Outline

Overview

Students will acquire skills in manuscript assessment, the process of acquiring books, scheduling and budgeting, writing readers reports, structural editing and managing the dynamics of the author/publisher and agent/publisher relationships.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Media and Communications
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	MECO6916
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Bernadette Foley, b.foley@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Bernadette Foley, b.foley@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Publishing report on a fiction manuscript More information is available on Canvas.	15%	Week 03 Due date: 15 Aug 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 22 Aug 2022	700 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Structural report on a fiction manuscript More information is available on Canvas.	40%	Week 08 Due date: 19 Sep 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 26 Sep 2022	1800 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Oral pitch in class More information is available on Canvas.	10%	Week 11 Due date: 17 Oct 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 04 Nov 2022	5鈥�10 minutes (500wd equiv)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Publishing proposal More information is available on Canvas.	35%	Week 13 Due date: 31 Oct 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 07 Nov 2022	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

听

Publishing report on a fiction manuscript (700 words): Students are required to choose one of three supplied manuscripts and write a publishing report following the guidelines. 15% weighting
Structural report on a fiction manuscript (1800 words): Using the manuscript chosen for Assignment 1, students are required to write a structural report for the author. 40% weighting
Publishing proposal (1500 words): Student are required to prepare a 1250-word book proposal. 35% weighting
Oral pitch in class (500 words equiv.): Students are required to deliver the publishing proposal for the book idea you created in Assignment 3. It will be a five-to-ten-minute verbal pitch to your publishing colleagues in a mock acquisitions meeting. 10% weighting

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	听
Distinction	75 - 84	听
Credit	65 - 74	听
Pass	50 - 64	听
Fail	0 - 49	When you don鈥檛 meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the .

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the .

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a听simple extension.鈥� The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can鈥檛 complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for听special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students,听听includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Publishing strategy and list development overview	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 02	Manuscript assessment and development	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 03	Structural editing of fiction	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 04	Structural editing of non-fiction	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 05	Editing children鈥檚 and young adult manuscripts	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 06	Working with anthologies and edited collections	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 07	Role of the editor and publisher	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 08	Developing a publishing idea; understanding the market	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 09	Working with authors; helping to build careers	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 10	Working with agents	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 11	Legal and ethical issues in publishing	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 12	Diversity and inclusion in publishing	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 13	Trends in publishing and editing	Seminar (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner鈥檚 Board. The Examiner鈥檚 Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.听
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.听
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours鈥� preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

The prescribed readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, while the recommended weekly seminar readings are available on Canvas.

Prescribed readings:

Australian Government Publishing Service,听Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, Wiley, 2011听
Elizabeth Flann, Beryl Hill, Lan Wang,听The Australian Editing Handbook听(Third Edition), Wiley, 2014

Recommended readings:

Cl茅mence Michallon, 鈥楽o You Want to be A Novelist?鈥�,听The Independent, 2 June 2019
Jonathan Lee, 鈥楨lizabeth Schmitz: Editing Under the Radar鈥�,听Guernica, 18 February 2014
Craig Lambert, 鈥楢ndrew Wylie: Fifteen Percent of Immortality鈥�,听Harvard Magazine, July鈥揂ugust 2010
Joshua Robertson, 鈥楳ark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group鈥�,听The Book Tavern, 25 January 2019
Julian Thumm, 鈥楽ophie Hamley: the Business of Writing鈥�,听The Australian Writer鈥檚 Marketplace, 4 October 2012
George RR Martin, 鈥楨ditors: the Writer鈥檚 Natural Enemy鈥�, Coastcon II, 10 March 1979
J.D. McClatchy, 鈥楽hirley Hazzard: the Art of Fiction鈥�,听The Paris Review, Spring 2005
Blake Morrison, 鈥楤lack Day for the Blue Pencil鈥�,听The Observer, 6 August 2005
Barry Harbaugh, 鈥榊es, Book Editors Edit鈥�,听The New Yorker, 12 March 2014
Gary Kamiya, 鈥楲et Us Now Praise Editors鈥�,听Salon, 24 July 2007
Adolfo Aranjuez, 鈥楧eath of the Editor鈥�,听Overland, 26 July 2017
Mandy Brett, 鈥楽tet by me: Thoughts on Editing Fiction鈥�,听Meanjin, Autumn 2011
Charlotte Wood, 鈥業 have had my vision鈥�,听Sydney Review of Books, 16 May 2014
Hilton Als, 鈥楯oan Didion: the Art of Non-fiction鈥�,听The Paris Review, Spring 2006
Sinead Gleeson, 鈥楰ill Your Darlings: the Importance of Editing鈥�,听The Irish Times, 28 July 2014
Lauren Rohrig, 鈥楶ublishing Profiles: Megan Tingley鈥�,听YPG, 6 June 2013
Simon Garfield, 鈥�Granta: from Student Rag to Literary Riches鈥�,听The Guardian, 30 December 2007
Margot Kahn, 鈥楬ow and why to edit an anthology: addressing the naysayers鈥�, janefriedman.com, 27 November 2017
Andrew Lipstein, 鈥楢nd we oiled each other up and ran naked in the dust of Sparta: an interview with Richard Nash鈥�,听Os-1x, 18 February 2015
Lianne Tan, 鈥楲essons in Publishing Law鈥�,听Legal Vision, 31 March 2017
鈥榃hose Life Is It Anyway? Novelists Have Their Say On Cultural Appropriation鈥�,听The Guardian, 1 October 2016

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. understand how books are commissioned and acquired and the impact of editorial decisions on publishing budgets and schedules
LO2. assess market conditions and other external considerations with regard to the viability of publishing projects
LO3. develop structural editorial skills in children's books, fiction books and non-fiction books
LO4. establish and maintain constructive relationships with agents
LO5. establish and maintain constructive relationships with authors
LO6. assess manuscripts and develop skills in writing reader鈥檚 reports and structural editorial reports
LO7. understand the principles of copyright, permissions, libel and defamation and cultural appropriation
LO8. prepare and deliver a publishing proposal for a mock acquisitions meeting including a basic P&L
LO9. understand diversity principles with regard to publishing acquisitions

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all 爆料王 graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one鈥檚 personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Deletion of crossover content including publishing contracts, supplier management; addition of new diversity and inclusion content.

Disclaimer

Important: the 爆料王 regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an .

爆料王

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

爆料王

MECO6944: Manuscript Acquisition and Development

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links