AP/WRIT 4721 6.0A (Y) Book Publishing Practicum, 2012-2013

AP/WRIT 4721 6.0A (Y) Book Publishing Practicum, 2012-2013

THURSDAYS 11:30-2:30

TEL 3001 (Computer Lab)

Instructor: Mike O’Connor,

Course Website: TBA

General Description: This practicum allows students in their 4th year in the PRWR Book Stream to participate in the publication of a book. An unpublished book-length manuscript will be made available to the students in the course, who will be responsible for developing a publishing plan and for subsequently editing, designing, composing, proofing, marketing, and publishing the book. Students will volunteer for or be assigned positions with their attendant responsibilities in the publishing operation, Leaping Lion Books ( The book that they publish will be sold in both ebook and print editions through major book retailers around the world. Complimentary copies of a print edition will be distributed to students in the class, the author, and selected people within the Writing Department and the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies.

Learning Objectives: After completing the course, students will have had hands-on experience in publishing a manuscript. Thus, the objectives of the course are to learn to

1. Exercise judgment in the selection of materials for publication

2. Develop an appropriate plan for publishing a single book

3. Work with the author to develop the book for publication

4. Work with others in the Practicum in producing a book

5. Work within budget and (depending on workstation assignments) to develop skills in

1. Copyediting, substantive editing, rewriting, proofreading

2. Project management, including managing document flow

3. Contracting with suppliers, including the ultimate online distributor

4. Designing the book and fitting copy to design

5. Keyboarding & conversion of edited text to final electronic form

6. Uploading of electronic book to online distributor

7. Production of print book, including selection of paper, boards, printer

8. Development & execution of full marketing plan for book,

9. Delivering printed books to intended recipients

10.Developing a review list and sending books to reviewers

11. Copyright assignment and registration

12. Assignment of ISBN

13. Securing permission for use of all copyrighted materials (art & text)

14. Granting permission for use of book’s contents

15. Maintaining permissions log

16. Taking responsibility for budget, p&l, cash flow

17. Taking responsibility for recovering receivables

18. Seeing that invoices are paid

19. Designing & maintaining a website

Prerequisite: AS/EN 3720 6.0 Books and Bookmaking in the 21st Century

Texts and Reading List: 1. Electronic edition the manuscript to be published; 2. Association of American University Presses (eds.), One Book / Five Ways (1994, University of Chicago Press);3. The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition (2010, University of Chicago Press)

Course Requirements: Grades are based on a term paper (35%) and participation (65%). To document their participation, students will keep a journal of their activities in the course and will submit the journal in four installments, the first due on 18 October 2012 and the second due on 22 November 2012. The journal should record the specific activities engaged in and the amount of time calculated to the nearest half-hour devoted to each. The outcome of the activity should also be recorded, along with comments on the result. For example, some sample journal entries might read as follows:

DateTimeRoleActivityResult

Oct 13.5 CpyEdCopyedited pp. 23-44 of MSReady to submit to author

Oct 10.5 CpyEdE-mailed copyedited pp.Pp. 1-44 received back from author

1-44 to authoron Oct 15

Comments: author rejected many

edits; will consult with EdDir; Oct 16,

EdDir agrees with author

You may style your journal however you wish, but try to convey as much information as you can about your activities.

Included with the journal should be copies of letters, e-mail messages, permissions, and/or agreements you’ve sent or received in the course of your business. Any telephone calls should be logged in the journal.

The term paper, due 28 March 2013, should be between 2000 and 2500 words and should be elegantly written and scrupulously styled, copyedited, and proofread according to the principles introduced in chapters 5 through 15 of the Chicago Manual of Style, using either of the two basic systems of documentation introduced in chapter 16 of the Manual. (Either Canadian or American spelling is acceptable, but you must choose one convention and stick to it throughout. For Canadian spelling, use the Canadian Oxford Dictionary; for American spelling, you may use any Merriam-Webster dictionary, including the one online at For the topic of your paper, you may address one of the following:

