Program Overview

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Publishing Studies

The focus of the courses is on professional development. During the course, students will:

• develop an informed perspective on contemporary publishing issues in South Africa and the world, and apply this knowledge within specific publishing contexts
• develop skills in practical areas such as copy-editing, design, production, sales, and marketing
• achieve an understanding of publishing processes and all the players involved
• identify and analyse issues affecting the business and management operations of a publishing company
• build critical, analytic, and evaluative skills in communication, teamwork, project management, and technology
• relate legislative and copyright issues to the practice of publishing
• deal with all these aspects of publishing in terms of both paper book publishing and electronic or digital publishing

Curriculum

Students are required to complete 4 full semester course modules/units and a research essay. Each unit requires 10-12 hours of attending lectures, reading, researching, and completing assignments each week of the semester. All assessment is by assignments - there are no traditional examinations.

Course Modules

• AFRT4034A The publishing environment - 1st semester
• AFRT4030A Commissioning for publishers - 1st semester
• AFRT4033A Sales and Marketing for Publishing - 2nd semester
• AFRT4031A Copy-editing for Publishers (in English, or an African language on request) - 2nd semester
• AFRT4032A Research Essay: Publishing Studies - compulsory for all students
• AFRT4011 Management for Publishing Industry - when offered - 2nd semester
• AFRT4010 Design and production - when offered, this is a one block module
• AFRT4026 Selected topic in publishing - when offered

Course Module Descriptions

SEMESTER 1

AFRT4034A The publishing environment

Publishing students and employees need to understand the historical, social, economic, and cultural contexts in which publishing is taking place, as well as the physical, financial, editing, and marketing processes involved in publishing.

AFRT4030A Commissioning for publishers

A basic working knowledge of Excel is a prerequisite for this course. This module will facilitate learning in the field of publishing in South Africa by introducing students to the commercial and financial decisions that create and sustain a viable publishing entity in South Africa.

AFRT4032A Research Essay: Publishing Studies - full year

Over a full academic year, students will complete a research essay on a topic of particular interest to them. The first part of the year will be spent writing the research proposal, in academic style, with research questions, a literature review, methodology, and reference list.

SEMESTER 2

AFRT4033A Sales and Marketing for Publishing

This course will develop students' understanding and skills related to the marketing, sales, and distribution of content. Marketing refers to a range of techniques including not just selling and advertising but also market research, product development, pricing, promotion, merchandising, direct mail, public relations, etc.

AFRT4031A Copy-editing for Publishers (in English, or an African language on request)

Preparing full manuscripts for production requires skilled copyeditors. Proofreaders check a document for any kind of grammatical, typographical, or formatting errors, as the last step taken before a document is published or shared with its intended audience.

AFRT4011 Management for Publishing Industry - when offered

Publishing houses require the same management techniques and skills as any other company. This course concentrates on aspects of management that will give any publishing employee an overview of how the company runs.

Entry Requirements

• A bachelor's degree or equivalent with 65% course mark aggregate in a third-year major.
• At least an upper second-class pass in the final undergraduate course in the subject.

University Application Process

Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once the application is complete in terms of requested documentation, the application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment.

University Fees and Funding

The Fees site provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, the University's Postgraduate Funding portal is a database of scholarships, bursaries, and other funding opportunities available to Wits postgraduate students.

Programme Details

• Programme Code: AHA00
• Faculty: Humanities
• School: Literature, Language and Media
• Qualification: BA(Hons)
• Duration: 1 year or 2 years part-time
• Study Mode: Full-time; Part-time

Closing Date

The application deadline for South African students is 30 November, for international students 30 September.