Columbia Columbia Publishing Course Publishing formerly the Radcliffe Publishing Course Course Shaye Areheart, Director Emma Skeels, Assistant Director A Professional For Information Columbia Publishing Course Experience in The Graduate School of Journalism the Business Columbia University 2950 Broadway, MC 3801 of Publishing New York, NY 10027 Tel. 212-854-1898 E-mail: [email protected] @columbiapubcrse June 14 – July 23, 2021 https://journalism.columbia.edu/publishing 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 The Publishing Course allows students to compare book, magazine, and digital publishing, which helps Publishing them determine their career preferences. During the first weeks, the course concentrates on book publishing— Course from manuscript to bound book, from bookstore sale to movie deal. Students study every element of the areers in publishing have always attracted process: manuscript evaluation, agenting, editing, design, people with talent and energy and a love of production, publicity, sales, e-books, and marketing. Creading. Those with a love of literature and Students also learn about different types of publishing language, a respect for the written word, an inquiring houses, publishing strategies, and career paths. The mind, and a healthy imagination are naturally drawn class then divides into small groups for a seven-day book to an industry that creates, informs, and entertains. workshop. Each workshop group simulates the operation For many, publishing is more than a business; it is a of a publishing house, giving students a chance to apply vocation that constantly challenges and continuously what they’ve learned and to gain hands-on experience in educates. Choosing a career in publishing is a logical a particular area of book publishing. way to combine personal and professional interests for The second section of the course is devoted to people who have always worked on school publications, magazines and digital media. Magazine and web spent hours browsing in bookstores and libraries, or professionals lecture on every facet of print and digital subscribed to too many magazines. publication, from planning, writing, and design to The Columbia Publishing Course was originally marketing, promotion, and distribution. Through lectures founded in 1947 at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, and regular assignments, students learn what it takes to Massachusetts, where it thrived as the Radcliffe publish a successful magazine and launch a profitable Publishing Course. In 2001, the course moved to website. During the magazine and digital workshop, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. student groups develop proposals for new print and online New York City is the heart of American publishing, and publications, researching possible audiences, establishing the Publishing Course has taken every advantage of its editorial mission statements, designing layouts and current location while building on its strong legacy. wireframes, assessing competitors, determining potential For seventy-four years, the Publishing Course has advertisers, and developing a branding strategy. By the provided an intensive introduction to all aspects of book end of the six weeks, course graduates have a greater and magazine publishing, from evaluations of original understanding of book, magazine, and digital publishing manuscripts to the sales and marketing of finished than many people working in the field do. products. Students learn from writers, editors, publishers, The final week of the publishing course ties together design directors, advertising experts, publicists, and everything students have learned in the previous five writers—all are leaders in the industry, and many are weeks and features lectures, field trips, and additional course graduates. More than one hundred publishing career guidance. professionals come to the Publishing Course each summer to describe the nature of their work, conduct The Columbia Publishing Course provides an workshops and seminars, and answer questions in unparalleled overview of the entire publishing process, classroom discussions and informal sessions. teaches basic publishing skills, and offers students the The curriculum is very intensive. Students learn opportunity to meet and learn from top publishing about publishing through a rigorous schedule of lectures professionals. and group activities and by completing professionally evaluated assignments. By spending time with speakers and instructors in in-depth discussions, working on New York City assignments after classes end, and interacting with like- The New York City publishing community continues minded colleagues for six weeks, students take part in a to welcome students of the course to various special total-immersion program that cannot be duplicated by events. In the past, those publishers have included a series of part-time courses. In the process, students HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, discover a capacity to assimilate and produce more than Hearst, Condé Nast, Rolling Stone, Scholastic Books, they ever imagined possible. and Time magazine. Virtual Course Workshops The Columbia Publishing Course hosted its first- Students apply what they’ve learned in lectures ever virtual course last year, as the novel coronavirus during two hands-on workshops. These weeklong made it impossible to host the course in person. Our workshops are intensive, collaborative simulations that 111 students received the high-quality education require interaction with writers, agents, and advertisers. Based on their particular areas of interest, students are the industry has come to expect from the Columbia assigned to a workshop group and take on specific job Publishing Course and enjoyed lectures, seminars, responsibilities. Teams of carefully selected mentors and a book workshop in a new and innovative virtual work with each group, facilitating discussion and format. This format also reaped some unexpected providing guidance and professional advice. benefits, the most special of which was that we were Students have access to a computer lab equipped able to invite faculty and lecturers from across the with sophisticated design software. In addition, students country and the world to participate. work with custom-designed models for financial We hope the course will be held in person during projections and up-to-date industry databases. At the 2021. If for whatever reason that isn’t possible, the end of each workshop, top publishing leaders carefully course will be held virtually, just as we held it in 2020. evaluate each group’s results, giving constructive We will keep all accepted applicants apprised of any criticism and real-world feedback. These workshops equip students with the practical knowledge, experience, changes that may happen. and confidence needed to succeed in their careers. Course Faculty The instructors and lecturers, drawn from all areas Book Workshop of the publishing industry, are recognized as experts in During the book workshop, each student group their fields. Many speakers are course regulars; others forms a hypothetical publishing company that develops six potential titles for publication. Students are invited to speak because they are setting trends are responsible for determining the company’s or challenging traditional methods. Faculty members editorial mission, coming up with book ideas, and represent publishing’s diversity: some are executives putting together a final prospectus. They create in multinational conglomerates, others are successful marketing, publicity, and subsidiary rights plans for entrepreneurs, some work with blockbuster franchises, each book and present their titles to the class at a and others strive to reach specialized markets. The simulated rights auction. They design book jackets, detailed list of the 2020 faculty (see following pages) is set production specs, and use computer models to representative of the high caliber of instructors who teach build financial projections for each title and for the publishing house as a whole. at the course each year. Editing Seminars Magazine-Digital Workshop For the magazine-digital workshop, student Short seminars are held during the course to teach groups develop original concepts for hypothetical new the fundamentals of book manuscript evaluation publications. Each team finds underserved audiences, and magazine editing. For the manuscript evaluation evaluates competitive titles and sites, and shapes the seminar, each student reads an unpublished manuscript content and editorial voice of its magazine and the and writes a reader’s report recommending whether accompanying website. or not to publish. Students meet in small groups with They research story ideas and writers and establish editors to discuss the editing process and methods of regular features and departments. Students target manuscript evaluation. In the magazine-digital editing advertisers; propose strategies for promotion, circulation, and digital audience development; and set seminar, students edit an article that is about to be budgets. Designers create layouts that complement published in a national magazine or on a website. editorial content. The final results capture the look, feel, Seminar sessions focus on developing effective ledes as and tone of each magazine