since becoming the pin-up boy of the underdog, stoner generation in the 1990s. While some may appreciate Hansen’s experimentalism they may not be willing to pay for something they ultimately may not use and it is unlikely anyone unfamiliar with his work will be converted by it.

However, the album does pose some interesting questions about what music is and the possible role of the publisher in music production. In order to make the idea desirable and more than mere concept, the publisher has worked hard to ensure the album is aesthetically pleasing.  Marcel Dzama, who has previously collaborated with Hansen on his album Guero, has illustrated some of the album alongside others, creating a book where each song is illustrated in a beautifully individual style. The fonts used vary from page to page to compliment the illustrations, and thus every song has its own persona. This means anyone who buys The Song Reader is not merely purchasing an album but twenty skilfully crafted pieces bound in hardcover, with an elaborate Edwardian cover design that is homage to classical musical manuscripts. Preview images have been released on McSweeney’s website, and what is clear is Beck’s commitment to his vision of a modern tribute to an old style.

The release of a half page score of the song Do We? We Do prompted a flurry of videos and audio clips online of fans playing the song, interpreting it as everything from punk to a ballad. More recently McSweeneys released a page long sample of the song Why?, building on the interest in the Do We? Wo Do sample. These previews are a good marketing move on behalf of McSweeney’s, allowing musicians to integrate with the album even before its release. The sharing of these on sites such as Tumblr and Youtube raises the albums online profile  and is essentially free publicity. Expanding on this, McSweeney’s has announced that tracks and samples can be submitted and shared via an official page which has just launched in anticipation of the albums release. This further raises the album’s profile and simultaneously that of the musicians contributing to the project. However, it also crucially provides a platform for those who wish to hear the songs but cannot play them themselves.

Beck’s high profile sells itself, so The Song Reader may not be such a high risk for McSweeneys and Faber. As Hansen has not released a full album of his own work since 2008, anticipation for a new project has been growing steadily. Although early online reactions to The Song Reader were largely negative, there has been a more positive response since the early release of the Do We? We Do and Why? samples, and pre-release orders of signed copies at $50 sold out in a couple of days. It cannot be denied that McSweeney’s have taken on a complicated and innovative project, with a convoluted audience that may be hard to target. However, the early release of song samples, pre-release sales and previews of the artwork has created a buzz that may mean the project is more popular than early reactions would have anticipated. The clever song-sharing marketing scheme on The Song Reader website allows give-it-a-go musicians a way to be involved, while fans of music as an art form may enjoy the aesthetic of a project that has been beautifully and brilliantly designed. Although The Song Reader is unlikely to be as popular as a recorded album, for a concept it may prove surprisingly successful.

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