SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
CMNS 472-4
Office and Telephone: TBA Harbour
Centre Day
Email: jeburns@straight.com
Prerequisites: 75 credit hours including CMNS 372.
Course
Description: An examination of trends in book selling, book buying and book
reading, with an emphasis on popular genres, successful authors and outlets
such as chain and independent bookstores, book clubs, libraries and specialty
stores.
Note: Each week, I expect students to arrive on time, with
readings finished and prepared to contribute. As well as a lecture, each
meeting will include lots of discussion and a presentation. Presentations will
be delivered jointly by teams of two students. The style of presentations will be agreed in the
first class; I suggest a pro-and-con debate of a thesis that gets to the heart
of each week’s topic. There will also be one-hour visits by industry
professionals throughout the term. I will have an office hour to meet with
students each week, and will also be available by e-mail (as above) to a
reasonable extent.
There are three units:
Introduction and overview
History of reading and writing
Development of the reader
History of publishing, with an emphasis on Canada
The retail market
Assignment 1 set (bookstore
analysis)
Fighting for entertainment $$$: books vs. movies,
etc.
What makes a bestseller / what actually sells
What is genre (and what is not)
The children’s market
Staying the invisible hand: grants and small presses
Academic publishing
Assignment 1 due
Assignment 2 set (small press analysis)
Marketing options, traditional and non-
The role of the author
Reviews
Is there life on-line: publicity, publishing,
marketing, selling
. . . plus: wrap-up, final discussion, conclusions,
and expectations for final exam
Assignment 2 due
Assignment 3 set (review)
Assignment 3 due
With the written assignments, I’m
looking for (and expecting) that happy marriage of critical thinking,
persuasive use of logic, and effervescent language. Grades will depend also on
a demonstrated understanding of course texts and immaculate spelling and
grammar.
Grades will be allocated on the
basis of:
Seminar 25%*
Class participation 10%
Assignment 1 10%
Assignment 2 10%
Assignment 3 10%
Final take-home exam 35%
·
Pairs of students will receive the same grade for
presentations. It is up to each student to make the most of that class.
€ Assignment 1 -- retail
Buy a book. Any book. Discuss the
experience of buying the book, on-line or in a bricks-and-mortar store. Analyze
positioning, competition, and factors
for “conversion” as described by Underhill, 750 to 1,000 words.
€ Assignment 2 -- small press
Contact a small press (a list will
be available for divvying in class). Ascertain the press’s best-selling front
list and back list titles, in trade and academic markets, plus any special
markets applicable. Discuss marketing history and other factors with
marketing/publicity member of press, 750
to 1,000 words.
€ Assignment 3 -- reviews
Write a review of one book from this
course (a course book or the title from assignment one). Research previous
reviews and quote as part of your larger argument. Pay particular attention to
the ideal reader of the book, and how well the text and packaging deliver, 750
to 1,000 words
€ Final take-home exam
The School expects that the grades
awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established
university-wide practices with respect to both levels and distribution of
grades. In addition, the School will follow Policy T10.02 with respect to
“Intellectual Honesty,” and “Academic Discipline” (see the current Calendar,
General Regulations Section).
Sven
Birkets, The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age
Paco Underhill, Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping
Victor Nell, Lost in a Book: The Psychology of
Reading for Pleasure
Roy McSkimming, The Perilous Trade
Additional required readings will be
assigned and distributed in class, including selections from:
Joseph
McAleer, Popular Reading and Publishing in Britain: 1914-1950
Michael
Korda, Making the List: A Cultural History of the American Bestseller 1900-1999
Jenny Hartley, Reading Groups
Alberto Manguel, A History of Reading
as well as various studies and on-line and trade
reports handed out in class.