Download Link to Syllabus for English 3012

ENG 3012:01—BOOK PUBLISHING
Spring 2012 Syllabus: University of Connecticut
CLAS 445, T-TH 3:30-4:45
Leigh Grossman
(860)208-4829
[email protected]
AIM & Skype - SwordsmithLRG
Yahoo Messenger - Swordsmithbooks
office: CLAS 203/(860)486-3678
hours: T-TH 2:00-3:00 and by arrangement
Where do books come from? This advanced
publishing course delves into how book
publishing works, and all of the steps a
manuscript goes through in becoming a book—
and why some books sell while others don't. The
course also touches on the skills necessary to
break into and to be successful in the publishing
field, whether as a line editor, production editor,
writer, agent, publicist, or other creative position.
A number of publishing professionals will be on
hand as guest lecturers on specific topics, and to
answer questions.
Students will get an insider's perspective on the
book publishing industry and how it works, as
well as behind-the-scenes look at what goes on
with books that haven’t been published yet.
You should expect to spend a great deal of time
reading, writing, and talking during this class.
Everyone is expected to participate in class
discussions, and participation will be a
significant part of your grade. (Likewise, failure
to participate regularly will hurt your grade.)
GRADES—There will be several researchoriented writing assignments, as well as a few inclass or take-home exercises. You will be asked
to revise some of your writing repeatedly. Each
essay should be an attempt on your part to
improve on previous writing assignments, both in
content and in writing. Grades are not based
simply on an average of all your grades, but on
the improvement shown in those papers. In other
words, your grade is based on what you learn in
the course, not on what you know coming into it.
(I reserve the right to use a pure average if I feel
that's a more accurate reflection of your efforts in
the class).
Your contribution to the class discussion is
an important factor in your grade, but strong
class participation will not make up for weak
writing. Because there is no textbook and no way
to make up for missed lectures, you must be in
class and present for the discussions on a regular
basis in order to pass the course.
You are expected to turn in all papers on
time. If I agree to accept a late paper, it will be
dropped a grade for every day (not every class) it
is late. I reserve the right to refuse to accept a
late paper. Incompletes will only be granted
under extreme circumstances. You must complete
and hand in all assignments and revisions to
pass the course.
ASSIGNMENTS—There are three primary
assignments in the class, as well as a few in-class
or take-home exercises. Some research is
required, which can be done at the UConn Coop
or another bookstore as well as on the web.
Book Proposal—develop a convincing book
proposal for a project of your choice. This will
require you to research competing books and
show why your idea is better or more marketable,
and will include a cover letter and sample
material. This proposal will be revised several
times.
Publisher Research—research a particular trade
or mass market publisher or imprint and be
prepared to give a 5-10 minute presentation on
the “personality” of that publisher—what kinds
of books they publish, how big they are, what are
their quirks. You should also be prepared to
answer questions about that publisher or imprint.
Publisher catalogs are available at the Coop, and
publisher websites are another good place to
start.
Events Paper—attend three events at the Coop or
another bookstore and write a short (5-7 page)
paper analyzing how these events do or don't
work as a sales and marketing tool.
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION—
Because of the interactive nature of the class,
attendance and participation is mandatory. Due
to the compressed nature of the class, you cannot
afford to miss more than one or two classes and
still expect to succeed in the class; if you must
miss a class because of sickness or emergency,
you should arrange to make up the work. If you
miss more than four classes, your grade will be
affected, regardless of your performance when
you are present.
Should you run into a problem with
readings, essays, or scheduling, I expect you to
Syllabus/Leigh Grossman
English 3011/book publishing
University of Connecticut/Spring 2012
call, IM, or come to office hours. The time to ask
for help is not the day the paper is due.
READING—You will need the Pocket Pal
published by International Paper. Other readings
will be via handout or pdf file (see
www.swordsmith.com/3011links.html), one or
two classes before they are due.
There are supplemental essays covering
some of the topics we will be discussing
available at the essays section of my website,
www.swordsmith.com/essays.html. These are not
required, but are useful for further reading in
areas of interest, particularly for the comments
posted by other writers and editors.
2/14 COVER COPY/CHARACTER
COUNTS/ARTIST INFO
handout
conferences
2/16 TEXT DESIGN/SAMPLE
PAGES/PAGING AND PRICING
handout
conferences
Guest: Elizabeth Glover
2/21 PUBLISHING SCAMS
handout
Guest: Debra Doyle and James D.
Macdonald
The following is a general outline of discussions
and readings for each class. This is a broad
model, and we may wander from it depending on
the needs of the class. Many of the themes
mentioned will be worked on throughout the
course, but we will spend time particularly
emphasizing each one.
2/23 FIRST PASS PAGES/
PROOFREADING/BOUND
GALLEYS/ADVANCE READING COPIES
handout
1/17 INTRODUCTION TO BOOK
PUBLISHING
no readings
3/01 EBOOKS
handout
revised book proposal due
Guest: Melissa Elmore
1/19 ACQUISITIONS AND GUIDELINES
handout
1/24 AGENTS AND PACKAGING
handout
1/26 EDITORIAL/REVISION LETTERS
handout
1/31 LINE EDITING
handout
preliminary book proposal due
2/02 LICENSED PROJECTS, TIE-INS, AND
WORK-FOR-HIRE
handout
2/07 CONTRACTS
handout
2/09 MANAGING
EDITORIAL/COPYEDITING
handout
finish Pocket Pal
2/28 SECOND PASS PAGES/SLUGGING
handout
3/06 COVER DESIGN
handout
3/08 COMPLEX INTERIORS
handout
Guest: Jessica O’Neil
3/13 Spring Break
no class
3/15 Spring Break
no class
3/17 TYPESETTER APPROVAL/
IMPOSITION/PRINTERS/BLUELINES/
COVERS/COLOR CORRECTION
handout
3/22 BOUND BOOKS/DISTRIBUTION
handout
3/27 JOB INTERVIEWS AND PUBLISHING
handout
revised book proposal due
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Syllabus/Leigh Grossman
English 3011/book publishing
University of Connecticut/Spring 2012
3/29 SALES CONFERENCE/SELLING THE
SALES FORCE
handout
4/03 MARKETING AND PUBLICITY
handout
4/05 A BOOKSELLER'S VIEW OF THE
SALES PROCESS
handout
Guest: Suzy Staubach
4/10 GETTING PUBLISHED/THE
PUBLISHING JOB MARKET
handout
preliminary events paper due
4/12 THE STATE OF BOOK PUBLISHING
oral presentations
4/17 THE STATE OF BOOK PUBLISHING
oral presentations
4/19 THE STATE OF BOOK PUBLISHING
oral presentations
4/24 THE STATE OF BOOK PUBLISHING
oral presentations
4/26 THE STATE OF BOOK PUBLISHING
oral presentations
5/6 (tentative) FINAL EXAMINATION
1-hour wrap-up discussion
final book proposal due
final events paper due
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