Clémence (Clem) Moulaert MLitt Publishing Studies 2013-14

September 29th, 2013 by Clemence Moulaert | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Clémence (Clem) Moulaert MLitt Publishing Studies 2013-14

My name is Clémence (Clem for short, and because most people pronounce my name wrong). I am Belgian born and raised and did my BA Creative Writing & English Literature at the London Metropolitan University. I decided to do an MLitt Publishing Studies at Stirling because it seemed to me the best way to learn all about making a successful career in publishing. And we have a lake. And a castle. So there.

Books were everywhere in my house when I was growing up. (We even kept some in the bathroom. Tintin was a huge favourite for bathroom breaks.) Harry Potter got me into fantasy when I was 7, I decided I would become a writer when I was 8 (and promptly wrote some very cringe-worthy short stories), became a huge LOTR fan when I was 11, and sometime in my second year of my undergraduate degree started correcting all my friends in class until someone told me, ‘Maybe you should just become an editor, you’re a grammar Nazi anyway.’ And that sprouted a little idea in my mind.

I love fiction, from children’s to literary and even teen fiction (nothing wrong about enjoying some Twilight every once in a while). I write a vegan baking and cooking blog called The Vegan Cookie Fairy (and if you’re nice, I’ll share some yummy desserts with you.) I love cats and period dramas and knitted jumpers and yoga, but I promise I’m not too much of a hippie.

Have a question or a comment? I’m on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

Fanny Schmidt: MLitt Publishing Studies 2013-14

September 23rd, 2013 by Fanny Schmidt | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Fanny Schmidt: MLitt Publishing Studies 2013-14
Tags: , ,

Hiya, I am Fanny. Originally a born and bred Berliner, I am now entering my fifth year in Stirling, after I graduated from my honours in English and Film this summer.

I have been reading since the moment someone explained to me how to do it and apart from a couple of setbacks (my owl must have gotten lost when crossing the channel because I am still waiting for my letter from Hogwarts), I never regretted spending all of my allowance on reading material in all its variations.

I have a lot of feelings about books – good or bad, classic or guilty pleasure, I have an opinion about them all and I will tell you why Jane Austen is the best and why Mills & Boon can actually teach you a lot about how to recognise good writing and editing regardless of genre.

But most importantly, books change lives. If I had to come up with the shortest possible explanation why I love them and why I want to work in publishing, these words would be it. Books make us think, laugh, cry, argue, love, fangirl, talk, evolve, and – most importantly – they make us read more. Books connect humanity through the ages and I think it is our duty as human beings to maintain and expand this link.

However, as a film buff and a radio person, I do believe that publishing needs to embrace new technologies and strengthen its link with already established other media forms, which is why I continue to be part of the University’s radio station and its book club.

I also tweet (mainly about films and the Eurovision Song Contest) and try my best to be a grown up on LinkedIn .

Visiting Speakers Seminars for Semester 1, 2013-2014

September 19th, 2013 by Frances_Sessford | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Visiting Speakers Seminars for Semester 1, 2013-2014

Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication is pleased to announce the programme of visiting speakers for this forthcoming semester. Our visitors are, as always, drawn from across the publishing and creative industries but this year some are also chosen to reflect one of the themes of this year’s studies. In 2014, Scotland’s voters will be asked to decide Scotland’s future as an independent nation. This year, at the Centre, our students will look at examples of small nation publishing and will explore how the Scottish publishing scene might change – or not change – after the vote.

Our first speaker on September 19 is Miha Kovač, author of Never Mind The Web; Here Comes The Book and a research colleague of the Centre, who will talk about his work as an academic and publisher in Slovenia. There is no session on September 26 but on October 3 we are delighted to have a visit from Conny Lenz, Publishing Studies alumna (2010-11) and Digital Publishing Assistant at Cengage Learning. Conny will be talking about her route into publishing and her current job at Cengage. The next speaker on October 10 is Edinburgh-based literary agent, Lindsey Fraser, followed on October 17 by Aly Barr, Creative Director at Creative Scotland, who will give his views on the development of the cultural industries in Scotland.

