LI 301: The Theory and Practice of Small Press Publishing
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LI 301: The Theory and Practice of Small Press Publishing
For upper-level undergraduate and graduate students who wish to study the history, ideas, and practicum of literary magazines and small press publishing, including acquisition, advertising and processing submissions, copyediting, line editing, page and cover design, book structure, marketing, grant and review writing, recordkeeping, and print buying.
Dr. Susan Swartwout, Office: GB 318-O,
phone 651-2641,
sswartwout@semo.edu,
office hours T/R 2-3:00
3 Required Texts:
A Student’s Guide to
Getting Published,
The Chicago Manual of Style, and a
book you will choose from your Adopted Press.
Adopted Press:
You will be assigned a specific small press to research. You will also
need to read one current book from that press in order to write a review and
develop an appropriate marketing plan for the book.
Projects:
The course consists of the following assignments, each of which is underlined on
the syllabus
4 short reports (10% each):
• directory report
• catalog-forum analysis of a commercial and an independent press
• mission statement analysis of your Adopted Press
• report of your own created press, according to guidelines
Marketing report (10%): a strategy for the book you read from your
Adopted Press
Book project
(20%): a publication produced in chapbook style by each student.
The publication will have all the components of a book, and will be
meticulously copyedited and proofread.
Midterm and final (10%) each
Discussion
(10% of grade): Participation in discussion is important. We’ll develop a
vocabulary of terms, identify audiences and mission statements, and discuss
regulations and varied theories of publishing.
• Late work is
not accepted for credit. Deadlines
are a crucial element in publishing and one of the important learning
experiences of this course. Any plagiarized work will receive an F.
• Make-up quizzes
are not given. This course should be
treated like a job you don’t want to lose. If you must be absent, be courteous
enough to call. If work is assigned, get it done on time. In emergencies,
limited extensions of work may be granted
in advance of the due date. And
yes, I do give pop quizzes.
• Attend at least one of each:
·
Creative-work
Readings held during the semester by
Journey student magazine: (3 to 4 pm at the Mississippi Mud House on Friday,
Sept. 11; Friday, Sept. 25; Friday, October 9; Friday, October 30, Halloween-ish;
Friday, November 13; Friday, December 11)
·
Visiting Author/Speaker event (Sept. 17,
Luis Hernandez, Multicultural Speaker’s Series; Oct. 1, Tom Cushman, author of
Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation; Oct. 28, Dr Dan
Guillory, author of The Lincoln Poems,
poetry reading
• If you use your own computer for
the book project, you must use PageMaker, InDesign, or Quark
software.
Lab time for the
desktop publishing equipment, such as design software or scanner, will be
outside of regular class hours.
Students are expected to know the Student Handbook’s policies on plagiarism, class behavior, and attendance.
Week 1:
History of small press publishing
in America
08/25 history;
administrative components of a press
08/27 read in
Student’s Guide: Preface and pp. 1 –
34
In class: directory and publications assignments (tools of the trade);
catalogue and forum analysis
Week 2:
Commercial and independent press
issues comparison
09/01 read 35 - 68 ,
manuscript preparation
09/03 Directory and
publications reports due (oral and
written)
Week 3:
Acquisitions: acceptance process, author-editor relationship, contests,
contracts
09/08 read 69 – 80 on
submission of work; self-publishing, co-op publishing
09/10 read 81 – 94, 111 -
112 , author-editor relationship
Week 4:
09/15
literary contests, awards, grants. Look at resources on pp. 113 - 120
09/17
read Lloyd Rich contract-law packet #1
Week 5:
09/22
read Law packet #2
09/24
catalogue-forum analysis of commercial and independent presses due
Week 6:
Editing: proofreading/copyediting, press style, stylesheets, author’s
responsibilities
bring your Chicago Manual of Style
(CMS) to class for the next few weeks
09/29 Editing marks;
creating a stylesheet
10/01 Author Tom Cushman
will visit our class
Week 7:
10/06 more editing
10/08
read handouts: Criteria for a good magazine,
Design handout, and “So you want to start a Literary Magazine?” at
http://www.pw.org/mag/litmag.htm
and review for
midterm
Week
8:
Editing a Literary Magazine
10/13 Midterm
10/15
FALL BREAK
Week 9:
Editing Poetry
10/20 structural
considerations and practicum
(Journey reading 10/18, 7 pm)
10/22 Adopt-a-press
reports on mission statements, forum analysis due
Week 10:
Design: components, specifications, layout, cover
10/27
parts of a book; coherence between cover and page design; styles
10/29 lab: InDesign software
Week 11 :
11/03
lab
11/05 Create your own
press: reports due
(oral and written)
Week 12:
Production: printbuying and quotations, bluelines, release deadlines
11/10 quotation format;
papers and inks
11/12 blueline and blackline
expectations; galleys for reviewers
(Journey reading 7 pm)
Week 13:
Marketing: promotions, budget, projected sales, author tours, bookstores,
awards, distributors and sales
reps, libraries,
classroom sales, sales reports
11/17
read “Editors on Reviews” at
http://www.pw.org/mag/0307/ciabattari_2.htm
and “Marketing to Libraries” at
http://www.jdwrite.com/writing/marketing_libraries.htm
11/19
bring to class three different book marketing ads (or devices from a
bookstore or press) that you find effective. Be prepared to discuss their
qualities (and/or failures)
Week 14:
11/24 marketing genres
(poetry, prose, reference, essays, art, etc.)
read “Publicity Basics” and Ross Marketing (handouts)
11/26
Thanksgiving Break
Week 15:
12/01
Marketing campaign for Adopted-Press book due (presentation &
hardcopy)
12/03 editing chapbooks
Week 16:
12/08
editing
12/10 Final publication due:
chapbook
Finals week:
Final exam on Tues. Dec. 15 at NOON (NOT 12:30!!). Bring your
CMS and a dictionary