tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12758270091767635072023-11-16T02:20:58.438-05:00Publishing U.In which a wannabe fiction writer recounts her experiences doing an M.A. in Publishing at Oxford Brookes University. Join me on my journey into the Dark Side.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-68544514300087906142011-01-03T07:32:00.003-05:002011-01-03T07:59:45.971-05:00Happy New Year!As I'm sure you can tell by now, I'm no longer posting here regularly. I still get the odd email thanking me for the info (You're welcome!) so this blog will remain up so that it might help other people make up their minds about the wonderful publishing programme at Brookes. <div><br /></div><div>Oh, also, something that's pretty awesome, I recently met someone who read my blog and then went on to study publishing (at CUL though). I met her through... NaNoWriMo! Heheh, I love how the universe works sometimes!</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I've now been working for 8 months at a big children's and educational publishing company in London. I'm not doing the glamorous Children's fiction editorial stuff but I'm enjoying it very much! Those six months of unemployment were worth it to find the right job!</div><div><br /></div><div>Never despair! </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I'm going to go because they're showing Kiki's Delivery Service on TV and I love that film! To any new people, who might stumble on this blog, I'm still answering questions and looking at comments. </div><div><br /></div><div>Happy New Year 2011!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-51697619842832117992010-02-08T09:30:00.002-05:002010-02-08T09:33:32.211-05:00updateHi again,<br /><br />So, still unemployed but working hard on starting up my company. The contest I ran for a name for it is over and I think I've picked the winner. I'm thinking it over, gotta make sure I pick just the right one after all. But I'm feeling pretty good about it.<br /><br />That said, once I have a name for it, I have to register my company with the powers that be. Then, I have to make sure they don't make me pay weird taxes when I'm not even earning yet. Then, I have to find at least £200 to start me off. Oi! Still, good fun overall :) and of course, I'm always looking for volunteers who want to help me out with design or want to make me an awesome webpage ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-23222975363482612752010-01-17T06:07:00.002-05:002010-01-17T06:20:02.301-05:00settting off on my ownS0, some of you may know that I'm having a very hard time finding a job. I can only ascribe this to bad luck as apparently, I interview very well. But it seems like every time they have loads of people with more experience than me. I have decided to take this lack of experience into my own hands (well, what else can I do if no one will hire me because I have little experience and I can't get experience because no one will hire me?). So, while I'm still looking for a job in publishing, I'm going to make the most of this time I have at home to set up my own publishing company dedicated to books I like.<br /><br />I know it's going to be difficult, especially as I want to go into a fairly niche market (Steampunk) and I don't have a lot of money and I don't have experience of running a company. But I figure, as long as I can break even or at least not lose too much money, it's always experience that will look good on my CV. And there's always the chance that I will succeed beyond my wildest expectations.<br /><br />It seems like a good source of posts for this blog which has gotten a bit quiet since I graduated. A new direction for it to go in and might also be educational to others whether I succeed or fail miserably.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-24506922804739859122009-12-16T17:45:00.003-05:002009-12-16T17:49:45.669-05:00If Science-Fiction is dying, let it...it'll only find a way to resurrect and come back with awesome super powers.<br /><br /><br />I don't usually get involved in internet debates because, well, I never know about them until it's too late but this was brought to my attention by different people over the past couple of weeks and the subject is close enough to my heart that I've decided to butt in.<br /><br />In yet another display of rather SF-ish non-fatal spontaneous combustion, the blogosphere is alight again as everyone tries to decide whether Science-Fiction is or is not “dead” as a genre. Number are being bandied about showing (usually) a decline in the number of sales of SF books and comparing those to other genres, including its close relative, Fantasy.<br />The truth, as I see it anyway, is that this debate has been had before and there is very little new to say about it. First off, you can't really compare SF to most other genres, especially giants like Crime and Romance.<br /><br />This is because SF is a completely different beast that is aimed at a very particular sort of market. It takes completely different thinking muscles to absorb SF and see it for what it really is: the human condition, taken away from its natural environment and poked, prodded and probed into showing its true colors. A lot of people, intelligent, educated people even, just can't wrap their heads around it. Okay, their loss, but they are the majority and book sales are naturally going to reflect this.