MA in Publishing
MA in Publishing
Posted by ns768
16 April 2025I cannot imagine a better way to undertake a publishing MA than by creating a publication. My first impression when beginning this MA was that we would learn about editing books, and I didn’t know much more than that. Around week one of this course, I quickly realised I had no idea what I’d signed up for! I’ve always loved books, and I wanted a career in books… So, publishing seemed like the logical choice, right? Surprisingly, despite this very impulsive decision of mine, I was actually correct!
These past seven months, working on our publication throughout this MA has equipped me with so much knowledge of the publishing industry itself and the different career paths that people can take within it. We’ve been able to discuss and examine the systemic issues faced by various communities within the publishing industry, thinking about access to books and literary spaces, uplifting marginalised voices, and the different approaches that should be taken to editing and publishing works in translation. We’ve spoken about developments in technology, and the environmental impacts of current publishing practices, how to approach topics like sensitivity and censure, and the evolving role of ‘cultural gatekeepers’. Yet we’ve explored all of these topics through the frame of our publication, attaching real world meaning to these concepts, which has made our learning experience all the more enriching.
When we set out brainstorming what our publication was going to include and what stories felt most important to us, it occurred to me that we were running an acquisitions meeting to pitch our ideas. When we were given the opportunity to engage with authors from around the world, and work with them to improve the structure and organisation of their plots, I realised we had taken on the role of developmental editor. Then, when we looked at each extract on a sentence level, pointing out grammatical issues and punctuation errors, we became copy editors. Once we had organised an order for the publication, deciding which pieces belonged in certain sections, I realised we were curating a content list. And when we began to use computer software to bring our publication to life, choosing fonts and colour schemes and design elements, we became typesetters. When we did a final read through, learning about BSI marks, we became proofreaders. We took meetings, discussing adaptation and translation rights, and we became rights consultants. And finally, when our book was ready to print we formed publicity and outreach teams, design and branding teams, social media and content creation teams, and even became event planners for our book launch!
Unknowingly, we as a cohort have worn all the proverbial hats the industry has to offer, we have been with our publication from the beginning of its ideation to its launch event, and we did it together as a team.
What has stood out to me most over this entire experience is how much I have learnt about the publishing industry by simply ‘doing it’. To experience all the different roles and witness the level of collaboration needed to end up with our final product of our physical book has been truly eye-opening. This experience has given our cohort such an amazing opportunity to make friends and connect over our shared passion of books; what once was a passion for reading them, has now transformed into a passion for making them. A process far more complicated but also far more rewarding and fulfilling than I ever imagined when beginning this MA.