Entitled students work on school publication and field placement in the book and magazine publishing program

With the digital trends reaching the publishing industry, many people thought the businesses in this area are gone for good. But many have adapted to online publishing and still have good print publishing orders in the line. The book publishing industry has seen many changes, and one college stays up to speed with industry demands. Centennial College offers the Publishing - Book, Magazine and Electronic (6438) program to postsecondary graduates with a passion for books.

Book publishing maven and Program Coordinator Denise Schon loves teaching this program and truly cares about her student's success. She relays her industry experience as a publishing professional and entrepreneur to her students, giving them real-life examples of job expectations. She also offers a piece of advice:

"One of the things that anybody entering the book and magazine industry needs to understand is that they're both quite small worlds, and your reputation is everything. You establish your reputation from the first day of class, because we got 70 students in two classes of 35. You're with those 35 students every day, all day. And they'll remain your friends in the industry, with luck, for 20 to 40 years."

Centennial not only caters to book publishers, but to the magazine publishing companies as well. With print and online, the college teaches all aspects of publishing, from writing to editing and to design. Here are some course highlights:

• Students are trained to be "wordsmiths" to understand and appreciate the publication process. Professionals must be able to select works that are suitable for publications, hence this program will teach students to have good decision-making skills and communication and writing skills.
• Content management is an important aspect of the publishing industry where all sorts of information about the upcoming releases, current books in circulation, and outdated books are stored. Information here can be used for logistics, sales, marketing, and accounting purposes, so professionals need to understand the basic principles of content management.
• Publishing work can have copyright issues. Students will learn the foundations and laws revolving copyrights, contracts, and permissions as they relate to the industry in Canada.
• Students will explore strategies, develop marketing plans, and create presentations regarding the sales and marketing of books and magazines.
• The design and content elements of works published online are different from the printed versions. Students will assess these differences and learn how to create online-friendly publications.

The classroom learning is enhanced by major projects, relevant assignments, role-playing exercises, and case studies. Students get to meet and greet industry professionals during guest speaker sessions. In addition, students in Centennial's Publishing - Book, Magazine and Electronic program can gain further practical experience outside of the classroom. Hands-on experience is granted with participation in the publishing of Centennial's On the Danforth online publication. There is also a field placement in the final semester of this graduate certificate program, where students can gain on-the-job training while rubbing shoulders with the best of the industry.