The course aims to provide the notions useful for understanding the current publishing scene in the main international markets and the most significant trends in the sector. In addition, the course aims to provide the knowledge necessary to understand the characteristics of the products produced by the publishing industry and the processes and functions that make them. At the end of the course, students will have acquired awareness of the current state of publishing and its products, and will be able to intervene operatively on some aspects of editing and design.
- Introduction to the key features of contemporary publishing, considering companies, markets, strategies, production, reading and technology.
- Presentation of internal work methods of the industry - from the selection of manuscripts to their promotion, sale and distribution - exemplified through the entrepreneurial insights of two of the most significant publishers of the twentieth century: Alfred A. Knopf and Penguin Books.
- A closer look at the productive aspects of the publishing industry, mainly related to covers and packaging, considering the design path from the text to the paratext, through the analysis of the works of specialized designers.
- During the course will be carried out guided tutorials aimed at creating book covers, starting with the reading of manuscripts and proceeding to the definition of guidelines for graphic design.
| Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN | Note |
| Bigardi Alessandro | 1915-2015: I primi cent’anni della casa editrice newyorkese Alfred A. Knopf | Vecchiarelli | 2017 | Culture del testo e del documento, n. 53, pp. 73-116 | |
| Penguin Books | Fifty Penguin Years: Exhibition Catalogue | Penguin Books | 1985 | 0-14-008589-0 | pp. 1-101 |
| John B. Thompson | Merchants of Culture (Edizione 2) | Plume | 2012 | 978-0-452-29772-2 | Tutto il libro, solo per studenti non frequentanti. |
| John B. Thompson | Merchants of Culture (Edizione 2) | Plume | 2012 | 978-0-452-29772-2 | Cap. 7 |
The exam will take place in written form, through five open-ended questions, on the texts and materials indicated (including lecture notes).
To pass the exam, students must demonstrate:
- to know the main features of the current editorial panorama;
- to understand how a modernly organized publishing house works and the productive processes;
- be able to expose their arguments in a precise and organic way and without distraction.