<br /><br />Secondly, yes, Fantasy is gaining in popularity and there are huge amounts of new titles making the shelves. This is also natural, especially after the popular success of Harry Potter. Fantasy is much more accessible than Science-Fiction. People who previously would not have been caught dead in the Nerd section of the bookshop are now seeking it out. Does this mean that SF will die and only Fantasy will remain? I don't think so. After all, there have been some huge success stories in the genre but that's driven by a massive number of people buying books from a very small number of authors rather than wide success of Fantasy titles in general. The truth is that most Fantasy novels do as well as most SF novels, maybe they do worse actually, except perhaps in the YA market, it's just more showy.<br /><br />SF is not a genre given to massive success in its literary form. It's a genre where success is measured in longevity and influence. Some books do well financially but because its not easily accessible to the masses like some Fantasy can be, you will simply never see the same kind of numbers. SF has been proclaimed moribund regularly for decades but if you look at pop culture, at life itself, you see that the great works of the past are everywhere. They have infiltrated almost every aspect of life with the stealth of a ninja. Compare the contributions of the Romance genre on the world with that of SF. People quote SF every day, use SF every day, think cellphones, cyberspace (a word and concept from Gibson's Neuromancer), the moon landing... Even Fantasy which is so commonly associate it with it that they often go together as SFF has not been assimilated as much into our collective consciousness. That's why SF cannot die. Because it touches people in ways they don't even realize. It's a slow process of contagion. All it needs is one Typhoid Mary.<br /><br />Carrying on with the disease metaphor (because in SF we like our diseases, what can I say?), the virus has to mutate over time in order to defeat what we will call drug resistance. In this case, that means outdated tropes. SF flourished during the Cold War but we've moved on from those times and those worries. The things that scare us now, the things we need to strip of the real world so we can see it more clearly, are completely different therefore the genre naturally changes to speak to these new visions of the future, of humanity and the universe. What was relevant back then, is not relevant now and that is what SF is basically all about, being relevant. Some subgenres of SF are more popular and others that used to be are not. That is true of every literary genre. It is necessary to renew the genre, revitalize it. Maybe your favorite subgenre is not what it used to be, your space operas are darker or heroes less heroic but this is just a reply to people's needs changing. There are so many new subgenres of SF that there has to be something out there that speaks to you, just consider all the “something”-punk variety. There's something for everyone whether you want something that reminds you of Jules Vernes' books or you're more of an Asimovite.<br /><br />Perhaps this is part of the problem. There is so much now that can be classified as SF that people just don't know anymore what is SF and what isn't. What is your criteria for what constitutes Science-Fiction? Does it have to have aliens? Does it have to be in the future? Consider Steampunk, that's still usually considered SF but it's usually set in an alternate past. Maybe the genre has become somewhat diluted and people are losing track of how much of it there is and the confusion comes from there. Personally, I think this is a very good thing. SF is not a genre that should be limited. On the contrary, it should be free to diverge, converge and diverge again. The ideas behind it should mix and hybridize like a million Captain Kirks set loose among the women of the galaxy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-46141719175590753932009-12-01T09:20:00.002-05:002009-12-01T09:27:58.523-05:00M.A. results are in!Well, when they said we'd have our results on 01/12, they really meant it. The dissertation marks went online to our PIP pages exactly at midnight. Luckily I was spared having to worry by the fact I was online finishing NaNoWrimo (which I won by the way! *strut*).<br /><br />So now I can say that I REALLY have an M.A. I mean, I've been saying that I have for months now on my CV but then, I didn't think I'd fail. But now I can proudly write on my CV that I got... A DISTINCTION grade! I mean, sure, it's just a 71%, barely distinction worthy but still :D Although, to be honest, I think they're going to call me any day now and say "sorry, made a mistake, actually, we meant to type 17% and that you failed".<br /><br />o.O Oh no! Just realized that this means that my diss will be in the library doesn't it? It means anyone can read it and realize how crap it is and then I'll have my M.A. taken away from me at some indeterminate time in the future... Gah!