Classroom Publishing: A Practical Guide for Teachers Second Edition Ooligan Press Portland State University Printed in Canada Copyright Š 2010 Ooligan Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Classroom publishing : a practical guide for teachers. -- Rev., 2nd ed. p. cm. Earlier ed. entered under: King, Laurie. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-932010-28-2 1. Language arts--United States. 2. Children's writings--Publishing--United States. 3. Youths' writings--Publishing--United States. 4. Interdisciplinary approach in education--United States--Case studies. I. King, Laurie. Classroom publishing. LB1575.8.K56 2010 372.6--dc22 2009050153
Cover design by Kelley Dodd. Interior design by Tom McCluskey and Ellery Harvey. Ooligan Press Department of English Portland State University PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207 503.725.9748; fax: 503.725.3561 ooligan@ooliganpress.pdx.edu www.ooliganpress.pdx.edu Classroom Publishing : A Practical Guide to Enhancing Student Literacy was originally published in 1992 by Blue Heron Publishing, Portland (ISBN 978-0-936085-52-4).
The Publishing Process Every book, magazine, zine, or website is delivered to the reader
via a process that involves a number of skills and a variety of people. The publishing process can be as simple as an author self-publishing a pamphlet or book, or as complex as a large publishing house whose hundreds of employees perform very specific jobs. Regardless, the stages of the publishing process remain the same. This section breaks down the publishing process into stages used in the professional world—acquisitions, editing, design, printing & production, and marketing— demystifying the roles played, the tools used, and suggesting how the publishing process can be applied in the classroom. As these pages will show, teaching the stages of publishing is a curriculum in and of itself that can reinforce an existing writing curriculum by providing applications that go beyond the classroom, teaching students skills that they will use in non-school settings, and offering new ways to engage all students in the process. A list of suggested classroom activities accompanies each section of the process.
Classroom Publishing: An Overview The process for creating a book has become relatively standardized over the last
thousand years. In fact, regardless of whether we are talking about twelfth-century monks hand-copying manuscripts or twenty-first-century teenagers using publishing software on their laptops, the steps in the process are remarkably similar. Depending upon countless variables, some parts of the publishing process will be less emphasized or entirely absent from certain projects, but as an educator, it’s useful to be aware of all the steps involved in publishing because it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture once the process has begun.
Acquisitions: Generating and selecting content What to publish? Professional publishing houses acquire manu-
scripts from authors; periodicals often ask for submissions or have a staff that generates the content. School publications, such as the literary magazine and the newspaper, follow both of these models. Each publication establishes its own internal standards of quality and selects content based on an understanding of its audience. When publishing with students it’s equally important to establish standards of quality and to clearly identify the audience. Involve students in the selection process by helping them evaluate student writing using criteria that they developed. Putting students in the roles of publishers, authors, and editors can invigorate the writing process by giving them a stronger sense of audience and greater purpose.
Editing Editing has multiple levels: developmental editing, copyediting,
fact-checking, and proofreading. Teaching students the purpose and goal of each level can provide additional structure to the writing process, as each level of editing requires a different skill. Developmental editing needs a strong reader who can interact well with the text. Copyediting needs a strong writer who understands style. Factchecking and proofreading both need meticulous readers and writers. It’s important to train students at each level, but it is also useful to allow them to specialize. This will show students what skills are needed at each stage of editing, let them value their peers who have those skills, and see how they benefit from having capable editors work with their writing at each level.
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Layout and Design This stage is made easier with computers. There are sophisticated
software programs, such as Adobe InDesign, which are industry standards in the publishing world. However, a basic word processing program can provide professional-looking type and a digital copy of the students’ writing, allowing the designer to play with the text on the page. Scanners can be used to include digitized student artwork. If no computers are available at all, a manuscript can be reproduced directly onto the page by hand, just as it was done for hundreds of years before the invention of the printing press.
Production This part of the process is often contracted out by professional
publishers who don’t have the means to produce thousands of copies of a book. For classroom publishers with funding, production involves sending files electronically to a printer who will both print and bind as many copies as needed. However, if there is only to be one copy of a student’s book produced, and time allows, there are some real rewards that can be gained by bringing the production into the classroom. Students can personalize their books by writing front-end material, like introductions, editors’ notes, and dedications. The type of art available to single editions is more varied as well, and students feel an even greater sense of ownership of the final product.
