MSc Publishing is the first and only accredited postgraduate Publishing programme in the UK
10/05/2012 Leave a comment
MSc Publishers spent the afternoon at Letts printers. They are the largest print maufacturer in Scotland and as the market leader, they produce over 20 million diaries a year.
The students were impressed with the sheer scale of production and the specialist processes used in Notebook and Diary manufacture.
Thanks to Graham Ellis and and his team for a highly informative tour.
See their website: www.letts.co.uk/
01/05/2012 Leave a comment
Friday was a day to be treasured!It was the day when Ben Lewis, a primary five pupil at Stockbridge Primary School, was awarded his prizes for winning our ‘Treasure Island: A Play‘ Book Cover Design Competition.
Scottish school children were invited to submit ideas for a book cover – with the winning entry chosen to go on the front cover of our new book!
View all the entries on our dedicated website: Treasure Island: A Play.
Ben fought off over 300 other entries to win first place. As part of his prize, Ben was presented with a framed copy of the final artwork for ‘Treasure Island: A Play‘ and a signed copy of Alexander McCall Smith’s ‘Precious and the Monkeys’ (kindly donated by Birlinn).
The prizes were awarded by Prof. Alistair McCleery and MSc Publishing student Carol-Anne Royan at a special prize-giving ceremony at Stockbridge Primary School.
We are also proud that any profits from the sales of ’Treasure Island: A Play‘ will be donated to CHAS, Children’s Hospice Association Scotland. We are ecstatic to be working with a charity that does so much inspirational work for children.
CHAS Fundraiser Amy Telford said: ‘We’re thrilled to be benefiting from this very special book. The money raised will support children and young people with life-shortening conditions and their families across Scotland, helping to raise over £7 million that we need every year to run CHAS services.’
12/04/2012 2 Comments
image courtesy of London Book Fair
Staff and students of MSc Publishing at Edinburgh Napier University are getting ready for the 2012 London Book Fair.
As part of the Publishing Scotland presence, we will be showcasing the fantastic new books that are about to be published by our students! Come along to the Publishers from Scotland stand – H350 – and say ‘hello’!
30/03/2012 1 Comment
This week we have received exciting news. Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival has announced that Detective McLevy’s Casebook will have a slot in the festival. Exact dates, time and venues still to be confirmed.
Bloody Scotland is Scotland’s first international crime writing festival and will take place in Stirling on 14-16 September 2012. The line up is formed by some of the best modern crime fiction authors, such as Ian Rankin, Anne Perry and Alanna Knight, who has also contributed to our project by writing the introduction to Detective McLevy’s Casebook.
For further information, keep an eye on our dedicated website, Twitter and Facebook profiles.
01/03/2012 2 Comments
We are delighted to announce that the winner of Merchiston Publishing’s ‘Cover Design Competition’ is Ben Lewis, P5, from Stockbridge Primary School.
Acclaimed illustrator Iain McIntosh judged the competition and described Ben’s design as “A lovely cover with not a dull area in the whole picture. Beautifully designed and crafted hand-lettering (and crosses!). Full of detail and interest which has been very sensitively drawn.”
Merchiston Publishing are launching the first play script of Treasure Island written for primary schools. The book will be distributed freely among local primary schools and a launch party to celebrate will set sail on June 8th at Craighouse Campus.
Catch a pirate joke a day on Twitter @jamesjimhawkins or visit our dedicated website to see the rest of our shortlist at http://treasureislandbook.wordpress.com/cover-competition-winners/
14/02/2012 Leave a comment
MSc Publishing students at Edinburgh Napier University were delighted to have the opportunity to get some inside information on publishing from two industry experts. Alison Baverstock, an experienced publisher and author, and Harriet Smart, a historical novelist with experience of both traditional and self-publishing, gave a talk on self-publishing followed by questions from the audience. After their presentation Alison and Harriet indulged two MSc Publishing students, Rosie Howie and Ruth Harrison, by allowing them an exclusive interview.
First of all, do you have any tips for getting a job in publishing?
AB: I do think a Masters is a good idea as it gives an understanding of the business as a whole. If you go straight into a publishing company, that gives you an idea of only that small part of the business. Read more of this post
24/01/2012 Leave a comment
The 2011 PPA Scottish Magazine Awards had a special significance for MSc Publishing students this year. Five of us were invited to the annual lavish, red-carpet event where the cream of the Magazine Publishing industry gathered to celebrate the best in the industry.
