publishing studies

Publishing: an industry set for future prosperity, says Vince Cable

October 9th, 2010 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Publishing: an industry set for future prosperity, says Vince Cable
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The Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, delivered the Williamson Memorial Lecture lecture at the University of Stirling last night.

In his speech, entitled ‘Scottish Economic Lessons for “the general industry of society”’, Vince Cable addressed the current economic situation and his role within the Government in leading both industry and higher education, and laid out his thoughts for the pathway from recovery to growth that he envisages for the UK.

Among the key sectors he identified that would lead to future prosperity, he identified ‘design, media, publishing and computer games’.

Cable also praised the Scottish interaction between industry and universities in the shift from heavy to lighter, higher technology industries. One of the needs for industrial renewal and economic growth is, he commented, skills and training.  As a provider of publishing education, training and research, and strongly connected to local and international publishing companies, the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication is a very good example of this interaction.

In conclusion, Cable stated, the principles for economic renewal and success, were provided over 250 years ago by books published in Scotland – by Adam Smith. The history of the book may yet provide our future.

Publishing students win prizes

July 8th, 2010 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Publishing students win prizes
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Last week saw the graduation ceremony for out 2009-10 cohort of MLitt in Publishing Studies students.

Among the graduating students were some prize winners. Siân Jenkins won The Ruari McLean Prize for Publishing Design (named in honour of the celebrated Scots book designer who died in 2006). The Prize is awarded annually to the student in the MLitt in Publishing Studies who produces an outstanding work of publishing design. Siân was awarded the prize for her work on The Knights of Whorlton, a spread from which can be seen below.

The Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication Dissertation Prize, for the most outstanding Dissertation, was awarded to Katrina Melvin, for her dissertation ‘Chronicling Change: Representations of women in the mainstream publishing workplace 1970-2010’.

Finally, Siân Jenkins was the recipient of a second prize as the most distinguished student in the MLitt in Publishing Studies. The Routledge Prize is given annually to the most distinguished student in the MLitt in Publishing Studies, and takes the form of £200 work of books donated by Routledge, the Group Sales Director of which is a former University of Stirling graduate, now Honorary Professor and Chair of our Industry Advisory Board, Christoph Chesher.

Well done to both Siân and Kat for their hard work and excellent results!

What’s the Value of a Masters in Publishing?

June 24th, 2010 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on What’s the Value of a Masters in Publishing?
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What’s the value of a publishing degree programme? Well, according to a recent job advert, it’s equivalent to ‘1 or 2 years experience in a publishing environment’. The advert, for a production assistant at Atlantic Books, welcomes applications from graduates of publishing courses as well as those with existing industry experience.

So, very good news for our students who have recently completed their MLitt in Publishing Studies, some of whom have already been offered publishing jobs in companies including Oxford University Press and Palimpsest Book Production. It is clear from this advert – and from the evidence we have from our industry contacts and from the employment successes of our students – that publishing courses are taken very seriously indeed by employers.

If you’ve recently graduated from a first degree in another subject and are looking for a route into publishing, planning a career change, or want to improve your existing publishing career, take a look at our courses. We’d welcome an application from you.

New and Revised Programmes of Study

May 24th, 2010 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on New and Revised Programmes of Study
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From September 2010, the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication will be offering new and revised programmes of study.

Our programmes now include:

MLitt in Publishing Studies: This course has run since 1982, and among our graduates are some of the leading publishers in the UK and abroad. Substantially overhauled for September 2010, the course now includes new optional modules (Skills for Publishing Management; Publishing, Literature and Society; and Publishing in the Workplace) and revised teaching, learning and assessment methods relevant to the digital 21st century publishing environment. More details are available from the programme page.

MSc in International Publishing Management: This innovative course is aimed at those already working within publishing and publishing-related industries and organisations, and works via purpose-writte case studies. From this year, the programme will run from September (rather than February). More details are available from the programme page.

MRes in Publishing Studies: This new course is specifically focused on research in the fields of publishing studies, contemporary or historical, and is aimed at students wishing to pursue a substantial research project at Masters level. It can lead to PhD study. More details are available from the programme page.

PhD: It is possible to study for a PhD in the Stirling Centre for International Publishing Studies, with opportunities for co-supervision with staff from other Departments in the University. More details are available from the programme page.

Please do contact us should you require more information about our courses, or advice about which course might suit you.