Marketing, Sales, and Distribution: Expanding the Audience In the publishing world this stage is all about getting books to
their audiences. This usually includes generating buzz by getting media coverage, having promotional events featuring authors, and selling the product to generate capital for the next project. For classroom publishing projects, the amount of marketing is relative to the size of your print run. For single-copy editions, this might be an in-class “Book Fair,” or possibly an event in the library where student work can be put on display. For larger print runs, this could involve launch events in conjunction with local bookstores, writing press releases announcing the publication of the book, advertising in the school and local community, or an author signing at a sales table in the lunchroom.
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Acquisitions All publishing begins with a selection process: a decision is made
to publish a piece of writing, and the publisher and author agree to the terms of how it will be done. In the world of book publishing, this process is known as the acquisitions process. Book publishers select what they will publish based upon their identification of an audience for a particular work. Publishers acquire the rights from a copyright holder to publish a work, but in a broader sense they are acquiring a title to add to their catalog, and the publisher’s catalog is what defines the publishing house. Publishers of periodicals begin their selection process by considering their readership and what types of articles their readers would find most interesting. For both types of publishers, a keen sense of audience is a key component of the process. There are several roles people play in the acquisitions process. The author is the person responsible for creating the work; the publisher’s job is to bring that work to a wider audience by printing and distributing it. An acquisitions editor is employed by the publisher to find authors. A literary agent is hired by an author to find a publisher (or by a publisher to find authors). Not all writers have agents, and some publishers act as their own acquisitions editor. Publishers use several methods to find authors and manuscripts they want to print. The first is through author-submitted manuscripts. If a publisher is interested in reading unsolicited work, meaning work submitted directly by the author rather than through an agent, they will have submission guidelines for authors to follow. These guidelines explain to authors what types of writing they are looking for, whether they would like to see sample chapters or completed manuscripts, what kinds of books they are most likely to publish (for example: novels, short stories, poetry, or essays), how to format submissions, what to expect from the publisher in return, and a time frame in which to expect a response. Some publishing houses fall under the category of “general trade press” and are open to any sort of writing with a broad market appeal. Other publishers are more interested in targeting a specific topic or market, such as gardening or young-adult fiction. Most book and periodical publishers are listed in the Writer’s Market, which is an annually updated book containing a listing of American book and periodical publishers. Authors use this guide to target specific people working at specific publishing companies. Another method that authors use to contact publishers directly is a query letter. This is most frequently used with periodical articles and nonfiction books, although the practice is common throughout the industry. In these cases, writers pitch topics that might be of interest to editors.
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Classroom Publishing
Writing a Query Letter The purpose of a query letter is to briefly introduce you and your work to an editor. A well-written letter will improve your chances of getting noticed in the publisher’s slush pile. A query letter is typically one-page long and only gives relevant information pertaining to your manuscript. This letter is your chance to grab the attention of a publisher: every word counts. It is more important to discuss your manuscript than give extensive details about yourself. There is no need to describe the details of your writing experience, your inspiration for the work, how long it’s been worked on, or any information that does not relate to what the work is or how it will benefit the press you are submitting it to. The letter should mention why the book is relevant to today’s readers; draw connections to other contemporary books or media that have a similar audience as your book. A publisher will want to see who the projected audience for the book is so that they will know how to market it if it is accepted. If you show that your manuscript has a strong audience, the publisher or acquisitions editor is more likely to read it. It is also important for your query letter to include the length of your manuscript, preferably as an estimated word count rather than the number of chapters. This will give acquisitions editors a better sense of how long the published book might be. If your book will
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include images, let the editors know this as well. After you’ve sufficiently described the manuscript, give a short description of yourself. Include a sentence about your other published writing, and how you found the publisher. Do not dwell on this paragraph. Remember that while it is good to show some personality, at this point your manuscript is more important than you to a prospective publisher. Still, if you are connected to some niche market or otherwise interested in marketing your book, let a publisher know that. Again, each publishing house will have its own requirements for submitting manuscripts, so it’s important to research where your manuscript will fit best. Look over a particular publishing house’s submission guidelines to be sure you know what they require from you in a submission packet. Many publishers will ask for a sample of your manuscript. Send only three or four sample chapters. Don’t send in its entirety; it won’t get read. Here is another opportunity for you to market your manuscript to a publisher. Do you want a publisher to get a taste for the beginning of your story, or do you want to showcase the entire plot? Where is the strongest material in your manuscript, and how can you use it to pitch your story? When submitting sample chapters, think about your story and what you would like to highlight for your pitch.