The 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style was published in print and online in 2010. The 17th edition is scheduled to be published in 2014. If you were charged with directing a specifically Canadian edition of the Manual, what specific additions, deletions, and/or alterations would you make to the content and format? Justify convincingly your decisions.
If you were hired to manage and improve the electronic publishing program (e-books) and the online presence (web site) of the Mercury Press, exactly what would you do and why? Be sure to provide an incisive analysis of the current program and presence, to compare these with those of other comparable publishers, and to reference actual existing technology. Assume that you have a very small budget (<$1000) to work with and that Mercury has Dreamweaver, InDesign, and PhotoShop, but no other commercial design or web-editing software programs available.
Your recently deceased uncle has bequeathed you $100,000, which you have decided to use to start a publishing company. Prepare a detailed and cogent three-year business plan for your company. Determine the fields in which you will publish and the size of and competition in the markets of each. Precisely where and how will you find manuscripts for your publishing program? How will your books improve on the competition? Why will your company be seen to make a contribution in the fields in which you’ve chosen to publish? Include (as an appendix, not to be counted in the 2000-2500 word target for the paper) a realistic income and expense statement and cost-flow analysis for the first three years.
You have decided to self-publish a book that you have written. Prepare at least 15 pages of text with illustrations (if appropriate). Develop internal and cover designs. Decide how you will produce the book and provide cost estimates for production. Supply a detailed marketing plan, making sure to justify your estimate of market composition and size. Finally, include a realistic income and expense statement and cost-flow analysis for the first three years of publication.

Resources: The lab in 3001 TEL has sufficiently many PC computers that every student should be able to use one during the class. These computers have Adobe Creative Suite 1 (including InDesign and PhotoShop) loaded on them. Every student should have a data stick (flash drive) that can be used to store any files created in class. (Work is not to be stored on the hard drives of the desktop computers in the lab.) You may, of course, use your own laptop if you have the required Adobe Creative Suite software installed on it. The students assistants assigned to the lab in 3001 TEL are quite knowledgeable about the machines and software contained there.

Note: Students may NOT use the computers in 3001 TEL for private e-mail, social networking (FaceBook, Twitter, etc.), text messaging, gaming, web-surfing, YouTube, or any other private viewing or activities during the class. The penalty for an infraction will be a significant reduction in participation points. Students may not remain in 3001 TEL after the instructor leaves without the specific permission of the instructor.

For work outside of class, the Resource Centre in 311 Calumet College ( has 6 Apple Macintosh computers with Adobe Creative Suite 3 loaded. Students should be aware that files saved in Creative Suite 3 or Creative Suite 4 format may not be completely compatible with those stored in Creative Suite 1 format, and files saved in CS3 or 4 may not be accessible in CS1.

Organization

Students in the class will be assigned or elected to positions in the not-for-profit company Leaping Lion Books, which will publish the manuscript in the course pack. Students in the ninedirectorial positions will constitute the management of the company:

Publisher ______
Associate Publisher ______

Assistant Publisher (reports to Assoc Publisher) ______

Editorial Director (reports to Assoc Publisher) ______

Assistant Ed Dir ______

Copyeditor______

Production Director (reports to Assoc Publisher) ______

Assistant Prod Dir ______

Assistant Prod Dir______

Prod. Editor ______

Design Director (reports to Assoc Publisher) ______

Assistant Design Director ______

Photo Editor______

Designer ______

Marketing Director (reports to Assoc Publisher) ______

Assistant Mktg Dir ______

Mktg Mngr ______

Sales Mngr ______

Rights & Permissions Director (reports to Assoc Publisher)______

Assistant Rights & Perm Director ______

Rights & Perm Manager______

Business Director (reports to Assoc Publisher) ______

Assistant Bus Dir ______

Assistant Bus Di. ______

Bus. Accounting Mngr. ______

Web Director (reports to Assoc Publisher) ______

Web Designer ______

Line of succession: Publisher  Assoc Publisher  Bus Dir  Mktg Dir  Ed Dir

Hierarchy:

1. Publisher

2. Assoc Publisher

3. Department Dirs: Ed Dir, Prod Dir, Mktg Dir, Bus Dir, Rights & Perm Dir, Web Dir, Design Dir

5. Asst Publishers, Asst Ed Dirs, Asst Prod Dirs, Asst Bus Dirs, etc.

6. Copyeds, Prod Eds, Photo Eds, Designers, Managers

The Executive Board of Leaping Lion Books comprises the Publisher, the Associate Publisher, and the seven Department Directors (the Department Directors comprise the Editorial Director, the Production Director, the Design Director, the Marketing Director, the Rights and Permissions Director, the Business Director, and the Web Director).

Each student, except the Publisher and Associate Publisher, will serve in a minimum (and, usually, a maximum) of two roles. In the case of the seven department directors their second role must be chosen from among the copyeditor, production editor, photo editor, designer, marketing manager, sales manager, rights and permissions manager, business accounting manager, and web designer roles. For those students who are not among the nine directors, at least one of their roles must be as an assistant publisher or assistant department director (Asst Publisher, Asst Ed Dir, Asst Prod Dir, Asst Mktg Dir, Asst Bus Dir, Asst Design Dir, Asst Rights & Perm Dir – the two assistant publishers must take as their second role that of one of the assistant department directors). In selecting (or being selected for) these roles, every student should attempt to fill one role in the editorial-design-rights & permissions area and one role in the production-marketing-business-website area. If you somehow manage to arrange things such that all or most all of your responsibilities in your two roles fall in and have been completed by the end of the Fall term, you will need to volunteer for a third role that entails significant responsibilities in the Winter term (and, of course, vice-versa). No student may be his or her own supervisor. (E.g., if you are the Editorial Director, your second role cannot be that of either an assistant editorial director or a copyeditor.)