After the mid-semester break the second part of the programme begins on October 31 with a talk from Vivian Marr, Head of Language Acquisition at Oxford University Press, a globally recognised brand in educational and academic publishing. We contrast this on November 7 with a visit from Sara Hunt, Publisher at Glasgow-based Saraband Books who will recount her experience as an independent publisher and discuss the challenges of producing content in both print and digital formats. The next speaker on November 14 is another course alumna (1984-85) and CEO of Publishing Scotland, Marion Sinclair, whose talk will be directly relevant to this year’s course theme of small nation publishing. Please note that Marion’s session begins at 12 noon and finishes at 1pm. Next, we are pleased to welcome Will Atkinson, Publisher at Faber & Faber and member of the Centre’s Industry Advisory Board, to be our penultimate speaker on November 21. Will is an extremely experienced publisher and will focus specifically on the workings of Faber Factory, Faber’s digital production service, which is used by many small publishers in Scotland. Our final speaker, Andrea Joyce, is Rights Director at Canongate Books in Edinburgh, another highly successful and internationally recognised Scottish publisher.

All sessions are held in Pathfoot B2 on Thursdays at 2pm unless stated otherwise above. Please note that there is no visiting speaker on September 26. If you would like to attend any session, please email frances.sessford@stir.ac.uk to register (places are free but limited).

 

Publishing Research Word Cloud

September 15th, 2013 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Publishing Research Word Cloud
Tags: ,

Last year’s students have just received the marks back for their dissertations – congratulations to one and all!

 

This year, we’ve taken the key words from each student’s dissertation and created a word cloud from them. It demonstrates some fascinating trends in contemporary publishing research. There’s a strong interest, of course, in the digital publishing environment, with HTML5, apps, user-generated content, and transmedia storytelling all featuring. Marketing and branding also feature heavily. Additionally, there is emphasis on particular sectors: children’s and crime, for example, as well as a focus on topics relating to our Scottish location (the UNESCO Cities of Literature; Gaelic publishing) and our international outreach (publishing in China and the United States).

 

The results are intriguing! We’ll do it again next year.

Liam Alastair Crouse, MLitt in Publishing Studies, 2013-14

September 15th, 2013 by Liam Alastair Crouse | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Liam Alastair Crouse, MLitt in Publishing Studies, 2013-14
Tags: ,

With a background in Celtic Studies, specifically in Gaelic language, culture, history, and literature, I came to the University of Stirling to study a MLitt in Publishing Studies. Originally from Rhode Island, USA, I travelled to Scotland in 2008 to follow an undergraduate in Celtic & Archaeology, which I obtained in June 2012.

Having a varied work experience background, including hospitality, tourism, museum, and governmental work, it was early in 2013 that I began work on a self-published book, as editor and typist. Through this first (read ‘rudimentary’) glance at publishing, coupled with my sincere interest in Gaelic language revitilisation, I was awarded the first Gaelic publishing scholarship from the Gaelic Books Council for this year. In this coming year, I look forward to working with the Council and the Centre to investigate and research various aspects of the publications’ industry, with the eventual goal of the improvement and development of the Gaelic publishing market.

Tha fiughar ghlan orm gus a bhith a’ faotainn an-sàs ann an saoghal an fhoillseachaidh Ghàidhlig le sealladh agus eòlas-beatha ùr a’ toirt buaidh shònraichte orm. Tha dhà no trì smuaintean ùr-ghnàthach agam gus foillseachadh agus litreachas na Gàidhlig a’ toirt a-steach don 21mh linn. Bidh mi ‘n dòchas gun cuidichinn gus pìseach agus soirbheachas ùr a thoirt air a’ chànain anns na bliadhnaichean tha romhainn.

Laura Anne Muir, MLitt in Publishing Studies, 2013-2014

September 12th, 2013 by Laura | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Laura Anne Muir, MLitt in Publishing Studies, 2013-2014

Hey there, I’m Laura Anne Muir and I have just started on the MLitt in Publishing Studies here at the University of Stirling. I come from Paisley, a large town near Glasgow. I have just graduated with a BA Hons in English Studies and Journalism Studies, also from Stirling. I decided I had to attend Stirling the minute I set foot on the gorgeous campus as it is so different from what I was used to. I have loved studying at Stirling and jumped at the chance to stay for another year, especially on a course with such an outstanding reputation in the field. I’m sure that this will be a great place to learn more about the industry and roles involved as I have no real publishing experience to date, just enthusiasm and determination to learn.

I have always been an avid book lover and hope I can put this to good use in the publishing industry. I find books and use of language fascinating and want to explore this further.  I think now is an exciting time to be joining the publishing industry, with the advent of e-books and digitisation. I’m especially interested in Children’s and Young Adult fiction because I think it is extremely important for young people to recognise the importance of reading. I am very interested in marketing and the way books are put out into the world.

This year I am volunteering at Bloody Scotland, Stirling’s international crime-writing festival, which I am very excited about. I have done some work experience at the Scottish Express on Sunday and have worked on Stirling’s Student Newspaper, Brig,  for the last four years.