Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Publishing Industry Management

Publishing Industry Management
3
11551
1
Third term
op
Main language of instruction: English

Teaching staff


Mrs. MILES, Valerie Jean - vmiles@uic.es

Upon request.


Introduction

From clay tablets to e-books, different forms of publishing have have accompanied the humanity throughout history.

As an industry, we can consider that publishing began in 15th-century Germany with Johannes Gutenberg’s printing of the Bible, who is nearly universally credited with being the inventor of the printing press, and the father of the modern printed book.

The invention of the printing press represented a significant step by making the writing within texts easy to reproduce. Printed books, leaflets and newsletters enabled culture, knowledge and thoughts to spread at a rate faster than ever before.

Since then, the publishing industry has been growing steadily until the last decade when the global economic crisis, together with the digital era and piracy had obliged it to to face new challenges.

Pre-course requirements

The same as for the Master's Degree. 


Objectives

The main objectives of this subject can be listed as the following:

  • To get into the publishing sector with an overall picture of the publishing industry, key-industry players and publishing market.
  • To deepen knowledge of the book publishing environment and business.
  • To know the different types of books publishing.
  • To understand the economic basis of the traditional book business model.
  • To reach a global overview of the traditional value supply chain: network of companies, professional profiles and roles, from the creation of content all the way down to sales.
  • To learn another publishing business models as partworks and digital books.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

General competences

  • To have and understand knowledge which provides a basis.
  • To have the learning skills necessary to continue studying in a largely self-directed or autonomous manner.
  • To lead, coordinate and form part of interdisciplinary work teams.
  • To act responsibly, and produce good quality rigorous and efficient work that is placed at the service of society.

Specific competences

  • To identify business structures in publishing industry and manage the processes and work procedures involved in their creation, programming, management and production.
  •  To design and implement an efficient and viable business plan within the publishing industry.

  • CB6 - To have and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity for the student to develop and/or apply original ideas, often in the context of research.
  • CB9 - Students should be able to communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and arguments supporting these conclusions to specialised and non-specialised audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
  • CE6 - To design and implement an efficient and viable business plan within the creative sector.
  • CE8 - To identify the business structures inherent to the creative cultural, visual arts and cultural heritage industries at a national and global level and manage the processes and work procedures involved in their creation, programming, management and production.
  • CG2 - To lead, coordinate and form part of interdisciplinary work teams.
  • CG5 - To act responsibly and produce high-quality, rigorous and efficient work that benefits society.

Learning outcomes of the subject

  •  To identify business structures in publishing industry and manage the processes and work procedures involved in their creation, programming, management and production.

  •  To design and implement an efficient and viable business plan within the publishing industry.

Syllabus

MODULE 1. Introduction 

Objectives:

Getting into the publishing sector with an overall picture of the publishing industry, key-industry players and publishing market.

Contents:

  • Main categories within the publishing industry: books, newspapers, magazines and partworks.
  • Overview of the global publishing market: categories (books, newspapers and magazines), platform (traditional-print/digital/audio) and geographic segmentation and main players.
  • The traditional publishing value supply chain and how technology have reduced supply-chain costs and eliminated steps in getting editorial content from manufacturers to consumers.
  • Occupations, professional profiles and roles in the publishing industry:
    • Writing and editing occupations: writers, authors and translators; reporters and correspondents and photographers; editors and packagers; correctors and art designers.
    • Intermediaries: literary agents and scouts.
    • Production and related occupations: industrial production and planning managers; prepress technicians and printing machine operators.
    • Sales, promotion, and marketing occupations: advertising and promotions managers; public relations specialists; advertising sales agents and sales representatives.
    • Publishing-content-distributors and sellers in bookstores, newstands and online retailers.

MODULE 2. Book publishing Industry & Types of book publishing

2.1. Book publishing Industry

Objectives:

Deepening knowledge of the book publishing environment and business.

Contents:

  • Highlights and some figures: worldwide and geographic publishers market shares; number of titles published, books units produced and sold; sales channels, employment and reading habits.
  • Traditional business model and value supply chain: network of companies from the creation of content all the way down to sales, from author/publisher to retail bookstores and newstands.
  • The publishing company's management, structure and organization.

2.2. Types of book publishing

 Objectives:

Understanding the different types of books publishing, on the basis of their market, intended readership and editorial program.

Contents:

  • Trade Publishing: fiction and nonfiction works designed for a general consumer target of children, teenagers and adults.
  • Professional and Scholarly Publishing
  • Educational Publishing

MODULE 3. A traditional book publishing company project

 Objectives:

Decide what, how many and how to publish is a very important key consideration. Develop a publishing strategy & policy will help guide the decision making.

