ENGL3714: The Business of Publishing

The Business of Publishing course, by focusing primarily on book publishing, will give a wide variety of students--from budding writers to business majors--exposure to a major industry (valued at $125 billion worldwide) that curates, promotes and monetizes the written word. There are approximately 12,000 publishers in the U.S., and of those an estimated 3,000 are literary presses. An estimated 600,000 books are published in the U.S. annually; Nielsen Book Scan reports 674 million unit sales in 2016. Book, magazine, and newspaper publishing are still the most stable types of publishing in our society and form the nexus between commerce and culture. Broadly understood, "publishing" means "to make words and images public." It encompasses many activities and forms--for instance, business newsletters and websites; social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat); and organizational and personal blogs. More specifically, it is a profession with specialized components--marketing, design, sales, subsidiary rights, bookselling--each with its own standards and best practices. It is also a field rife with innovation, producing multiple "start-ups" constantly. To "publish well" means not only to deliver content to a page or screen but also to deliver it to an audience. Publishing crosses disciplines, and innovates new channels and modes of production. As such, publishing well has implications for all of us in our daily personal and professional lives. At the University of Minnesota, we have the advantage of living in a metro area that is regularly ranked near or at the top of lists for most literate cities in the U.S. We have one of the largest concentrations of literary presses in the country outside of the East Coast. This course will take advantage of guest lecturers from Minnesota's nationally recognized publishing community. It encourages students to discuss the work of publishing with these professionals, and provides them with networking opportunities.As well as exploring in-depth the specific components of the publishing process, this class also broadens our sense of what "publishing" is. It is a process as much as it is a product. Why publishing? Why is a whole profession devoted to it? Why might we want to dedicate our own lives to it, or value the portion it already plays in them? Through this course we will understand first-hand how a book makes its way out into the world, and why that process is so important to culture and community.

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