The End or the Beginning?

It's done. Gone. Given up to the marking Gods. There's no going back now.

The finished product!

Yes, I have finally handed in my dissertation. After months of researching and writing it, it had kind of become a routine. I got up, wrote some (or more accurately, attempted to write while having a mental block), cried, stared at a blank screen thinking I would never get anywhere with it. This went on every day all summer and I must admit it was very strange waking up this morning and not having any more dissertation work to do. It sounds rather silly, but it had become my life pretty much. I just hope that all those tears were worth it and I manage to pass!

In the end I was almost pleased with it. It certainly looked nice when it was all printed out and bound. Miraculously my ink held out enough to print all my illustrations and even the pie charts that ended up representing my research survey (one thing I learned this summer was that Excel and InDesign do not get along). I did nearly have a small heart attach when the secretary couldn't find my signed statement against plagiarism, and then realised she was staring at it. I had visions of having to take it back and do it all over again! The strange thing is, when it came to handing it in, I was almost sad to see it go. It had become my pet and it's kind of scary to think there's nothing I can do to it now. I just have to hope it's good enough. 

Black & White Publishing

Picture Courtesy Black & White Publishing

Hey all, sorry I have been AWOL lately. I have been frantically beavering away with my dissertation (it’s not going well so it’s best we don’t mention it) and I’ve also been kept busy with work and my internship at Black & White Publishing. You may remember I told you about starting it a while ago. Well, my last day was last Friday – that’s the quickest six weeks of my life!

I’m not exaggerating when I say it was a wonderful experience. I had more fun than I expected. Everyone was so nice and welcoming and I never once felt like a mere intern. They treated me like an extension of the staff, even allowing me to sit in on some meetings and offer my opinions on author interviews. I got to create quite a few databases which was actually a lot of fun. I got to research things like craft and wool shops and book review blogs, which introduced me to a whole host of interesting blogs.

One of my main duties was to read through the submissions and keep a log of them. I’d encountered the slush pile at Luath, but I’d forgotten just how truly awful some writing is. It never ceases to amaze me how many people think they can write when they really can’t. It actually makes me question my own love of writing. I hope I’m better than some of the terrible submissions I had to read over the last six weeks! There were several where the English was barely comprehensible, while some others were just utterly disturbing (children being impaled on spikes, anyone?) But there were some interesting ones. I thoroughly enjoyed an entire manuscript that I got to read entitled In Fear of Fear. It was about a woman in a mental institution and we discovered how she ended up there through a series of flashbacks. It was really well written and I loved the twists and turns in the plot. On my last day I discovered a young adult submission which I think had some potential, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that too.

The highlight for me was being able to proofread a children’s picture book, Magpies and Mischief. It was so much fun! The illustrations were beautiful and the story was actually really good. I will definitely be purchasing a copy when it is published. Not once did it feel like I was working. It clarified for me that this is indeed what I want to do with my life.

Black & White was a great experience. I would definitely recommend anyone interested in getting into publishing to apply for work experience with them. I want to thank them all again for having me and for treating me like a valued member of the team. It’s been the best six weeks and I’m going to miss going in every Thursday and Friday. I’ve discovered a whole host of new books thanks to my placement and I hope I’ve sharpened my skills. I certainly feel more confident and I hope it’s not long before I am able to work for a publishing company again.

Napier Degree Show 2013

Last night saw the launch of Napier Degree Show 2013. As members of the School of the Arts and CreativeBuzz magazine and our book project were on display, as well as a sneak-peek of the forthcoming Publishers Inc. For Buzz we had a giant poster of the cover on display, as well as the contents page and the Independence spread which gained national media attention a few weeks ago (http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/scotland/article3742505.ece).There are also copies of the magazine to pick up and take away.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Time to be all sentimental...

Today was the last day of trimester two. I can't believe how quickly it's come round. It feels like just yesterday I was starting this course back in September with no idea what to expect. Now, techincally, there are no more classes. Trimester three is all about the dissertation.

It's been a rollercoaster ride. I never imagined back at the beginning how stressful the experience was going to be. Undergrad had a few hairy moments, especially around exam time, but this course has taken me to a whole other level. At times it felt like each week a new problem emerged to add to all the others we were trying to juggle. Producing the book and two magazines has been more of an exercise of what not to do than what to do. It's shown me that working in a team is vital. It's also extremely difficult.

Has it been a worthwhile experience? Yes, it has. I have gained knowledge of producing books and magazines and I feel more confident when applying for publishing jobs. I know I can handle high pressure situations now. While I didn't enjoy the set backs and the stress, it has made me stronger.

But the best thing to come out of the course is the wonderful people I have met. I could never have foreseen
that I would make so many close friends. I've never been part of such a wide circle of friends before, but we really do all get on so well. We've bonded and had many good times over the last few months. These are the people that have kept me going in week on week, even when all I wanted to do was throw a tantrum and tell the university I was quitting.




So this post is dedicated to them. Thanks for making the past nine months so memorable. Here's to writing our dissertations! And hopefully there are many more memories still to make.

Buzz on the Streets

Wednesday (1st May) saw the launch of Buzz magazine 2013. After 12 long weeks of blood, sweat and tears (literally) the publishing and journalist students of Napier were able to say the job was done. It was a lovely, sunny night and we all had a good time, celebrating all our hard work.

To be honest, I don't think any of us ever thought we would reach this point. We faced so many problems in producing this magazine; at times it felt as if we were cursed! Buzz was a joint project between the journalist and publishing students and we didn't always see eye-to-eye. Not to mention there were a lot of last minute changes to be made that resulted in a considerable amount of stress and frayed tempers on all sides.

But I think it was all worth it in the end. I'm really happy with how the magazine looks overall. The cover is bright and colourful and as good as any professional magazine cover. The contents page is cool and the cover story looks amazing. I designed two spreads for the magazine - the Brew Lab one and the picnic one. Considering that before October I had never touched InDesign, they're not too shabby. The picnic hamper spread was a particularly hard one to bring to life, but it's good to be tested creatively.

Enjoying the launch

The whole project has taught me a lot - from design skills, to working with others, and, most importantly, how to stay calm under extreme pressure. It was at times frustrating and at times fun, and it's definitely an experience I'm glad to have had. I've never done anything like this before and I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. I would seriously consider working in magazine design in the future.

Those of you who live in Edinburgh, look out for Buzz in cafes, bars, hotels and select shops all over the city. And don't forget to check out www.buzzmag.org/ for more stories and reviews of the latest films and gigs.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Hope everyone had a good Easter.


It's been a busy old time for me. With less than two weeks now until the London Book Fair (I cannot tell you how excited I am for this) and only three weeks after the Easter break until the end of term, there's a whole load of deadlines approaching.

The good news is that Buzz Magazine is now complete. Those of you who live in Edinburgh, look out for it in coffee shops, bars and hotels from April 18th. 

So You Want to Work in Publishing?

Week six of my second trimester is almost over (yes, really!), so now seems like the time for some good old reflection. Before I started my MSc Publishing course I knew we would be required to participate in 'live projects', producing a book and a magazine. During our first trimester our work was all geared to providing us with the skills needed to complete these projects. The individual proposals we all worked on for the book live project had me imagining an exciting collaboration to produce a beautiful, interesting book. There were so many good ideas and I couldn't wait to get started on it.

The reality, as is so often the case, has been somewhat different.