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-90842393177494121042009-11-27T04:57:00.004-05:002009-12-16T17:59:42.985-05:00The things (we) doI owe the new kids in the programme for reminding me about Christmas Light Night. I had completely forgotten about it. Actually, I only went to see the parade last year by pure luck. I just happened to go into town for dinner and there it was. I know, it's silly.<br /><br />I'm really glad they reminded me of it as the Steampunk Exhibition at the Oxford Museum of the History of Science down in Broadstreet. It has the coolest sign outside for the exhibition and I want to steal it :D I've already been to it but tonight, there are going to be special activities and things so I'll be going again.<br /><br />It just so happens that one of the artists in this exhibition is someone I know from Montreal. He makes really awesome Steampunk jewelery. I had no idea he was going to be exhibiting in this so I was really surprised when I saw his name on a plaque. It was pretty cool 'cause it was a surprise. That said, I do remember an MSN status message of his mentionning Steampunk jewelery at some point but we haven't talked in forever so, I forgot he did that. I guess he didn't know I was in Oxford or surely he would have told me ;) Well, I'm hardly ever on MSN anymore. Not really my cuppa.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-86596188702315540812009-10-31T10:45:00.002-04:002009-10-31T10:56:48.608-04:00Writing MarathonSo, I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year. I've been at it for many a year and I feel more prepared now than ever. Add to that the lack of a job after next week and you have a happy NaNoer if not a happy recent graduate who has bills to pay.<br /><br />I'm going to start over with the NaNo novel I meant to write last year and only got 2000 words through. No, it's not cheating, I'm starting completely over. I have an outline, I have an idea of where it's going to go and I've got a freezer full of meat to reduce grocery shopping time to almost nil. That and a very near kebab van should help me sit down and write.<br /><br />I'm gonna use NaNo for a whole lot of things,<br /><br />1) it's fun<br />2) I need to get into a writing rhythm<br />3) Weight-loss: I'm too lazy to be getting up mid-paragraph to get more food :p<br />4) Money saveage: won't be eating out as much<br />5) I'll have something novel-like at the end that might be editable to usefulness. I'm much better at editing than writing :(<br /><br />Also, if I don't keep writing before I work in publishing, I might never do it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-90364991284019006352009-10-19T08:40:00.002-04:002009-10-19T08:56:43.986-04:00The Post-MA stuff begins nowWell, it started a while ago but I've been procrastinating on the whole "Hey! This blog is no longer aptly named!" bit. Whatever! But the truth is, although I don't yet have my results (but it's not like they're gonna flunk me), I'm not really in Publishing U. anymore. I'm more like in Publishing limbo (party! I'll get the pole, you get the hollowed-out coconuts with refreshing alcoholic beverages in them).<br />I'm temping at Elsevier right now, a job I wouldn't have gotten without the help of my friend Emma. The publishing lesson for today is thus: NETWORKING! That and make friends. Noone likes someone they don't know (erm...duh?). Also, hang out somewhere better than Morals, that place does not increase your coolness factor ;) Then again, I've never been "cool" so what do I know? But Bar Aroma on Cowley has nice cocktails. So, it's worth going even if I'm the one recommending.<br /><br />Mmmh! Cocktails! Now I want a French Martini from Angel's (Little Clarendon Street, in front of the Duke of Cambridge), like a chocolate-cherry truffle in your glass but without the chocolate bit. This is one occasion where I don't miss chocolate. I might stop by after work although drinking alone is saaad.<br /><br />Oh yes, because I'm at work right now (hence the somewhat hyperactiveness you may or may not have noticed in this post... FREE COFFEE! Also, just had lunch so eh!). Relax, I'm on my lunch break so you people aren't making me shirk (that's a word right? I'm sure I read it somewhere...) my duties. Also, I think I'm suddenly getting too much oxygen. I've been sick since last wednesday and unable to breathe properly since. My nose is unblocked right now so I can breathe. D'you think I might get the bends if I go up or down the stairs? Maybe I'd inspire an episode of House if I did. Might be worth a try, as long as they cast me in the me role. Anyway, lunch break over, well not really but I wanna go on Facebook.<br /><br />Hope you're all enjoying the course so far, I was really jealous of those of GenAwe 2.0 (go on, I know you want to have that on a T-Shirt) that went to Frankfurt. It's hard to believe that just a year ago, that was me. Hope your feet hurt less than mine kids :) How did you like the Frankfurt red-light district? Fun, innit?