Studying at the University of Stirling is an eye-opening experience. The core constituent of the International Publishing Management course is to learn how to address the problems common to every publisher, cope with the changes that the publishing industry is undergoing and most important of all, seek new areas of growth. Finally each course member is required to focus their thesis on a publisher: apply what they have learnt in class to resolve the problems the publisher is faced with and give recommendations on how to achieve sustainable growth.

My focus is on Basic Education Publishing (BEP，part of Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press based in Beijing), the publishing company I’m working for. “Write about your own company, and it will be good for you once your recommendations are adopted.” This is great advice from our teachers at the University of Stirling, which my later experience bears out. I knew the problems with our company, applied my knowledge gained in the course and then put all my ideas into the thesis.

Two weeks after I came back, the publishing strategy of BEP was forwarded to me. I revised and even rewrote some parts of it according to my thesis. My boss has been really happy with the fresh perspective I brought back. As a result, a new list has been built and the first batch, which includes twelve books, will be published in the summer of 2010. More of my ideas are now being used and tested. Due of my input, I have been admitted to the publishing committee, the decision-making body of our company.

Looking back, the publishing course has familiarised me with the norms in international publishing and helped to train me to think and work more professionally. I’m always grateful to the course as it has paved the way for my further professional development.