Run by School of Arts, Culture and Language

20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Dr Eben Muse

In this module students will develop knowledge of how publishing workflows and the industry have adapted to the innovations that have disrupted the industry so thoroughly that many pundits predict its demise. E-Publishing will be viewed through the prisms of culture and industry to understand the implications of the changes to authors, publishers, designers, readers and society. Students on the module will be better prepared for engaging with the 21st century publishing industry: as independent author, independent publisher, or within an established publishing business. Students will have the opportunity to investigate the nature of electronic publishing and electronically published materials, looking at the range, type and style of e-published materials. They will develop an awareness of issues connected with e-publishing (ie. Textual, creative, cultural and technological issues) and discover how cultural norms and assumptions influence e-publishing choice and readership.

• Introduction and a brief history of publishing How technology, law and enterprise shaped the industry and the book
• The modern publishing system How the professional publishing companies move a MS from author to reader
• The modern publishing industry There are three major pathways to publication, each of which is controlled by multiple powerful players.
• Amazon and disrupting the system By solving the distribution and discovery problems, Amazon gained control of the industry
• Technology and monopoly When Google decided to enhance search by digitizing all the books in the world, it raised concerns over ownership and cultural monopoly. If content is capital, is Google a modern robber baron?
• Copy-rights, digital-rights, and ownership Copyright law is grounded in 17th century thinking and 21st market capitalism. Digital rights must differ from copy rights.
• eBook formats The eBook market requires flexible, interchangeable standards like HTML and CSS.
• The book beyond the book Once we perceive a book as an experience instead of an object, publishing, book-selling and writing become service industries.
• Discovery is marketing Digital publishing has increased the number of books produced each year at an astronomical rate; a successful author is one who can be found by his or her readers among the mass of available texts.
• Self-publishing Self-publishing is no longer a question of vanity presses. Individual authors can successfully compete with the major houses now.
• The future of the book

threshold

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

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

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.

1. Understand and use key terms and terminology relating to electronic publishing and electronically published materials;

2. Identify, select, apply and review key digital publishing technologies.

3. Understand and evaluate the standards, practices and technologies that are used in the e-publishing industry;

4. Evaluate and explain how cultural norms and assumptions influence e-publishing choice, purpose and consumption;

5. Analyse the role of technology as both sustaining and disruptive in publishing.

Type	Name	Description	Weight
LOGBOOK OR PORTFOLIO	Reflective Reading Log	Weekly log reflecting on assigned readings.	70.00
CASE STUDY	Publication and exegesis	You will identify a text of approximately 10,000 words and prepare it for publication along with a critical discussion of one of the technologies that you used in publishing the text.	30.00

		Hours
Private study	Individual study to prepare for weekly seminars and work on digital publication.	167
Lecture	Weekly two-hour lecture/seminar introducing and debating issues raised in digital publishing.	22
Practical classes and workshops	Weekly workshop to work with methods of digital production	11

• Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
• Computer Literacy - Proficiency in using a varied range of computer software
• Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
• Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
• Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
• Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
• Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
• Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
• Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

• An awareness of writing and publishing contexts, opportunities and audiences in the wider world (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.1).
• Artistic engagement and ability to articulate complex ideas in oral and written forms. (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2).
• Ability to connect creative and critical ideas between and among forms, techniques and types of creative and critical praxis. (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.2).
• Awareness of how different social and cultural contexts affect the nature of language and meaning (English Benchmark Statement 3.2).
• Reflective practitioner skills, including awareness of the practice of others in collaborative learning (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.2).
• The ability to synthesize information from various sources, choosing and applying appropriate concepts and methods (English Benchmark Statement 3.3).
• Ability to formulate and solve problems, anticipate and accommodate change, and work within contexts of ambiguity, uncertainty and unfamiliarity (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.3).
• Ability to gather information, analyse, interpret and discuss different viewpoints (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.3).
• Information technology (IT) skills broadly understood and the ability to access, work with and evaluate electronic resources (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.3).

Resource implications for students

All texts are available in the Bangor University Library. However, students are encouraged to purchase the core texts.

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/uxs-3036.html

Reading list

Bhaskar, M. (2013). The Content Machine: Towards a Theory of Publishing from the Printing Press to the Digital Network. London, New York: Anthem Press.

Clark, G., & Phillips, A. (2019). Inside Book Publishing. London ; New York: Routledge.

Hargrave, J. (2013). Disruptive Technological History: Papermaking to Digital Printing. Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 44(3), 221–236. https://doi.org/10/gdncf9

Wider Reading

Christensen, C. M. (2015). The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Harvard Business Review Press.

Brown, A., Kheria, S., Cornwell, J., & Iljadica, M. (2019). Contemporary Intellectual Property: Law and Policy. Oxford, United Kingdom; New York, NY: OUP Oxford.

Kawasaki, G., & Welch, S. (2012). APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur: How to Publish a Book. Nononina Press.

Woll, T., & Raccah, D. (2014). Publishing for Profit: Successful bottom-line management for book publishers. Chicago: Chicago Review Press.

French, N. (2018). InDesign Type: Professional Typography with Adobe InDesign CC. Adobe Press.

Optional in courses:

• T103: BA Chinese and Creative Studies year 4 (BA/CHCS)
• W890: BA Creative&Professional Writing year 3 (BA/CPW)
• W89P: BA Creative and Professional Writing with Placement Year year 4 (BA/CPWP)
• W899: BA Creative & Professional Writing with International Exp year 4 (BA/CRIE)
• WPQ1: BA Creative Studies (with International Experience) year 4 (BA/CSIE)
• WPQ0: BA Creative Studies year 3 (BA/CST)
• WPQB: BA Creative Studies (4 year with Incorporated Foundation) year 3 (BA/CST1)
• WQ93: BA Creative Stds & English Lang. year 3 (BA/CSTEL)
• WR91: BA French and Creative Studies year 4 (BA/CSTFR)
• WR92: BA German and Creative Studies year 4 (BA/CSTG)
• WR93: BA Italian and Creative Studies year 4 (BA/CSTITAL)
• WR94: BA Spanish & Creative Studies year 4 (BA/CSTSP)
• W620: BA Film Studies year 3 (BA/FLM)
• W62B: BA Film Studies (4 year with Incorporated Foundation) year 3 (BA/FLM1)
• W62P: BA Film Studies with Placement Year year 3 (BA/FLMP)
• 2W89: BA Film Studies (with International Experience) year 3 (BA/FSIE)
• P500: BA Journalism (Subject to Validation) year 3 (BA/J)
• PP53: BA Journalism and Media Studies year 3 (BA/JMS)
• PP5B: BA Journalism & Media Studies (4yr with Incorp Foundation) year 3 (BA/JMS1)
• PP54: BA Journalism & Media Studies with International Experience year 3 (BA/JMSIE)
• PP5P: BA Journalism and Media Studies with Placement Year year 3 (BA/JMSP)
• P306: BA Media Studies year 3 (BA/MS)
• P31B: BA Media Studies (4 year with Incorporated Foundation) year 3 (BA/MS1)
• P30F: BA Media Studies [with Foundation Year] year 3 (BA/MSF)
• 8U76: BA Media Studies (with International Experience) year 3 (BA/MSIE)
• P30P: BA Media Studies with Placement Year year 3 (BA/MSP)
• M1W1: LLB Law with Creative Media Writing year 3 (LLB/LCMW)
• M1W2: LLB Law with Creative Media Writing (International Exp) year 4 (LLB/LCMWI)
• W900: MArts Creative Practice year 3 (MARTS/CP)