MSc Publishing – Industry Accredited Postgraduate Degree

Postgraduate Publishing studies at Edinburgh Napier University. INDUSTRY APPROVED Publishing courses. . (COVID-19 UPDATE: Classes are online. Please visit www.napier.ac.uk for up-to-date information.)

Confessions of a Justified Sinner

Confessions coverOne of the most exciting aspects of the Publishing degree at Edinburgh Napier University is the live project.

In 2009, the third-year undergraduate students were set the task of producing a book worthy of selling in any high street book store. The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg was the chosen product and so the hard work began.

First they needed to conduct extensive market research – students conducted surveys, interviewed staff at Waterstone’s and even took their idea to the London Book Fair to see how they could target potential buyers. They decided to focus on students (the book is on the SQA curriculum). However, to avoid the typical textbook look, they commissioned a local artist, Cate James, to design the front cover and give it a more modern theme.

With competitors already in the marketplace, the publishing students also focussed on the quality of the editing and typography, even commissioning para-textual material such as Discussions Questions to make their version the better buy.

The response they had from people who wished to contribute was surprising, but in the end they selected Dr Valentina Bold (Glasgow University) to write the Afterword and Professor Alistair McCleery (Edinburgh Napier University) to provide the Last Word. Professor Douglas Mack (Stirling University) was a fantastic help with the Discussion Questions and Notes.

The students are very proud of the outcome. “The layout is clear and the cover is eye-catching, there are always things that you could go back and change but the unique attributes of the book are what makes it very attractive.”

1,000 copies were printed and the students organised an impressive launch for the book. This was incredibly exciting and challenging, but very successful, as you can see here.

Books have been distributed to schools and libraries across Scotland. Following are comments from the happy recipients. We would be pleased to hear from you if you would like a FREE copy. In the meantime, you too can enjoy a glimpse of what was a very successful book launch and a wonderful evening…

“Thank you for the James Hogg book which I received today; I’m delighted to add it to our Senior Fiction section.”
Kind regards,
Ruth Fry, Librarian
Peebles High School
Peebles

“Thank you for the copy of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. The book is a pleasure to have – attractive and appealing to look at, and legible and easy to read.  It’s nice to see a well-made book in a small format, too. We very much appreciate the gift.”
Best wishes,
Sue Penny, Librarian
Tobermory High School
Isle of Mull

“On behalf of the pupils of Lockerbie I would like to thank you for sending us a copy of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. It is a beautifully produced book and I’m sure it will be of great benefit to our pupils. It is now a welcome addition to our school library.
Please pass on our congratulations to your students on their tremendous efforts.”
Yours sincerely,
Lesley Langlands
Lockerbie Academy
Dryfe Road
Lockerbie

“Thank you for sending the school a copy of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, which I am very happy to add to the school library. While the title may not be one which would immediately appeal to a large number of school students, an attractive edition like yours is much more likely to be borrowed!
Thank you again.”
Helen Martin, Librarian
St Ninian’s High School
Kirkintilloch
Glasgow

 

40 years of publishing
40 Years Celebration and Book Launch

The projects were on display at our recent 40 Years of Publishing event. This was a fantastic networking opportunity for industry professionals and students (past and present).

If you studied Publishing at Edinburgh Napier, we would love to hear from you!

Find out more…

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