Module Identifier IL33210  
Module Title PUBLISHING AND THE BOOK TRADE  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Mr Gwilym Huws  
Semester Intended for use in future years  
Next year offered N/A  
Next semester offered N/A  
Course delivery Seminar   2 Hours 2 x 1 hour sessions This module will be delivered using supported self-study whereby all students work through a printed, open learning package. These sessions will introduce students to the concept of student centred learning. In addition, students will be supported by electronic tutorials using the Department's computer conferencing facility.  
Assessment Essay   Assessment Criteria - Presentation 25% - Content 55% - Bibliography and Citation 20% 2,000 word assignment Essay Questions To be confirmed   50%  
  Exam   1.5 Hours   50%  

Aims and objectives


The module will cover:


Book trade/library relations: the need for understanding on both sides.


Legal matters affecting the trade and libraries:


(a) copyright, international copyright, Copyright Act 1988, especially the provisions for photocopying, Copyright Licencing Agency, problems caused by new technology;


(b) Public Lending Right, attitudes of authors before and after the Act, attitudes of librarians before and after the Act;


(c) Net Book Agreement, short history of NBA, recent dissatisfaction with NBA, arguments for and against;


(d) censorship, obscenity, blasphemy, Official Secrets Act, non-statutory censorship.


Authors and comunication: how authors operate, recorded messages, the medium and the message.


Publishing: publishing in Britain, trade publishers, literary agents, best sellers, non-trade publishers, the publishing office, the editorial department, commissioning and copy editors, the book designer, the production department, the marketing department, development of paperback publishing, periodical publishing, children's publishing.


Computers and the book trade: ISBNs, EPOS, Teleordering, electronic publishing.


Book selling: new booksellers, suppliers available to libraries, bookselling within libraries, secondhand and antiquarian bookselling.


At the end of this module you should be able to:


. understand the structure and orgainsation of the contemporary British book trade;
. examine how libraries and information providers relate to the trade.