October 20, 2009 Green Wallaby 783 NW Naito Parkway #502 Portland, OR 97209
Dear Nonfiction Acquisitions Editor: I would like to bring to your attention my proposal for a book about the life cycle and habitat of squirrels. Specifically, the Western Gray Squirrel, which is found up and down the west coast of the United States. The Western Gray Squirrel is a fascinating creature. They are mainly tree dwellers, and prefer to travel from branch to branch, but spend a great deal of time foraging on the ground as well. Seeds and nuts that are not immediately eaten are stored away in hidden caches to be found later. Sadly, the habitat of the Western Gray Squirrel is quickly being destroyed as cities spread and forests are cut down, while their numbers are further culled by invading animals and diseases. In my proposed book, I will examine the different ways in which humans are affecting the lives of the Western Gray Squirrel. Furthermore, I will propose several ideas on how one might help these tiny creatures to regain their habitat. These ideas include everything from planting more trees on one’s land, to keeping predatory pets, such as cats, indoors, to giving up one’s land entirely so that it might return to it’s naturally forested state. There is a solution to fit everyone’s lifestyle. The manuscript is currently approximately 30,000 words and includes 20 pictures I have taken myself of the Western Gray Squirrel and its habitat. My qualifications to write this book include a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Stanford School of Medicine, a PhD in Biological and Ecological Engineering from Oregon State University, as well as 15 years in the field studying the Western Gray Squirrel up close at several sites in Oregon, Washington, and California. When I am not busy with my work, I enjoy reading, bike riding, and carving squirrel sculptures from soap. I sincerely thank you for taking the time to read this letter and consider my book proposal. The Western Gray Squirrel thanks you too. Sincerely, Dr. Annabelle S. Burton 4321 Miller Lane Portland, Oregon 97226
For classroom use only. Copyright Ooligan Press 2009. (503) 725 - 9410 | www.ooliganpress.pdx.edu
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Classroom Publishing Sometimes authors refrain from writing an entire piece until they establish that a publisher is interested. The query letter serves as a form of introduction, and authors should use it to establish their credentials, such as their expertise on a subject, or a unique perspective. The letter should be persuasive and should show an awareness of the market. Acquisitions editors evaluate several things when considering a manuscript. First, they evaluate the quality of the writing and the talent of the author. Acquisitions editors follow trends in both writing and the marketplace; it’s their job to know what is most popular at the moment. They assess the author’s work against the work of authors who have done similar types of writing. Yet, while it’s imperative that acquisitions editors know what has preceded a particular work, they must also be familiar enough with the competition to recognize ways in which a new manuscript differs from others already available. Of course, these editors always hope to be savvy and lucky enough to find a manuscript capable of starting a trend, rather than just following one; this requires them to keep an eye on the cultural landscape as a whole and to have a keen sense of timing. Acquisitions editors also consider the potential of a piece. Publishers are always on the lookout for writers who might not be at the top of their game, but could be if presented with the right opportunity. Getting a feel for the author’s willingness to work with his or her editors, openness to revision, and reaction to criticism can play a critical role in the publisher’s decision whether to acquire a manuscript. Publishers evaluate writing in the acquisitions stage using a three-tier system: accept, reject, or consider. If a piece is rejected, the author usually receives a brief letter; manuscripts are rarely returned unless the author pays the postage. A rating of “consider” means either the piece or the author has potential, and the acquisitions editor usually solicits the opinions of other readers in the publishing house. When a submission is accepted, the author receives a letter saying that the publisher is interested in the work. Finally, acquisitions editors must always consider the marketability of the final product. They must keep their eyes on the market as a whole and anticipate how this book will distinguish itself from all of the other books available to consumers. For example, in 2005, journalist John Grogan and his publisher, William Morrow, hit it big with Grogan’s bestselling memoir Marley and Me, his autobiographical story of learning how to unconditionally love “the world’s worst dog.” This bit of success altered the “dog-memoir” genre, resulting in a flurry of similar books while the topic was still hot. Now with the dog-memoir market more competitive, acquisitions editors must not only be aware of Grogan’s work, but of all other books published in the wake of the success of Marley and Me. Publishers will always be looking for the next bestseller, and finding the book that will distinguish itself from the rest of the competition is an acquisitions editor’s job. However, without a clear sense of how a book will be marketed once it is printed, there is very little incentive for a publisher to risk investing their money in the work. Literary agents introduce authors to publishers. They function mostly through networking, usually working for a percentage of the author’s proceeds. Once a publisher is interested in a work, the agent advocates for the author’s interests, financial and otherwise. Agents must know how authors, publishers, the industry, and markets interact with each other in a business sense. Just like acquisitions editors, they constantly look for talent and pitch that talent to publishers. Some publishing houses will only read the work of authors who are represented by an agent, reasoning that the agent has already vetted the author and
