As the publishing industry continues to grow and diversify, it offers a multitude of exciting career opportunities; from working closely with authors on the development of the manuscript, creating new and engaging ways of marketing books, to managing global supply chains and distribution. However, competition for jobs can be fierce, so having a thorough understanding of the sector and where your skills are best placed is crucial.
In The Professionals' Guide to Publishing, Gill Davies and Richard Balkwill provide a clear overview of the publishing industry and its many fuctions. Detailing the role of each department, their responsibilities and the key skills required to carry out these jobs successfully, they also explain how these departments work across functions. Giving a thorough grounding in how publishing works including information on contracts, permissions and the legal framework, they also examine current and enduring trends in publishing, including networking, supply chains and e-publishing.
The book will prove an invaluable resource to those studying publishing at postgraduate level as well as new entrants to the profession.
About the Author
Gill Davies worked for 26 years as an academic publisher and became the leading publisher in her field. She worked internationally, including in New York, and chaired the Council for Academic and Professional Publishing of the Publishers Association. She is Emeritus Professor of Publishing at the University of the Arts London where she was Course Director of the MA in Book Publishing for five years. She has been an independent trainer for the publishing industry for over 15 years and is the author of the highly successful book Commissioning and Acquisition
Richard Balkwill set up Copytrain in 1992, offering training and copyright consultancies to publishers, as well as undertaking writing commissions. This followed 25 years as an editor and publisher in educational, academic and children's publishing. With widespread international training and teaching experience, he has also taught at Oxford Brookes and City University, and works for both UNESCO and WIPO on issues relating to copyright and intellectual property protection in the publishing and digital fields. He is also author of 12 books on subjects as diverse as copyright and railways.
Table of Contents
- Publishing ? art or science?
Introduction Editorial and marketing What about quality? Money Risk and luck Relationships Conclusion Further reading Publishing as a business Introduction Ownership Risk Planning and management in publishing Brands Marketing The influence of accountants Takeovers and mergers A new business model? Case study: a profit and loss account for a publishing house Conclusion Further reading The work of the commissioning editor Introduction A different challenge: working with authors An editor's main responsibilities Your work load Case study: a profit and loss account for a book Conclusion Further reading Marketing Introduction The main tools of marketing Marketing Strategy The marketing plan Two prototypes for marketing plans Case study: working through a budget for a consumer book Conclusion Further reading Sales, distribution and supply chain Introduction The function of sales departments Discounting and returns How is the sales department organized? Selling internationally Sales targets Distribution The supply chain Digital distribution Conclusion Further reading Publishing services and production Introduction Editorial Design Production Case Study: worked examples of gross margins Conclusion Further reading Why publishers need to know about the law Introduction Copyright: the bedrock of publishing What's in a contract? Data protection, human rights and patent law Worked examples of rates of payment Conclusion Further reading Understanding how rights and permissions work Introduction Subsidiary rights Identify and clearing permissions Protecting rights in your own publications Worked examples of subsidiary rights payments Conclusion Further reading Careers in publishing Introduction Sector characteristics Editorial Marketing Rights Production Applying for jobs Publishing is a people business Conclusion Further reading Glossary Index