The SYP (Society of Young Publishers) Scotland branch will be holding a Winter Warmer social event on Wednesday 16 December from 6.30pm onwards at The Beehive Inn, 18-20 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2JU.
Anyone working in – or interested in working in – the publishing industry is welcome. For more details email scotland@thesyp.org.uk.
The BBC reports that the oldest book in Scotland, dating from the 11th Century, will go on display at Edinburgh University Library from Friday 11 Dec. A hand written Celtic Psalter, the book could be 1000 years old and is believed to be the work of monks from the island of Iona. The book is part of a new exhibition marking the refurbishment of the University’s library exhibition room. Other works on show include an early edition of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – published in his lifetime – and other examples of early books published in Scotland.
If you have some time over Christmas, this would be well worth a visit to see examples of how the earliest books were created.
Scott Russell
Science Fiction writer and online activist, Cory Doctorow, has a sound pedigree in advocating freedom of online rights such as net neutrality, copyright and open-source. His latest column for The Guardian is a blistering demolition of the concept that online streaming audio will somehow replace downloading. It’s is an interesting analysis of current music distribution and consumption business models which also touches on many aspects of how modern technology is used by consumers and creators alike. Publishers face the same kinds of issues as record labels – how to adapt to new delivery mechanisms such as the internet and how to generate money from electronic products? As ebooks are just starting to catch on, publishers need to be careful not to repeat the mistakes of the music and movie industries and assume that technology can be used to control the audience.
Scott Russell
A number of scholarships and bursaries are available for students wishing to study at the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication. More details are available from the Department of English Studies Funding page, which is regularly updated.
It is possible to study for the taught postgraduate programmes MLitt in Publishing Studies and MSc in International Publishing Management, or for a PhD in the Centre.
Please note that if you have already applied for a place at Stirling, you will automatically be informed by email of the Departmental bursary information when it is available. Note that you must first apply to, and be offered a place on, a Stirling postgraduate programme to be eligible for these bursaries.
The Stirling course was practical, relevant and friendly, and offered an excellent introduction to publishing. When it came to the crucial matter of whether this interesting course would actually help to me to get a job, I wasn’t disappointed: on graduation I was in the happy position of deciding between two editorial assistant positions, one with Central European University Press in Budapest, and the other with Longman (now Pearson Education) in Harlow.
I surprised myself a little by opting for Harlow over Budapest, but it turned out to be an excellent decision, and the four happy years I spent there gave me a good grounding in academic publishing. In 1999 Macmillan Press (now Palgrave Macmillan) invited me to commission their history textbook list. A great job and excellent colleagues made the commute from London to Basingstoke bearable for six years, but in 2006 I decided to freelance for a while. In 2007 an exciting opportunity to commission illustrated trade history books came up at Thames & Hudson, and I am very much enjoying this chance to experience a different aspect of the industry.
MLitt in Publishing Studies student Aiida Syzdyk reports on her visit to the Society of Young Publishers Annual Conference 2009:
Saturday, 14th November UK Publishers gathered for SYP Annual Conference 2009 held at Oxford Brookes University. This year “The Impact of Publishing on Society” was discussed.
The welcome speech was given by Alan Crompton (Oxford SYP Chairman), who at the very beginning stressed the fact he didn’t expect that many participants, indeed the lecture theatre was full and latecomers had to stand. Opening and closing debates were presented respectively by Helen Fraser (Penguin), Will Atkinson (Faber and Faber), Alan Samson (Orion Books), Chris Brazier (New Internationalists Publications), Robert Sharp (English Pen), andSarah Totterdell (Oxfam).
All of the conference participants were given a choice of attending any three of the following six seminars:
• The Economics of Publishing;
• Publishing Career Development;
• Digital Developments;
• Entrepreneurial Publishing;
• Publishing Design;
• CV Clinic
After all those hot debates, still excited conference participants went to Oxford Brookes Union Bar for further discussions having post conference drinks.