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Acquisitions the work, and that the agent will only present the publishing house with submissions that the publisher might be inclined to accept. Publishers and authors also connect by networking through the literary community. Numerous organizations across the nation support the arts by offering grants, publishing journals, or sponsoring contests. By allowing a larger literary community to weigh in on the quality or potential of an author’s work, publishers can see how an audience reacts and then take that into consideration when looking for manuscripts to acquire. Acquisitions editors and publishers frequently attend writing conferences, serve on arts councils, and judge contests, all of which give them opportunities to meet authors and see their work early on. When editors or publishers see something they like, they frequently “court” the author, with the intention of building a relationship that could benefit both parties. Publishers can also develop books in-house, meaning that a manuscript is generated by writers or editors within a publishing company rather than by outside authors. Common examples of in-house publications include reprints of works currently in the public domain or edited anthologies of previously published works. Sometimes editors will write copy to connect the segments of the book together; in other cases, the publisher will simply ask the editors to write all of the book’s copy themselves. Because they are not working directly with an author, editors must make sure that they have the proper permissions in order to avoid violating copyright law. (For more on copyright law, please see page 185.)
Public domain refers to intellectual property that is not protected under copyright and therefore belongs to the public.
Applications to the Classroom One way to bring the acquisitions process into the classroom is
through activities in which students evaluate the writing of their classmates based on how well it appeals to specific audiences. Students can first identify a target audience, such as their peers, their families, or the general public, which will allow them to evaluate the pieces based upon how interesting the writing would be to that audience. For example, the contents of a class anthology whose intended audience is other students of a similar age would differ from a class anthology that would be available to the general public, to people of all ages. Each group would find different things interesting, so a selection process based on audience could be used to determine what writing fits best. One way to teach students this skill is to have them examine other publications that target the same audience and evaluate the editor’s selection process. This exercise can teach students how to articulate their reaction to literature, and can even be done with the literature textbook. Students can then apply this evaluative reading skill to writing submitted by their peers for publication.
For more practical ideas about acquisitions, look for this icon in the "Stories from the Classroom" section.
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Classroom Publishing
Zines are handmade publications in the form of miniature magazines or pamphlets. A zine serves as a creative forum for personal expression and often combines art and text.
Adolescents who are learning how to evaluate writing may be hampered by numerous factors. Their lack of familiarity with the genre, the preferences of their peers, their limited knowledge of certain subjects, and the strength of their reading skills can all have an influence on their judgment. The important thing is not necessarily that they select the strongest writing, but rather that they can articulate, in objective terms, why they like a particular piece and how they think it might appeal to a wider audience. By broadening the context in which students are reading the work, teachers can help them develop their ability to evaluate quality writing. Students publishing a zine, or a book of entirely their own work, can apply the acquisitions process differently. In this case, the selection process is the same, but students are only choosing from work they have created themselves. If students learn how to recognize quality writing that appeals to a specific audience, they can also apply these lessons to their own writing.
Integrating an acquisitions process into class work teaches students how to evaluate good writing. In Hawaii, elementary school students created their own publishing company, Golden Pencils, Inc., to acquire and publish work from their classmates. Photo by Alan Takano, Kamehameha Schools.
