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Understanding Book Publishing

This online course was created to give you a comprehensive introduction to the book publishing industry, and is designed to provide certificated evidence of industry knowledge and commitment.

It is based around the text of the book Inside Book Publishing (Giles Clark and Angus Phillips, 4th Edition), which provides a concise yet thorough grounding in the business of publishing, from author contract to book shelf. You will receive a copy of the book when you enrol for the course.

You will need to read Inside Book Publishing and will then be guided through a number of exercises and activities that are designed to check your understanding of the issues covered. Finally, you will be asked to complete an assignment, which will be marked by an experienced tutor. The assignment will be graded and we will send you a certificate containing the pass mark.

The course will give you a head start in gaining valuable industry knowledge and will give you a certificate to show potential employers that you have successfully completed the programme and therefore have a good understanding of all aspects of the publishing industry. You can enrol online at any time by visiting: www.train4publishing.co.uk

The Publishing Training Centre is, for many, the first port of call for their professional in-service training. Because of our unique position we are regularly asked about routes into publishing as a career, but until now we have been able to offer little except advice. Now this new online course, coupled with one written assignment, is designed to provide certificated evidence of industry knowledge and commitment. Completion and certification does not guarantee success with your applications or wish for promotion, but will be a clear indication of your skill, dedication and ability to progress with your chosen career.

To buy now, click on the Add to Cart button on the right of this page.

If you have already registered for this course, you can log in at www.ptclearning.org.uk.

The World of Books
The Business of Publishing
Creating Books
Selling Books

The World of Books

An introduction to book publishing, a history of modern trade publishing and an overview of the consolidation of non-consumer publishing.

The facts and figures underpinning UK publishing
Overview of the industry
What successful publishers do
Overview of the development of modern trade (consumer) publishing from the 1950s to the present day, this includes fiction and non-fiction books, sometimes also termed general publishing
The educational, academic, STM (scientific, technical and medical), professional and journal publishing sectors.

The Business of Publishing

Examines the characteristics of the main publishing sectors together with the economics of publishing.

Publishers specialise in reaching particular markets, and each market has a separate dynamic. This chapter looks at the various markets within UK publishing, separating them into the two main industry divisions: consumer (trade) and non-consumer publishing.
The aim of a book publisher is to publish and sell at a profit. Even not-for-profit publishers will want to at least break even, covering their costs, unless they receive a subsidy from their parent organization. This chapter looks at how publishers achieve that.

Creating Books

This chapter considers authors, their motivation for writing and financial returns.
The process of commissioning and the work of editors responsible for coming up with marketable ideas and matching them to good authors. Working under the editorial director or publisher, the commissioning editor is a key player in the publishing process. More senior editors take a strategic view of their list or imprint (list-building) while junior editors tend to commission within a set brief.
The author contract and the editor's continuing role in shaping and developing a project.
Good design sells books - whether it is the cover of a novel attracting an impulse buyer in a shop, or the effective use of typography and illustrations in a school textbook - production managers make crucial decisions about quality which affect how a book is perceived. Through effective project management they ensure that work is kept to budget and schedule.

Selling Books

In publishing, marketing is used to simply be the promotion of new books. This chapter looks at its current much broader and more pivotal role, including how a publisher's sales team stimulates demand through the various retail channels, and realises income by sustained face-to-face selling to key intermediaries.
The author-publisher contract sets out the scope of the publisher to license various kinds of rights to other firms. This chapter looks at how these rights allow other companies to exploit the book in different ways, media, territories and languages. Rights sales can be important to a publisher since the income attracts little in the way of direct costs and is often simply extra profit.
Publishers can operate through a variety of sales channels, and the choice of channel will depend on their market sector. This chapter looks at many of those.

Who Should Study This Course?

The course will be relevant for everyone who is interested in applying for a career in book publishing but who has not studied a vocational degree. Equally new recruits will find that a broader knowledge of the publishing industry helps them to define their career paths and make rapid progress. Suppliers to the industry may also find it invaluable to understand publishing in greater detail and be able to demonstrate this to their clients.

How Long Will It Take?

To some extent it will depend on how speedy you are at reading, as you need to read the book before embarking on the learning course. In total you should be able to complete the full programme in 20 to 30 hours.

Will It Help Me Find A Job In Publishing?

Of course we can’t promise that completing this course will win you your dream job within publishing. Life doesn’t work like that. The job of impressing your current or future employer is very much up to you. But as part of that process we can promise that presenting a certificate that clearly demonstrates your engagement with the industry, your desire to succeed and your commitment to hard work will have a positive impact. And we also promise to do our part by raising industry awareness of the value of this study programme.

The book:

This expanded and thoroughly revised fourth edition of Inside Book Publishing is designed for students of publishing, authors needing to find out publishing secrets, and those wanting to get in or get on in the industry. It addresses the big issues - globalization of publishing, the impact of the internet - and explains publishing from the author contract to the bookshop shelf.

The book was written by Giles Clark and Angus Phillips. Giles is the Copublishing Adviser, Learning and Teaching Solutions, at The Open University and Angus is Director of the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies, Oxford Brookes University.

Access to the online programme:

You will be given full access to the online study material for 12 months.

Certificate:

On successful completion of your final assignment, you will receive a certificate showing your level of achievement.

Course fees:

Understanding Book Publishing costs £85. This price covers a copy of Inside Book Publishing, full access to the Understanding Book Publishing online learning site and the marking of your final assignment. It does not cover any costs incurred in accessing the course via the internet.

How to enrol:

To enrol, you need to click on the Add to Cart button on this page. You will be asked to register (if you have not already done so). You will at that point be able to pay immediately by credit card.

Your access key for the online learning site will be emailed to you and the book will be posted to your delivery address.

Money back guarantee:

If, within 10 days of receiving your book (and before your assignment has been marked), you decide that the course is not for you, simply return the book to us, in perfect condition, to receive a full refund. Your access key for the online course will then be deactivated.

Important note:

You must complete the course within 12 months of enrolment or, if you wish to continue the course, you can study for a further 12 months following payment of a re-registration fee. After this time it is possible that changes and updates will have been made to the course and that your copy is out of date. If this is the case you may have to re-enrol at this point.

Inside Book Publishing

by Giles Clark and Angus Phillips; Routledge; 4 edition (13 Jun 2008)

How do publishers work and make money? Why do they exist? This expanded and thoroughly revised fourth edition of Inside Book Publishing is designed for students of publishing, authors needing to find out publishing secrets, and those wanting to get in or get on in the industry. It addresses the big issues – globalization of publishing, the impact of the internet – and explains publishing from the author contract to the bookshop shelf.

It covers:

how the present industry has evolved
publishing functions – editorial, design and production, marketing, sales and distribution, and rights
the role of the author
copyright and contracts
the sales channels for books in the UK, from the high street to ebooks
getting a job in publishing.

It features:

topic boxes written by expert contributors
a glossary of publishing terms
suggestions for further reading and a directory of publishing organizations
a Companion Website at: www.insidebookpublishing.com.

The Publishing Qualifications Board

Understanding Book Publishing is supplied by the Publishing Qualifications Board (registered charity no. 1002928), a subsidiary of the Publishing Training Centre Foundation (registered charity no. 1083081). Registered office: 45 East Hill, Wandsworth, London SW18 2QZ.

Understanding Book Publishing - Terms and Conditions of Sale

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