Overview

The Publishing Industry has been driven by innovation since Gutenberg invented his printing press. New technologies and techniques have informed the shape of the books that we read and the industry that produces them. In this module you will study the ways that innovation can both sustain industry practices and disrupt the industry itself, introducing new methods and book-products that publishes will need to engage with if their imprints are to thrive. The digital revolution of the past decades has pushed publishing into new spheres of activity, creating new forms of the book, new professional roles within the industry, and new sustainable business models, including self-publishing. The publishing world is in a period of rapid change, and this module will provide you with the tools to engage constructively with that change.

Themes and topics to be covered include the nature of the book, technologies of the book, shifting publishing workflows, intellectual property rights and intellectual access rights, the social book, and the role of innovation and creativity in the publishing industry.

Assessment Strategy

-threshold -(D) Submitted work is adequate and shows an acceptable level of competence as follows:1.Generally accurate but with omissions and errors.2.Assertions are made without clear supporting evidence or reasoning.3.Has structure but is lacking in clarity and therefore relies on the reader to make links and assumptions.4.Draws on a relatively narrow range of material.

-good -(B) Submitted work is competent throughout and may be distinguished by superior style, approach and choice of supporting materials. It:1.Demonstrates good or very good structure and logically developed arguments.2.Draws at least in parts on material that has been sourced and assessed as a result of independent study, or in a way unique to the student.3.Assertions are backed by evidence and sound reasoning.4.Accuracy and presentation in an appropriate academic style.

-excellent -(A) Submitted work is of an outstanding quality and excellent in one or more of the following ways:1.Has originality of exposition with the student’s own thinking being readily apparent.2.Provides clear evidence of extensive and relevant independent study.3.Arguments are laid down with clarity and provide the reader with successive stages of consideration to reach conclusions.

Learning Outcomes

• Assess the impact of new developing forms of the book have on industrial practices, structures, competition, intellectual property.

• Differentiate innovations as sustaining or disruptive to industry practices and structurs

• Evaluate the norms and assumptions the influence the choice, form, and consumption of books

• Identify and evaluate the technologies that have shaped the medium of the book.