Publishing III

Develop your ability to plan and manage a publishing business.

Publisher are continually needing to consider: “What to publish?”
Some establish a limited repertoire of publication activities, focusing on academic books, novels, westerns, romance novels, text and educational books, informative or self-help books or material on specific topics such as health and wellbeing, ostrich farming etc., fashion or gardening magazines, music scores etc. Other publishers will engage in a wider range of activities, publishing books, journals, monographs and newspapers in their different branches. The nature of the publishing enterprise will determine what kinds of texts they will publish, and how they choose which texts to publish.
Whilst it can be taken alone, this course is ideally studied as a follow on from Publishing I and II.

Lesson Structure

There are 7 lessons in this course:

1. What to publish?
   • Nature of publishing enterprises
   • Deciding what to publish
   • Commissioned work
   • Uncommissioned manuscipts and proposals
   • Factors influencing the decision of what to publish: Genre or type of writing, News value,
   • Storyline, Cost and profit potential, perceived need
   • Guidelines for writers
2. 2. Planning a New Publication
   • The publication plan
   • Publication process
   • Editing and proofreading
   • Designing the document and preparing the art work
   • Typesetting, printing, desktop publishing
3. 3. Costing a New Publication
   • Cost components: Staff, Production resources, printing, quantity, distribution, etc
   • Why some publications fail
   • Sponsorship
   • Creatation costs
   • Production costs
   • Marketing costs
   • Distribution costs
   • How royalties work
   • Income sources
   • How to prepare a budget
   • Collecting from debtors
   • Cash budgets and decision making
4. 4. Resource Management
   • Managing publishing
   • Nature of management
   • Different resources for different publishers
   • Printing: print run, binding, cover, paper, etc
   • Analyzing the market
   • Developing procedures
   • Developing a business plan
5. 5. Risk Management
   • Legal risks
   • Financial risks
   • Sources of finance
   • Health issues and risks
   • Duty of care
   • Safety audits
   • Managing risks
6. 6. Managing Writers
   • Scope and nature: publishers, writers and illustrators
   • Support role of literary agents
   • Support role of publishing staff
   • Photo libraries
   • Copyright free material
   • Benefits an author gets from a book
   • Style: variations, page set up, formatting etc
   • Guide to good writing
7. 7. Managing Production and Distribution
   • Timing production and distributionQuality control during production
   • Quality control during distribution
   • Marketing and distributing a publication
   • Sales procedure
   • Managing the marketing process: step by step
   • Merchandising
   • Publicity and public relations
   • Managing distribution
   • Distribution channels: retail sales, direct sales
   • Physical transportation and stock control
   • Remaindering stock

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Understand the important considerations that affect the decision of what to publish.
• Prepare a plan for developing and producing a new publication.
• Manage financial requirements for the production of a new publication.
• Develop procedures for management of staff and other resources in a publishing business, small or large.
• Demonstrate insight into the different types of potential risks in a publishing business, including legal, financial and health risks.
• Develop an improved capacity to work effectively with authors
• Develop procedures for the management of production, and distribution of a publication.

What You Will Do

• Research the kinds and styles of works produced by three different book publishers;
• List market research strategies that a publisher might use to decide which proposal to develop;
• Research the percentage of publication given to advertising and graphics in three e-zines or books;
• List the information that a publisher might want to research before either (i) commissioning a new children’s book (choose the topic), or (ii) starting up a new magazine aimed at 8-12 year old children
• Investigate the costs involved in cash and/or in resources in producing a particular publication
• Write up a budget for the publishing of one issue of a local newsletter in two colours
• Identify factors that contribute the very different retail prices of books and magazines
• Prepare a draft business plan for a publishing business of your choice.
• Investigate insurance policies that would be relevant to the publishing industry
• Define publishers’ responsibility in regards to copyright
• Explain how a publisher would find a freelance writer and the process for contracting them
• Briefly explain the importance of a photo library.
• Track the process of a best seller and collect information on the marketing/advertising/selling process
• Write different procedures which would be relevant to management of the production and distribution of a new e-zine, new magazine or new industry newsletter.

Introduction to Print Publishing

The first broad stage of publication is the creation of the material to be published. This involves writing the words and preparing the graphics or artwork, for example, drawing or painting illustrations, taking photos, and preparing maps or tables.

The second stage is compilation or layout. This involves taking the created material, such as a story, drawing or photo, and arranging the material as it will appear when published. This is done using a process such as typesetting or desktop (computer) publishing to create a product that can be easily mass produced. Compilation may result in a high quality single copy either on paper, film or stored electronically on a computer or disk.

The third stage is reproduction. This involves taking the copy and putting it into a form that people can access. The traditional process involved preparing a master copy of the publication as camera ready artwork; plates were then used to create an image to print from (eg. on a printing press). Nowadays, we produce copies of an electronically-stored publication on CD-Rom or load them onto the Internet.

Finally, the printed material is promoted, distributed, and sold…

Nature of Publishing
The nature of publishing has changed dramatically in recent times, and is likely to continue changing. These changes are being brought about by new technology, globalisation and marketplace changes.

Examples of these changes include the following:

•  People are increasingly using the Internet and cable TV for information
•  People can find information faster and easier than ever before
•  People are better educated than in the past
•  Information can be delivered to larger markets cheaper and more easily
•  New economies are rapidly developing (for example, in China)
•  Competition between markets is stronger than ever before.

Implications for the publishing industry may include:

•  A reduced need to buy printed publications
•  An increased desire for information
•  An overall increase in the quantity of material being published
•  Changed strategies in what is published and how things are published and marketed
•  An increase in self publishing
•  Development of publishing monopolies
•  A greater need than ever before to predict future trends
•  Changes in how revenue can be generated through advertising

These and other predictions are being made about the future of publishing. The one fact that is certain is that the publishing industry has been, and will continue to undergo rapid change, and that success in publishing in the future will depend upon a publisher’s ability to monitor and rapidly react to change.