I think the best way to learn is by doing so I set the students some homework. ‘Assess this manuscript and the sample layout and estimate the costs of producing it.’ It soon became clear that this was a big ask and most of the students didn’t really know where to begin. So we worked through it together, and I think that by the end of the session they felt much more confident about how to set about a similar task in future. I also asked them to prioritise a number of tasks – plenty of pitfalls for the unwary there – and to draft out a schedule for a 30,000-word report that had come in unexpectedly and needed to go to press in ten weeks. This sort of thing is meat and drink to CPM, but I think it gave the MA students a lot of food for thought. I discovered that I quite enjoy teaching – perhaps a second career beckons, after all?
Here’s what one of the students thought:
Production Processes in Publishing – Lecture given by Jackie Dobbyne, Cambridge Publishing Management
By Amber Gunn
Jackie Dobbyne, Managing Director at Cambridge Publishing Management, gave an informative and engaging lecture on project management and budgeting in production to students on the MA Publishing course at Anglia Ruskin University on Thursday 21st February 2013.
Feedback from class members has shown how helpful the session was in teaching them about the daunting (especially for us beginners!) process of working out a costing sheet to produce a book, and the time and energy which goes into managing multiple projects at any one time. It was fantastic to hear Jackie’s own experiences gained through working at CPM and she gave us advice on situations to look out for and how to avoid them in our future careers.
As someone who is interested in undertaking a career in the production side of the industry, the lecture helped in providing the fundamentals of a successful brief, showcasing those necessary items for capturing a publisher’s vision. In addition, it was brilliant to hear the reasons why publishers choose CPM to produce their works. I feel that Jackie gave a great overview of why CPM benefits publishers, but she also outlined why a publisher may choose not to use a company such as them.
The session was concluded by setting us exercises in prioritising tasks and constructing a schedule for producing a manuscript, enabling us to put our new knowledge to the test. Overall, I feel that the lecture was a brilliant insight into the production aspect of the industry, and it definitely complemented the other lectures on our Production module.
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