Caroline O’Brien, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2016-17

September 30th, 2016 by caroline_obrien | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Caroline O’Brien, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2016-17
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13509093_1424480517565979_6273719872238790256_nmOn a dark and stormy night in Glasgow two fourth year undergrad English Literature students arranged a covert meeting at the student union. As the rain beat down on the windows all was going well until one turned to the other and asked the dreaded question.

‘So, what are you planning on doing after we graduate?’

Anyway, that’s the story of how my wonderful friend, Chiara, came to tell me about the University of Stirling’s MLitt in Publishing course. As it turned out it was one of the most serendipitous moments of my life. I knew going into my English Literature course at the University of Glasgow that I wanted to somehow get into publishing, but, as is so often the case when students are faced with the looming prospect of graduation and actually having to take part in normal adult life afterwards, I had no idea of how to do it.

Therefore, doing my masters at the University of Stirling served a twofold purpose. I would gain some concrete knowledge of what a publisher actually is and what they do. (Meaning that when asked these questions I can come up with a better answer then, ‘You know, someone that says what books are good…’) And I would be able to defer the terrifying prospect of a job search one more year.

Having said that, since the first lecture in my new course my publishing dreams have proven themselves founded on a strong basis. I now cannot wait to find my own place in the publishing industry, either here in Scotland or, possibly if I’m lucky, abroad.

But enough about this course and how great it is. Now for the really interesting stuff.

Me.

I was born in England, near London, and moved to Scotland when I was nine. This has resulted in a somewhat confused but, I hope, endearing accent that has on more than one occasion been mistaken for Australian. I now hail from Lanark where I’ve lived for the past twelve years or so with my parents and my two sisters. I of course adore books, something that I have my parents to thank for since they took the time to read to me every night when I was young.

This is the reason I am most interested in Children’s publishing. If I could bring even one child the same sense of joy that I got from settling down for a bedtime story with my parents then I’d be happy.

But now I’ve started to get soppy so I’m going to leave it there. Thanks for reading and hope I didn’t bore anyone. If I did, look on the bright side. You’ve made it to the end now.

Nuria Rodríguez, MRes in Publishing Studies 2015-2017 (part-time)

September 30th, 2016 by Nuria Rodriguez | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Nuria Rodríguez, MRes in Publishing Studies 2015-2017 (part-time)
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nuria_profileI had been thinking about joining a Postgraduate course for quite a while before I contacted the University of Stirling. My academic and professional background is a mixed one but from my early studies in English Literature to more recent ones in Design there has always been a constant: my interest in words, communication and storytelling; whatever form this may take, whether written or visual. Recently I had also had the opportunity to dip my toes in the waters of publishing and having designed and published four titles with very little knowledge of the industry I felt I had to learn things properly and from the experts. So, for me it felt like a natural progression to join the MRes in Publishing.

My main research interest lays in the overlaps between the written book and its visual form with a focus on the role of the designer within the publishing process. With so much recent talk in the press about the printed book undergoing a renaissance, the designer as interpreter of content and the process of book publishing as a co-operative task are at the forefront of the discussion.

Studying the Masters is helping me question and reflect on my own practice as designer and lecturer. It has also given me the opportunity to examine my aptitude for research, and once you start on a journey, who knows where it may take you? I’m open to suggestions.

You can follow my adventures @behindtheshelf

Alice Laing, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2016-17

September 29th, 2016 by Alice Laing | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Alice Laing, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2016-17

Alice LaingMy journey to the University of Stirling and this masters in Publishing Studies seems like a long one when I look back on it. When I left school I had no idea what I wanted to spend the rest of my working life doing. After settling on an undergraduate degree in English Literature and History at the University of Aberdeen I thought I had it all figured out – I would teach. However, it was when one of my friends pointed out to me that I did not have the patience to teach secondary education that I really began thinking about publishing as a career option. Truthfully, my main motivation was finding a career in which I could read for a living.

Doing a post-graduate masters was always appealing to me. I feel it is one of the best ways to learn about the publishing world and hopefully lessen the feeling of ‘I have no idea what I am doing‘ when I actually step into a career. Besides, I just love being a student. This year also lets me explore areas of the publishing industry that I had not even thought about before I started. I always thought I would only ever be interested in working in editorial in fiction. Only three weeks into the course I am now much more open to the idea of working in other areas. Well, still in editorial, but now I am toying with the idea of either academic publishing or children’s publishing.

Who knows where in the publishing world I will end up, but I am certainly excited to find out.

Welcome to the MLitt in Publishing Studies 2016-17

September 29th, 2016 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Welcome to the MLitt in Publishing Studies 2016-17
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mlitt1617_cohortThe new academic year has started up again, and we’re delighted to welcome the MLitt in Publishing Studies cohort of 2016-17.

This year’s students come from many different places in the world, representing the global diversity of the publishing industry. We have students from Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, Ireland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, France, Germany and Greece, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, China, Kenya, India, and the USA.

We look forward to working with them over the coming year!