Magazine Publishing Postgraduate of the Year was Pamela Jane Morris (pictured), graduate of MSc Publishing. This is an exclusive award, open to students who have graduated from MSc Publishing. The event was a great opportunity to get advice on working in the publishing industry. Lecturers advised that it is necessary to be noticed and to make the most of opportunities. Nominees for the Magazine Publishing award recommended applying for internships as soon as possible and taking advantage of any potential placements. Marion Sinclair (Chief Executive of Publishing Scotland) also recommended speaking up and making suggestions when on placements. (Students on MSc Publishing undertake a placement as part of their publishing studies.)
The Scottish Magazine Awards reward excellence in magazine publishing. It was interesting to see the range of magazine publishing in Scotland, trade titles, business to business and charity titles. Two of the most successful publishers of the night were DC Thomson and The Big Issue, both winning several prizes. The overall winner of the evening was Animal Planet, published by DC Thomson.
All in all, it was a truly rewarding evening!
20/12/2011 1 Comment
Edinburgh’s sick children got a dose of Christmas cheer yesterday when 100 free copies of children’s classic, Peter and Wendy, were delivered to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children.
The much loved tale about the boy who never grew up celebrates its publishing centenary this year.
And to mark the milestone MSc Publishing students from Edinburgh Napier University have produced a new edition of J.M. Barrie’s magical tale.
The book has been published with the permission of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, who Barrie gave his Peter Pan works copyright to in 1929.
Avril Gray, Programme Leader for Postgraduate Publishing at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “The new book will be delivered to children’s hospitals across the UK to bring the magic of Peter Pan to children at a time when they often feel sad or afraid.
“It’s a beautiful edition of a well-loved children’s classic and this donation of 100 copies is a very fitting finale to the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of Peter and Wendy first being published.”
Janice MacKenzie, Chief Nurse, Royal Hospital for Sick Children said: “We are delighted to be the first hospital to benefit from this lovely gift.
“The excitement of Peter and Wendy, pirates and fairies is sure to produce smiles across the hospital, particularly at this time of year when being in hospital is even harder to bear.”
The centenary edition of Peter and Wendy has been published by Merchiston Publishing – the imprint of the Scottish Centre for the Book based at Edinburgh Napier University.
The University now offers two masters in publishing – MSc Magazine Publishing and MSc Publishing. This year MSc Publishing became the first and only publishing course in the UK to be accredited by the Periodicals Training Council.
17/11/2011 Leave a comment
Recognising that many people interested in studying Publishing with us travel from across the UK or would prefer to visit us after a hard day’s work, we have organised an Open Evening, rather than an Open Day.
Meet academic and support staff and find out more about
MSc Publishing at Edinburgh Napier University.
Whether you are looking to study full time or part time, we will be happy to talk about what suits you best.
This year’s events will feature:
• Information from MSc Publishing programme staff
• Student support staff on hand to answer your questions
• Hosted on Merchiston Campus, where you will be studying
Open Evening: Merchiston Campus (in the Glass Box), 22rd November, 5–7pm
07/11/2011 Leave a comment
Not only was this weekend the celebration of Guy Fawkes Night, but it was also the third edition of the LennoxLove Book Festival in Haddington. Since 2009, the sumptuous Lennoxlove House has opened its doors to the public for a three-day literary event. Surrounded by a wonderful setting, the festival offers a range of adult events hosted by inspiring authors and artists, as well as fun activities for children.
This year, our class was kindly offered free tickets to some of the events, and on a chilly but sunny Sunday afternoon I thus had the chance to attend a talk by Nicola Morgan called How to Make a Publisher Say Yes! Nicola delighted the audience with an hour and a half of good sound advice about what makes publishers invest – or not – in a book. Nicola is herself an award-winning author but, as she mentioned at the beginning of her talk, she went through many rejections by publishers and suffered from a lack of information and advice before finding success. Fortunately for today’s authors, she has decided to share her tips and tricks on how to write for publication. In addition to providing a one-to-one writing consultancy, she also regularly posts articles on her blog, Help! I need a Publisher! and more support can be found in her book, Write to be Published.
It was very interesting for me to be in the shoes of a writer and, for short time, forget that I might later become one of these frightening and feared publishers whom Nicola Morgan was talking about. Among many topics, Nicola stressed the fact that a published book is not necessarily better than a book which has been rejected by a publishing house, and that the current economic situation is having a serious impact on publishers’ choices. She also pointed out the importance of the manuscript’s submission, providing tips on how to write an effective covering letter and a 25 words pitch on the book, something that I will definitely use when producing copyright content.