Conference and seminar papers from Publishing Studies staff

May 10th, 2010 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Conference and seminar papers from Publishing Studies staff
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Over the summer, staff from the Stirling Centre for International Publishng and Communciation will be speaking at a variety of conferences and seminars. Claire Squires, Director of the Centre, has been invited to speak at the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature Conference, Foundations on Futures, on the theme of diversity and career routes in children’s book publishing. She will also be delivering the Chair in Book and Publishing Studies lecture for Boek.be and the University of Antwerp in Belgium, with the title ‘Books without Borders: Readers, Writers and Publishers in the Global Literary Marketplace’, a plenary lecture at the University of Manchester Contemporary Literature and its Contexts conference, and a paper on publisher anniversaries at SHARP 2010 in Helsinki. Padmini Ray Murray will be delivering a paper at Publishing Futures in the Global Marketplace conference at Anglia Ruskin University on the topic of poetry publishing in the 21st century.

These public appearances will disseminate some of the research conducted in the Centre.

UNESCO World Book Day Publishing Showcase

April 18th, 2010 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on UNESCO World Book Day Publishing Showcase
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The Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication is holding a showcase of current student work from the MLitt in Publishing Studies and the MSc in International Publishing Management on Friday 23 April 2010 (UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day) in Pathfoot B2.

From 10.30am, there will be a display of student project work, and from 11am there will be talks from staff and students on publishing around the world, including reports on China, Kazakhstan, India and Wales.

You are welcome to join us. For further information, please contact Alison Scott (alison.scott@stir.ac.uk).

Scholarships Available for September 2010

February 28th, 2010 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Scholarships Available for September 2010
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A number of University and Departmental scholarships and bursaries are now available for study at the University of Stirling.

The University is offering over 50 Postgraduate Research Studentships for students beginning PhD studies in 2010-11. These Studentships include full tuition fees at UK/EU rates, an annual stipend at UK Research Council rates (currently £13,489), and research expenses of £750 per year. In order to qualify for consideration, applicants must have received a formal offer of acceptance as a PhD candidate by 17 March 2010. Should you be interested in studying for a research degree in the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication, further information is available here. More details on the studentships are available here.

In addition, the Department of English Studies (of which the Centre is part) is pleased to be offering 11 Postgraduate Tuition Fee Bursaries, at both taught postgraduate and research level. Students applying for the MLitt in Publishing Studies and the MSc in International Publishing Management, as well as research students are eligible. The deadline is 2 July 2010, but we recommend that you apply for a place by early June to ensure you have an offer before applying for a bursary. Full details are available here.

More information on the courses available in the Centre is available from our Study page.

A bookshop epiphany

February 13th, 2010 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on A bookshop epiphany
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This blog has previously featured depressing news from the book retail industry, but I wanted to post some more positive thoughts about what you might call ‘the bookshop experience’ – or, in this case, a bookshop epiphany.

Charlie Byrne's BookshopI’ve just returned from Galway, Ireland, where I was giving a talk on children’s publishing. Every time I visit the city, I take the time to visit Charlie Byrne’s, a treasure trove of a bookshop, an enticing mix of new, second-hand and remaindered titles. It’s the sort of bookshop that gently encourages the reader more used to the standardised, heavily-discounted offer of the chain stores to stop and think, and to fall in love with reading again.

Second-hand bookshops are particularly good at making you do this, I think, nudging you to escape the hold of the frontlist and the hyped, for more unpredictable territories.

Charlie Byrne’s isn’t a snobbish place, though – alongside its Irish-language books and academic texts, it has a lively children’s section, popular fiction, and a wall bustling with notices about arts-oriented events taking place round the city. The company also, as its website informs, ‘sells used books in larger quantities to be used as decoration or “furniture” in restaurants, pubs, shops, etc.’  Literature as wallpaper?

I first visited Charlie Byrne’s when I was working in publishing, at Hodder & Stoughton. At this time in the mid-1990s, Hodder was one of the most commercially-oriented trade publishers, and was instrumental in sounding the death knell of the Net Book Agreement and the rise of the 3-for-2 sales culture of the 2000s. I was happy in the job, though, working on Hodder’s literary imprint Sceptre, with authors including Melvyn Bragg, Jill Dawson, Siri Hustvedt, Andrei Makine, Andrew Miller and David Mitchell.

But that rainy Irish summer day, with time to kill, happily, in a bookshop, I suddenly decided I wanted to go back to university – to take the time to think a bit more about authors, books, readers and the process – ‘publishing’ – by which all these are brought together. For me, it was a good decision, and every time I have the opportunity to go back to Galway, I remember that moment, revisit Charlie Byrne’s, and go home with a suitcase full of books.

Has a bookshop ever changed the course of your life? Or do you simply have a favourite bookshop you’d like to tell everyone about? Let us know…

Claire Squires

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