…is the way forward.
I was recently asked to submit my experience of recently completing the Masters in Publishing programme at Oxford Brookes University. It should be live on their pages in the near future, but I thought I would put it up here too:
My time on the MA Publishing course at Oxford Brookes was one spent in perpetual balance. Studying part-time over two years and working to support myself during the course gave me a real grounding in getting to know the publishing industry, making new friends and getting my first job within a month of submitting my dissertation.
The tutors and support staff in the department do their utmost best at welcoming you into the world of publishing and it was a real surprise to learn exactly what goes into publishing a book over the course of the many modules you can choose to take: be it editorial; production; or even specialised sectors like journals, magazine publishing, children’s and academic publishing. There are a lot of areas to be involved in and while it took me a bit of time to discover my own interests in the industry I’m glad I chose to study part-time.
As a result I feel more confident in speaking to publishers who know the business inside and out, and describing what I do to friends and family back in Canada. The programme at Oxford Brookes provides you the opportunity to get involved from Day 1. Whether it’s serving as a Student Rep (like I did), volunteering at the London Book Fair, or more importantly gaining that all too crucial first work experience placement.
I was fortunate enough to have three placements, one with a local Oxford publisher, How To Books ; another with a brand new academic imprint part of the very well-known Bloomsbury Publishing group, Bloomsbury Academic; and the Independent Publishers Guild (with whom I got to travel to the Frankfurt Book Fair with – for free!). Bloomsbury Academic also cultivated my interest in Open Access content, and alternative copyright licensing such as Creative Commons which eventually helped determine the topic of my dissertation.
Now I’m working in the industry and enjoying the hands-on learning I’m doing as an Editorial Assistant at Chandos Publishing in Witney, Oxfordshire. I have a lot of different responsibilities including general office management, co-ordinating the publication programme, receiving manuscripts from our current authors and even a bit of book commissioning.
Once you begin down the path of publishing, you won’t look back. Living in Oxford with a fellow graduate and staying in touch with fellow class members keeps me grounded, and gave some of us the perfect opportunity to create a special club for men in publishing (after seeing there were only 10 of us in our class of 70-plus!): Publishing Men Together (PMT) still meet regularly and are even planning a fundraising walk later in 2010.
It should appear here: http://ah.brookes.ac.uk/publishing/alumni
2 Comments
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Congratulations to you! Sounds brilliant. As someone who is largely allergic to most school systems, I am always impressed by the ability for others to persevere and realise their dreams through the education system. Much luck to you.
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