3.1. Publishing strategy & policy

Contents:

  • Defining the editorial line.
  • Selection and contracting criteria.
  • Content sources: International Publishers, Agents, Scouts, Book Fairs, Professional Magazines and Internet.
  • Building up a publications catalogue: new launches and backlist.

With Valerie Miles (Founding Editor at Spanish Granta Magazine and former Publishing Director at Duomo, Alfaguara and Emecé).

3.2. Business model and P&L

 Objectives:

Knowledge and understanding of the economic basis in the creation of a book publishing company project.

Contents:

  • In-depth analysis of the Profit and Loss Account.

MODULE 4. The flow of editorial process: from acquisition to an edited book manuscript.

Objectives:

Introducing the whole team of people involved in selecting, creating and editing a book.

Contents:

4.1 The content: With Valerie Miles (Founding Editor at Spanish Granta Magazine and former Publishing Director at Duomo, Alfaguara and Emecé).

  • Book proposals, manuscripts, books on commission and ghostwriters.
  • Readers reports.
  • Offers, auctions and pre-empts.

With Valerie Miles

4.2 Publishing legislation:

  • Publishing rights: print, digital and other subsidiary rights
  • Publishing contracts.
  • ISBN: The books identity number.
  • Fixed book price.

4.3 Translators.

4.4 The editorial director and the editorial department staff. 

With Valerie Miles

MODULE 5. The flow of production process: from an edited book manuscript to production

Objectives:

Introducing the whole team of people involved in helping to "set up" a book for publication.

Contents:

  • Copyediting: the first stage of book production.
  • Book page design and layout.
  • Book jacket, series and collections design and branding.
  • Book printing, binding, and shipping.

Visit to a Printing House

MODULE 6. Marketing and promoting books 

Objectives:

Introducing the whole team of people involved in creating awareness for books among booksellers, media and consumers and generating book sales.

Contents:

6.1. Marketing:

  • Determine the potential readers for each individual book. Nielsen and FGK Consumer Panels.
  • Price policy.
  • Book sales materials.
  • Point-of-Sale promotional materials.
  • Social Media & Blogger campaigns.
  • Online and offline advertising.
  • Stock control and reprinting. 

6.2. Publicity:

  • Book publicity press materials and book media follow-up.
  • Book review.
  • Pre-Publication or ARC (advanced reader´s copy) mailing.
  • Author readings and book signings.

MODULE 7. Selling and distributing books.

Objectives:

Introducing the whole team of people involved in approaching wholesalers and retailers with the aim to generate orders; fulfilling books orders and monitoring sales.

Contents:

7.1. Sales:

  • Trade sales department and sales network.
  • Sales channels and types of booksellers.
  • Sales plan and trade discounts.

7.2. Distribution:

  • Orders fulfillment process.
  • Online and offline distribution.

 With Jordi Sánchez (Grupo Planeta).

MODULE 8. Another publishing business models

 8.1. Partworks publishing industry: a different publishing business model and market. 

  • Highlights figures.
  • Business model and P& L.

With Monica Casetti (Founding Partner at Boldletters, former Managing Director at Editorial Salvat and Managing Director at Ediciones Orbis).

 8.2. New business models for books publishing in the digital age. 

  • Digital reading in Spain.
  • eBook formats and metadata.
  • Digital business models.
  • Non traditional digital publishing.
  • New digital initiatives: audiobooks, hypermedia and chat-stories.
  • Challenges and predictions.

With Santos Palazzi (Head of Mass Market and Digital Business of the Book Division at Grupo Planeta).


MODULE 9. Presentation of the Final Projects

From the module 3 on, the students will form working teams to develop a Final Project, consisting in setting-up a new publishing company. Every project will be presented to the rest of the class during the last session/s.

Teaching and learning activities

In person



The Management of the Publishing Industry subject consists of 18 classes which combine theoretical lectures and the study of practical cases. Students are encouraged to participate as much as possible.

Some guests of the publishing industry will also share their professional experiences and knowledge as part of the activities.

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



 

In accordance with the UIC rules, in order to be assessed, student needs to attend at least 80% of classes.

 Assessment criteria will be as follows:

  • Attendance: 10%
  • Continual assessment (individual and teamwork activities and assignments): 40%
  • Final Project evaluation: 50%

 


Bibliography and resources

  • Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century, John B. Thompson (Polity Press, 2012)

  • The Publishing Business: From p-books to e-books, Kelvin Smith (AVA Publishing,

  • 2012)

  • Publishing: Principles and Practice, Richard Guthri (Sage Publications Ltd, 2011)

  • The Business of Books, André Schiffrin (Verso, 2001)

  • Book Business, Jason Epstein (WW Norton, 2001)



Print version