Duration
Editorial techniques and processes : 30h Th
Distribution : 15h Th
The book trade : 15h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Editorial techniques and processes : Tanguy Habrand
Distribution : Philippe Marczewski, Anicet Thomas
The book trade : Bernard Quickels
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Editorial techniques and processes
This course offers an in-depth introduction to editorial work, understood both as a sequence of technical operations and as a practice embedded in an economic and institutional framework. The study unfolds in four stages, from the scope of the editorial function to the overall economy of a publishing house.
A first stage defines the editorial function: the three missions of which it is composed (selecting, turning a text into a book, making it known), the calculation of risk that characterises it and the economic models between which it is divided. It then describes the organisation of professions within a publishing house and at its boundaries: the division of tasks into departments (editorial, copy-editing and production, rights, communication and sales), effects of scale and the accumulation of roles, recourse to external contractors, and the place of the literary agent, the distributor and the bookseller.
A second stage follows the cycle of a single title, from its acquisition to its entry into the commercial circuit. It examines the reception and evaluation of manuscripts (flow, editorial board, reader's report, rejection letter), the commissioning of a work or a series, including under public procurement, and then contracting. Distribution is addressed as the regime that sets the tempo of the editorial calendar: the distribution contract, the presentation file and the formalities of a book's existence (ISBN, legal deposit, metadata, price setting).
A third stage is devoted to the making of the object: working with the author and preparing copy, proofreading and typographic conventions, typesetting and page layout, graphic design (title, format, cover, picture research, series charter) and finally production, from imposition to the press pass.
The last stage shifts scale, from the title to the publishing house: projected profit-and-loss account, cost price and break-even point, decisions on print run and price, the economics of a series, secondary income and co-publishing, the founding and management of a publishing house, and finally the transmission of a backlist.
One thread runs through all four stages: every editorial decision has an economic counterpart, which the course brings to light through authentic professional documents (readers' reports, contracts, quotations, royalty statements, profit-and-loss accounts).
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Editorial techniques and processes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
* describe the editorial function, its economic models and the organisation of professions within a publishing house and at its boundaries;
* carry out the main operations in the cycle of a title, from manuscript evaluation or commissioning through to the press pass and release into distribution;
* read and produce the professional documents that punctuate this cycle (reader's report, contract, quotation, design brief, presentation file);
* draw up and interpret the publisher's costing instruments (cost price, projected profit-and-loss account, break-even point) and derive from them decisions on print run, price and backlist management;
* use precise technical and conceptual vocabulary to describe and interpret the practices of the sector;
* identify the skills they need to develop in order to build a career path suited to the market;
* adopt a critical and reflective stance, integrating sector monitoring as a tool for continuing education.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Editorial techniques and processes
No prerequisites are required.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Editorial techniques and processes
The course combines: 1) theoretical lectures introducing key concepts and issues; 2) case studies and document-based analyses drawn from real publishing situations; 3) guided discussions to foster critical reflection and multiple perspectives.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Editorial techniques and processes
Face-to-face course
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Editorial techniques and processes
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
The main course material is a slideshow provided to students. Additional readings will be recommended to deepen theoretical and documentary aspects.
Editorial techniques and processes
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
Further information:
Assessment consists of a written exam (on site, closed book). The exam includes factual questions, case-based questions, definitions, practical exercises, and a general reflection question. Evaluation criteria include the accuracy of knowledge, clarity of analysis, precision of vocabulary, and correctness of language.
Use of artificial intelligence : The use of artificial intelligence is strictly prohibited during the exam.
Work placement(s)
Editorial techniques and processes
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Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Editorial techniques and processes
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Contacts
Editorial techniques and processes
Tanguy Habrand
tanguy.habrand@uliege.be
Association of one or more MOOCs
Editorial techniques and processes
There is no MOOC associated with this course.