I have to say that once the talk was over, I was happy to be on the publishers’ side. However, Nicola’s talk was very optimistic and full of very good advice for writers, and I truly recommend anyone interested in getting published to have a look at her blog on a regular basis. To finish, I would also recommend that anyone interested in books attend next year’s LennoxLove Book Festival and enjoy quality talks and a wonderful venue.
20/10/2011 Leave a comment
Once again our annual trip to the Burn was packed full of ‘fun, fun, fun’ and – in contrast to dreich Edinburgh – we had ‘sun, sun, sun’!!
Last week saw Publishing staff and students head to the land of Sunset Song, where clear blue skies frame the rich red soil of North East Scotland. Our ‘home from home’ is an eighteenth-century estate house, with large drawing room, dining room, library, TV room, indoor games room and 18 bedrooms!
Away from the huge roaring fire, comfy sofas and overladen plates, the stunning scenery of this 190-acre estate is captivating. Read more of this post
11/09/2011 Leave a comment
This year’s new arrivals to MSc Publishing at Edinburgh Napier University were welcomed to the industry by one of the most important figures in Scottish, if not British, publishing.
Marion Sinclair, Chief Executive of Publishing Scotland, opened the door on the exciting world of publishing and provided a taste of the calibre of speakers who regularly give of their time to talk to our students.
Photo shows Marion Sinclair (left) and Prof. Alistair McCleery speaking to MSc Publishing students in our Castle Room, Craighouse Campus.07/09/2011 Leave a comment
Publishing Scotland is the network member organisation for publishers in Scotland and provides training courses for industry professionals.
There are some places on the one-day Writing for the Web course on offer to students for only £50+VAT (first come first served). The course will be held on 15th September from 9.30 to 4.30 at the Scottish Book Centre in Edinburgh.
Writing for the Web is different from writing for print and this is a great opportunity to add to your skill set as almost all publishers now have websites and engage in online social networking.
Book online at Publishing Scotland as a PS Member.
25/07/2011 Leave a comment
Never before has the control of the global conglomerates over the publishing, media and culture industries been under such scrutiny. Publishing Scotland, in association with the Scottish Universities Insight Institute Independent Publishing programme, presents an event at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival which goes to the heart of that debate.
Photo credit Micheline Pelletier
André Schiffrin, the speaker at the event, was the Director of Pantheon Books for almost thirty years, bringing authors including Pasternak and Foucault to an American audience. His landmark 2000 publication The Business of Books expressed his belief that Western publishing was in a crisis, fuelled by the concern that the five largest conglomerates in the US controlled 80% of the books produced. His belief that this profit-driven industry prevented him from publishing books propelled him to resign and set up the nonprofit New Press.
In his new book Words and Money, Schiffrin builds on his earlier arguments by focusing on the crisis in the general media, examining the European market to illustrate how the US corporate model has influenced practice worldwide to the detriment of serious journalism. He proposes measures to safeguard the future of publishing, bookselling and the press. In this timely intervention into the ownership practices and philosophies, Schiffrin will give a presentation and then open the floor to questions from the audience.
Date: 22 August 2011
Time: 6.45–7.45pm
Location: Peppers Theatre, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh
Tickets £10 (£8 concession)
For further information and to book your place visit the Edinburgh International Book Festival website. http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/andre-schiffrin
More information on Publishing Scotland is available at www.publishingscotland.org
More information on the Scottish Universities Insight Institute Independent Publishing Programme of Enquiry is available at www.independentpublishing.stir.ac.uk.
14/07/2011 Leave a comment
PUBLISHING SHOWCASE – Monday 18 July
Choose one of two sessions: 11am-1pm OR 2pm-4pm
Craighouse Campus, Edinburgh Napier University
To celebrate the programme’s recent accreditation, MSc Publishing at Edinburgh Napier University is hosting an open day for aspiring publishers. This event is free and open to anyone who wants to find out more about a career in publishing. If you are interested in applying for our professional Postgraduate Programmes – MSc Publishing or MSc Magazine Publishing – please come come along to our stunning Craighouse Campus, meet staff and see why we are the first and only publishing programme in the UK to be accredited by the Periodical Training Council, the voice of professional publishers.
The event is free but registration is required; please contact m.tait@napier.ac.uk for details and to register for the morning or afternoon session.
http://www.napier.ac.uk/Events/Pages/EventDetails.aspx?NewsID=148
We look forward to seeing you then!
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