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Acquisitions The two examples above represent two different types of publishing. In the first example a group—usually the class or some division of the class—searches for content for a publication, evaluates multiple authors, and selects what they think would be most appealing to the reader. In the second example, the students become self-publishers and assess the quality of their own work based on their knowledge of quality writing, audience, and their own abilities. Both kinds of publishing can be found in the real world, and can be equally valid methods of legitimizing student writing. An easy way to combine the two examples above is to simply ask students to include the work of a peer in their own self-published anthology. This also gives teachers an opportunity to teach valuable lessons on how and why to credit authors for their work—lessons they already teach when they cover citations, bibliographies, and how to avoid plagiarizing. By gaining permission from authors (i.e. other students) before publishing their work, students can better understand why academic integrity is valued so highly; in the real world, of course, it’s not just cheating—it’s illegal. Since students own the copyright to their own work, this exercise is more than academic. It teaches student writers that the world at large places an intrinsic value on a person’s original work. It also allows student publishers to see how authors and publishers work together to bring writing to a larger audience. (For more on discussing copyright law with students, see page 185.) An exercise in which the students form mock publishing companies can give them the perspective of both author and publisher. The students can invent names for their companies and design copyright pages for their books. The publishing information of any professionally printed book can provide an easy model for this lesson. By learning how to read and create this page, students will learn how to identify when and where a book was printed, who retains the rights to the work, the book’s publishing history, and what material in the book is used by permission. This is important knowledge for students to have that can be useful in future projects when they are creating bibliographies, citing sources, and doing research. Obtaining permissions does not only apply to writing, but also to artwork, photography, graphics, and anything else not created by the student that might be included in a publication. Using photography, art, and graphics that have either been licensed for common use or reside in the public domain provides students with another opportunity to apply the acquisitions process. Students who are able to show on the copyright page that all of their content was either published with permission in accordance with its licensing agreement, or that it resides in the public domain, will have a more professional and authentic publication.
Finding and Using Images Responsibly There are two excellent resources that teachers can direct students to when they search for images to use in their publications. The first is Creative Commons. This nonprofit organization allows copyright holders to grant permission for others to use their work in accordance with the way they want it to be used. Using Creative Commons, teachers can encourage the legal use of pictures, images, and graphics to enhance student work, but can also require that the work be attributed to the creator under the terms of the Creative Commons license. Directing students to use the Creative Commons search engine will ensure that they only find content they are licensed to use. Another helpful resource is Wikimedia Commons. In this image database, all of the images used on Wikipedia are archived and their licensing agreements documented. Many of the images on Wikipedia reside in the public domain, which means they are pre-cleared and digitized for student use. Attribution to Wikimedia Commons allows teachers to check the source of an image, in much the same way they would check a citation in a resource paper, to verify that students use appropriate means of including graphics in their publications. (For more on discussing copyright law with students, see page 185.).
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Classroom Publishing As students independently create more and more content online in their non-school hours, teaching them how to incorporate content they are licensed to use will not only make the work they do more credible, but could potentially spare them the trouble of running afoul of an actual license holder.
Acquisitions Activities 1. Using a resource such as Writer’s Market, have students identify publishers who would be interested in publishing the following pieces of writing: —— a poem —— a novel —— a young adult novel —— a science-fiction novel by a first-time novelist 2. As a persuasive writing assignment, have students write query letters in which they pitch imaginary novels to publishers. 3. Using Writer’s Market, have students identify publishers who might be interested in publishing their best pieces of writing. Students can write query letters and format their writing according to the publishers’ submission guidelines. They can then send the letters directly to the acquisitions editors of these publications. This might be considered an extended application for a senior or capstone project. 4. Ask students to search Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org) and have each find an image to complement the class’s current reading assignment. Have students include all the proper citations and present their selected images along with a paragraph discussing the connection of the image to the reading. 5. Students can research writing contests and learn what their submission guidelines are. Then have the students revise their work to fit the guidelines and submit it. 6. Using a passage from John Grogan’s Marley and Me, discuss with students what made this piece of writing a bestseller. Have each student write his or her own pet memoir that would have broad appeal yet distinguish itself from other writing in the field. 7. Because students might work in different roles at different points in the project, have them literally wear different hats when they are working as authors, publishers, or editors. 8. Have students become “literary agents” and pitch the best work of one of their “clients” to the class. 9. Take a familiar children’s book (e.g. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss) and have students create a book proposal that adapts the theme for an adult or teen audience. 10. At the end of a unit in which students have studied several examples of a certain genre, such as poems or short stories, ask them which was their favorite and why. Also ask them which would appeal to the broadest possible audience, and have them explain why. Find out whether there was a difference between what they personally preferred and what they thought would do well with a large audience. Ask them to explain how their criteria changed for each decision. 11. Use a “mystery text”(a story the students won’t recognize) and set submission guidelines. After the students read the text, have them evaluate the text by the guidelines that were set, and ask them if they would accept that text for publication.
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