Publishing

You’ll graduate with essential publishing skills, from writing persuasive, concise copy and text editing, to communicating brand identity and audience research. We’ll teach you how to layout content and manipulate images using industry-standard software, with opportunities to develop your skills in image use, video; photography; app creation; and HTML.

Additional modules offer the chance to specialise and deepen your knowledge and skill base, and to work on larger personal projects linked to your career aims.

Year one
We’ll introduce you to core publishing principles, with a focus on copywriting and editing. You’ll become familiar with layout, production and publishing software. There will be weekly deadlines, so you’ll get used to turning around work quickly and in a well-presented form. Alongside this you’ll start to build an in-depth knowledge of the publishing industry.

Year two
You’ll gain greater insight into particular areas of publishing, such as marketing, editorial and design. Optional modules allow you to delve deeper into areas such as illustrated books, fiction editing, and the use of publishing skills for social enterprise and charity work.

Year three
Tutors will guide you to focus your skills and knowledge around your personal creative and career interests. You’ll be encouraged to develop your individual approach as a creator, curator or project manager; your final portfolio will reflect this, showcasing your work for prospective employers. Optional modules cover magazines, book commissioning, digital literary studies, cookery publishing, and children’s books.

You’ll be assessed by coursework, including portfolios, essays, feature articles, reflective commentaries and reports. In some modules you’ll share your work through short, informal presentations.

You’ll be taught through creative workshops, skills labs, seminars and lectures. You will learn to be adept at project management and product development following a research and development process. We work on-screen and beyond: creating sketchbooks; making physical prototypes; getting out and meeting people; finding opportunities.

Throughout the course, you’ll work to briefs set by your tutors or industry collaborators, as well as working on your own projects. We expect you to work with flair and enthusiasm, taking your ideas and developing them into industry standard work.

• Introduction to Publishing
• Introduction to Editing and Production
• Create Lab
• Introduction to Journalism 

• The Book Publishing Industry
• Experiments in Book-Making
• The Independent Magazine
• The Editor
• Social Enterprise
• Science Journalism and Publishing
• Professional Placement Year 

• Digital Publishing
• Publishing Industry Project
• The Commissioning Editor
• Children’s Publishing
• Digital Content Strategy

Students can choose to study abroad; this is a great opportunity to develop knowledge of other book markets as publishing is an international industry.

From visiting bookbinders and letterpress companies to climbing Britain’s tallest spire and visiting bookshops for talks and research, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in field trips across the Publishing modules.

Students have the opportunity to work on live projects and collaborations. We have worked with international and local clients such as TEDxBristol, X Media Lab, the National Trust, Forest of Imagination arts events, and Bath Film Festival.

With our support, many students carry out work experience and freelance work. The Publishing lecturers have had a great amount of experience in the industry, putting us in an excellent position to help students and graduates with networking opportunities.

We support applications for the Parragon Books paid internships and work with industry contacts to develop internship and work experience opportunities for students. 

The 'Future Publishers' initiative aims to encourage new publishing talent and increase diversity in the industry. Since 2011, Publishing staff and students have delivered inspiring magazine and book-making workshops for children and young people in schools and at live events e.g. Forest of Imagination. 

Students have also worked on Social Media Experiment, a tutor-directed project creating live social media coverage of cultural and tech events, and Milk Magazine, a student managed digital and print student magazine.

Publishing graduates have gained a range of professions including Production Assistant; Digital Editor; Digital Marketing Coordinator; Events Organiser; and Project Manager. Graduates have been employed by publishing companies including:

• Future
• Parragon Books
• Taylor & Francis
• BBC
• Penguin Random House

Each year we award six prizes to students in their final year. These are the:

• Digital Publishing Prize
• Public Ambassador Prize
• Food Writing Prize
• Illustrated Publishing Prize
• Book Innovation Prize

Publishing is taught on our Newton Park campus. You'll have access to a wide range of excellent facilities, including:

• The Publishing Labs: digital and print making spaces
• Newton Park library
• Commons building
• Our Virtual Learning Environment

As a Publishing student, you'll benefit from:

• Experienced Publishing technical demonstrators to support you
• The latest specialist software as well as various print and handmade publishing equipment including digital cameras, iPads, booklet makers
• Free equipment hire with SISO, Bath Spa’s loan system.