Columbia Publishing Course Publishing Formerly the Radcliffe Publishing Course Course
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Columbia Columbia Publishing Course Publishing formerly the Radcliffe Publishing Course Course For Information Shaye Areheart, Director Emma Skeels, Assistant Director A Professional Columbia Publishing Course Experience in The Graduate School of Journalism Columbia University the Business 2950 Broadway, MC 3801 of Publishing New York, NY 10027 Tel. 212-854-1898 E-mail: [email protected] @columbiapubcrse https://journalism.columbia.edu/publishing June 14 – July 23, 2020 The Columbia Publishing Course does not discriminate Columbia University among applicants or students on the basis of race, Graduate School of Journalism religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, color, or disability. New York City Columbia Publishing Course areers in publishing have always attracted people with talent and energy and a love of Creading. Those with a love of literature and language, a respect for the written word, an inquiring mind, and a healthy imagination are naturally drawn to an industry that creates, informs, and entertains. y The class of 2019 For many, publishing is more than a business; it is a vocation that constantly challenges and continuously educates. Choosing a career in publishing is a logical The Publishing Course allows students to compare way to combine personal and professional interests for book, magazine, and digital publishing, which helps people who have always worked on school publications, them determine their career preferences. During the first spent hours browsing in bookstores and libraries, or weeks, the course concentrates on book publishing— subscribed to too many magazines. from manuscript to bound book, from bookstore sale The Columbia Publishing Course was originally to movie deal. Students study every element of the founded in 1947 at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, process: manuscript evaluation, agenting, editing, design, Massachusetts, where it thrived as the Radcliffe production, publicity, sales, e-books, and marketing. Publishing Course. In 2001, the course moved to Students also learn about different types of publishing Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. houses, publishing strategies, and career paths. The New York City is the heart of American publishing, and class then divides into small groups for a seven-day book the Publishing Course has taken every advantage of its workshop. Each workshop group simulates the operation current location while building on its strong legacy. of a publishing house, giving students a chance to apply For seventy-three years, the Publishing Course has what they’ve learned and to gain hands-on experience in provided an intensive introduction to all aspects of book a particular area of book publishing. and magazine publishing, from evaluations of original The second section of the course is devoted to manuscripts to the sales and marketing of finished magazines and digital media. Magazine and web products. Students learn from editors, publishers, professionals lecture on every facet of print and design directors, advertising experts, publicists, and digital publication, from planning, writing, and design writers—all are leaders in the industry, and many are to marketing, promotion, and distribution. Through course graduates. More than one hundred publishing lectures and regular assignments, students learn professionals come to the Publishing Course each what it takes to publish a successful magazine and summer to describe the nature of their work, conduct launch a profitable website. During the magazine and workshops and seminars, and answer questions in digital workshop, student groups develop proposals classroom discussions and informal sessions. for new print and online publications, researching The curriculum is very intensive. Students learn possible audiences, establishing editorial mission about publishing through a rigorous schedule of lectures statements, designing layouts and wireframes, assessing and group activities and by completing professionally competitors, determining potential advertisers, and evaluated assignments. By spending time with speakers developing a branding strategy. By the end of the six and instructors at meals and in late-night discussions, weeks, course graduates have a greater understanding working on assignments after classes end, and living of book, magazine, and digital publishing than many with like-minded colleagues for six weeks, students people working in the field do. take part in a total-immersion program that cannot The final week of the Publishing Course ties together be duplicated by a series of part-time courses. In the everything students have learned in the previous five process, students discover a capacity to assimilate and weeks and features lectures, field trips, and additional produce more than they ever imagined possible. career guidance. The Columbia Publishing Course provides an require interaction with writers, agents, and advertisers. unparalleled overview of the entire publishing process, Based on their particular areas of interest, students are teaches basic publishing skills, and offers students the assigned to a workshop group and take on specific job opportunity to meet and learn from top publishing responsibilities. Teams of carefully selected mentors professionals. work with each group, facilitating discussion and providing guidance and professional advice. Students have access to a computer lab equipped New York City with sophisticated design software. In addition, The New York City publishing community continues students work with custom-designed models for to welcome students of the course to various special financial projections and up-to-date industry events. In recent years, HarperCollins, Penguin databases. At the end of each workshop, top Random House, Macmillan, Hearst, Condé Nast, Rolling publishing leaders carefully evaluate each group’s Stone, Scholastic Books, and Time magazine have results, giving constructive criticism and real-world hosted our students at a variety of events. feedback. These workshops equip students with the practical knowledge, experience, and confidence needed to succeed in their careers. Course Faculty The instructors and lecturers, drawn from all areas of the publishing industry, are recognized as experts in Book Workshop their fields. Many speakers are course regulars; others During the book workshop, each student group are invited to speak because they are setting trends forms a hypothetical publishing company that or challenging traditional methods. Faculty members develops six potential titles for publication. Students represent publishing’s diversity: some are executives are responsible for determining the company’s in multinational conglomerates, others are successful editorial mission, coming up with book ideas, and entrepreneurs, some work with blockbuster franchises, putting together a final prospectus. They create and others strive to reach specialized markets. The detailed list of the 2019 faculty (see following pages) marketing, publicity, and subsidiary rights plans for is representative of the high caliber of instructors who each book and present their titles to the class at a teach at the course each year. simulated rights auction. They design book jackets, set production specs, and use computer models to build financial projections for each title and for the Editing Seminars publishing house as a whole. Short seminars are held during the course to teach the fundamentals of book manuscript evaluation and magazine editing. For the manuscript evaluation Magazine-Digital Workshop seminar, each student reads an unpublished manuscript For the magazine-digital workshop, student and writes a reader’s report recommending whether groups develop original concepts for hypothetical new or not to publish. Students meet in small groups with publications. Each team finds underserved audiences, editors to discuss the editing process and methods of evaluates competitive titles and sites, and shapes the manuscript evaluation. In the magazine-digital editing content and editorial voice of its magazine and the seminar, students edit an article that is about to be accompanying website. published in a national magazine or on a website. They research story ideas and writers and establish Seminar sessions focus on developing effective ledes as well as editing for length and clarity. regular features and departments. Students target advertisers; propose strategies for promotion, circulation, and digital audience development; and set Workshops budgets. Designers create layouts that complement Students apply what they’ve learned in lectures editorial content. The final results capture the look, feel, during two hands-on workshops. These weeklong and tone of each magazine and website and include workshops are intensive, collaborative simulations that detailed long-term business plans. Wendy Lamb Jon Karp Jill Salayi Aaron Santos Cecilia de la Jonny Diamond Mary Norris Niko Pfund Pamela Paul Michael Campa Reynolds 2019 Book Program Small Press Publishing , Editor in Chief, Europa Editions Book Keynote Michael Reynolds Jon Karp, President and Publisher, Simon & Schuster The Evolution of an Independent Agency Jane Dystel, President, Dystel, Goderich and Bourret The Author and the Editor: Working Together Mary Norris, author of Greek to Me and Between You and Me, and former Publishing on the West Coast copy editor at The New Yorker Camaren Subhiyah, Senior Editor, Chronicle Books Matt Weiland, VP and Senior Editor, W.W. Norton Book Editorial