Hi, everyone! 大家好！ I am Yao Huang, from Beijing, China. You can call me Yuna. I chose to study Publishing as I love reading, love the world created by words, full of imagination and magic. I enjoy swimming in all types of books with good qualities.

When I was an undergraduate, my subject was Communication (Digital Publishing), which included courses in Communication, Editing of Digital Media, Publication regulation and so on. As I know, the MLitt in Publishing Studies is professional and famous at Stirling University, so it is a good opportunity for me to receive further training. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that the culture difference has a great attraction.

In my opinion, publishing is a promising and active industry, especially digital publishing. When I went deeply into this area, I realized that there are both challenge and opportunity at the same time. With the development of technology, the production, operation mode, business model and even the way of reading constantly developing, they are not always the same. I learned to use software to make an e-book or e-magazine in class, which would help me follow the trends. I also learnt about how to set a website through writing codes in person, which were really complicated, but good experiences.

Impressively, in the fourth year, I got a precious chance to work in Science Press of China Science Publishing Media Co., Ltd, as an intern editing assistant. The editor was very professional and taught me a lot including clearing each step of publishing a title. This process generally takes around 3 months. Fortunately, I took one month to proofread a manuscript like a copy editor, which was challenging, because I didn’t have any relevant experience before, and that was the first time I felt my decision was changing a book.

I believe that in the near future, we will step into a digital age. A significant purpose I came to Stirling was to acquire academic knowledge, work on the principle of traditional publishing and the practice of digital publishing. I think what I get from here will help me leisurely face this unpredictable and exciting industry.

I have to say that I am experiencing a culture shock, a new way of thinking often makes me confused, but it is okay, that’s probably the interesting point.