Note that responsibility flows upward. If a copyeditor does not do his or her job, then the assistant editorial directors and perhaps also the Editorial Director had best involve themselves to get the job done. If the Editorial Director and his assistants fail at this, then the Associate Publisher and assistant publishers will have to roll up their sleeves. It is no excuse to say that the person you are supervising was slow, uncooperative, absent with or without reason, or clueless. The task must be completed, and it is, ultimately, the Publisher’s responsibility to ensure that it is.

Responsibilities

The Publisher, along with the Associate Publisher and assistant publishers, has overall responsibility for the successful completion of the mission. He or she will supervise all other directors and ensure that the full publication schedule is prepared and scrupulously adhered to and that the budget is not exceeded. It is important that the potential inherent in the manuscript is realized to its fullest extent: the Publisher’s final grade will be largely determined by the quality, timeliness, and marketability of the final product. Satisfactory performance in these areas alone will likely lead to an A+ in the course unless there are significant problems elsewhere.

The Associate Publisher conducts weekly information sessions at the beginning of class in which each department director reports to the full class on scheduling and progress within his or her area of responsibility. Each department director will prepare and submit to the Associate Publisher a formal schedule and plan for approval. The Associate Publisher meets with the Publisher regularly and reports to him or her anything that requires executive action. The Associate Publisher is also responsible for reviewing and approving in advance any written communications that any other students in the class (aside from the Publisher) propose to send to persons outside the class regarding Leaping Lion Books business and will report any problems to the Publisher and Course Director. The Associate Publisher will also ensure that all department directors, the Publisher, and the Course Director have approved the cover design, the internal design, the front matter, and the final proof of the book before publication.

The Editorial Director, along with assistant editorial directors and copyeditors, has responsibility for the content of the manuscript. This means developing an approved editorial plan and schedule, acquiring front and back matter where appropriate, editing the manuscript, working with the author to revise the manuscript where necessary, developing a suggested illustration list along with caption copy, and proofreading all copy. He or she also works with the Rights and Permissions department to secure permission to reproduce any text under copyright to another owner.

The Production Director, along with the assistant production directors and the production editors, is responsible for developing an approved production plan and schedule, getting quotes from printers and determining printers’ requirements, coordinating with the editorial department for reading of proof, supervising design, ensuring that all production and design schedules are followed, and ordering, taking receipt of, and distributing printed copies. In conjunction with the Marketing team, he or she will supply the necessary electronic files to the necessary suppliers and partners.

The Design Director, along with the assistant design directors, the photo editors, and the designers, supplies the internal and cover designs for the book and all illustrations sized and ready for publication. He or she also works with the Rights and Permissions Department to secure permission for all illustrations. The Design Director prepares a schedule and plan (including internal design specifications and cover proposals) and submits them to the Associate Publisher for approval.

The Marketing Director has responsibility for developing an approved marketing plan and schedule and, together with the Production Director, for making the publishing arrangement with Kobo Books for the Internet edition of the book. If a print edition is to be sold, the Marketing Director will coordinate with the Production Director for the publishing arrangements for that edition. The Marketing team is responsible for all pre- and post-publication advertising and publicity and sends out copies for review where appropriate.

The Rights & Permissions Director, along with the assistant rights & permissions directors and the Rights & Permission Manager, is responsible for working with Editorial and Production to identify permissions needed, for preparing a permissions log, and for securing those permissions from the rights holders. The Rights & Permissions Director’s team will supply appropriate copy to the Editorial Department for the copyright and acknowledgments page, secure an ISBN for the book and Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publications Data, and register copyright.

The Business Director, along with the assistant business directors and the Business Accounting Manager, is the primary overseer of the budget, under the Associate Publisher and the Publisher. The Business Director must ensure that no more money is spent than is available for the project. To that end, he or she must be in contact with the other department directors so that all expenses receive appropriate approval. In addition to overseeing expenses and collecting invoices for forwarding to the Associate Publisher, Publisher, and Course Director, he or she will work with the Marketing Director to ensure that receipts from sales are channeled into the appropriate York account. He or she will also ensure that statements of account from the retailers are sent to the Chair of the Writing Department. The Business Director’s team is also responsible for ensuring that the terms of the contract with the author are fulfilled and that the author receives his contractual copies of the book. Every student who participated in the publication of the book through the end of the school year should receive a paperback copy of the book as well.