Book Publishing 1

In 1995, the Master of Publishing program at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C., admitted its first cohort of students to a program that was designed to teach best publishing practices to graduate students and to embark on a program of research that would help transform and modernize publishing. Students and faculty were encouraged to engage in analysis of publishing with the intent of opening practices to a critical gaze. The studies contained in this volume -- 10 of which are written by program graduates and two by faculty members -- explore the dynamics of title acquisition; examine operations and management; describe the targeting of specific markets; analyze marketing, merchandising, purchasing, and reading; look into foreign markets; and investigate technology and change. They represent rarely seen snapshots of industry practices and bring forward analysis designed to aid in the understanding, evaluation, and application of those practices.