A Publishing Education Report

Abstract

Notes about the February 2016 PubWest Conference (Santa Fe, New Mexico) and a panel discussion about the relationship between academic publishing studies programs and publishers. PubWest is a regional publishers’ organization in the U.S., with Canadian members. The 2016 conference—“A Passion for Books”—included keynotes, intensive sessions, and panels on making publishing more profitable. Per Henningsgaard, Portland State University, chaired the panel “What Publishers and Academics Who Study Publishing Can Learn from Each Other.” Co-panelists: Sybil Nolan, University of Melbourne; David Emblidge, Emerson College. Henningsgaard gave an overview of publishing studies programs worldwide, what they teach and how they serve students interested in entering the publishing business. Emblidge presented a publishing studies student project from Emerson College—a book proposal for an illustrated nonfiction trade book. Nolan commented on broader research interests concerning the book business and its history, shared by academics in publishing studies. Similar conferences for publishing industry professionals and publishing studies courses at various universities are noted here, as is a research project aiming to build a comprehensive database for publishing studies teaching and learning materials.