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-89132668622556538592009-09-28T08:56:00.002-04:002009-09-28T09:07:07.693-04:00Welcome, Generation Awesome 2.0Yes, I know I haven't posted in forever. You try to keep a blog while: 1) writing your dissertation, 2) looking for accomodation, 3) looking for a job and 4) trying to get a boyfriend. Not easy, nope. And yet, I managed 3 out of the 4 ;) Plus, I got myself a cat, the first step of my life plan B: Become Crazy Cat Lady. You know, if plan A doesn't work out. You can't be too prepared.<br /><br />Still, epic win for me. Chantal 4 - Universe 0.<br /><br />I'm still living in Headington but now I'm 1m away from The Brittannia, a bad idea considering I love their food but shouldn't be eating out every day. It's not a sustainable lifestyle. I have a lovely house I share with 4 other people and... a DOUBLE bed! Woooo! I've always wanted one! So much space! And the fact that most of it is unnacountably occupied by a 9 week old kitten doesn't change the fact that it's a grown-up bed and it's mine.<br /><br />But now that the diss from hell has been handed in, with time to spare I might add *gloat*, I find myself with way too much time in my hands. I've been on a couple of job interviews, a couple I would have loved to get but apparently I wasn't the right candidate for them. Oh well... That said, I applied for what could very well be my dream job today. So, fingers crossed!<br /><br />Oh, and the cat's name is Bingley.<br /><br />In other news, I finally got to meet some of the lovely people who've been reading my blog (all of the lovely people who read my blog?). Thanks to Polly for spontaneously recognizing me in the street, it made my day :D We went for lunch on saturday and now I wish I could do the year again so we could be coursemates. I'm dubbing you "Generation Awesome 2.0". Don't let me down ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-65667446785589991632009-07-02T13:35:00.004-04:002009-07-02T13:56:39.556-04:00Creative Commons SurveyHi all, I've created a survey for my dissertation. I'd be infinitely grateful if you would complete it and/or pass it on to friends who might be interested in the subject.<br /><br />Also feel free to link to it from other websites, blogs, forums etc. that are relevant to writers, readers and everyone interested in copyright law and Free Culture.<br /><br />Thanks :)<br /><br /><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=clZud2hvM2JqcTBSWnNkWTZCNWRPcWc6MA..">Creative Commons and the Podcast Novel Survey</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-6225628544605634452009-06-15T07:23:00.000-04:002009-06-15T07:39:18.788-04:00Because it's interestingFirst things first, just got an email to inform us p-grads that our results will be online on Monday 22! *stressss* I'm fairly sure I passed every module but I'd love one more distinction (I only have the one I got in Production and Design last semester). Not that it really matters but it's nice and would be a nice way to finish.<br /><br />I'm definitely not going to get a distinction (that's above 70 here in the UK, weird) in my dissertation because 1) I've hardly been working on it, 2) it's not the most interesting subject in the world (at least, not to me but how much is natural interest and how much I'm biased by dread... I don't know) and 3) at the pace I'm going, I'll be pulling crazy all-nighters which means it'll be decent but riddled with typos.<br /><br />It's ok. I just need a passing grade and then I out of Academia for a looooooooooong time. THANK GOD!<br /><br />But speaking of the dissertation, I've been doing a bit of reading and I'm finding Lawrence Lessig's <span style="font-style: italic;">Free Culture</span> really interesting. It's available for free online (under a Creative Commons licence of course :) ) and well worth a read. It's also very easy to follow rather than uber academic so never mind if your brain isn't wired for sesquipedalian prose, mine ain't either. It's been relatively easy finding good sources for pro-CC arguments but I can't seem to find the anti-CC arguments unless they are cited in pro-CC literature. Any help would be welcome...<br /><br />One of the interesting things (to me anyway) that Lessig mentions is how Doujinshi culture works. Doujinshi are manga created by the average Japanese Joe, some of who have amazing artistic skills but nevermind that, that are sort of like fanfic but for manga. The rules are that your doujin cannot be a mere copy of a manga, it has to add something. Legally, it's copyright infringement but the reality is that the trade and sale of doujinshi is a huge market and there are very few cases where copyright holders sue. Part of the reason for this is that doujinshi helps manga's commercial success in Japan.<br /><br />So, would derivatives such as fanfic help literature sell better?<br /><br />My opinion is that for some genres such as Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Crime (Adult and YA versions of all), it probably would. This are genres that already have quite a lot of fanfic going so I'd say that shows there's community interest in getting involved and manipulating the lit. If you'd encourage that to go in certain directions, it could produce interesting results. I need to think more about this...<br />But I don't think it would help sell more memoirs or chick lit... I could be wrong of course but I just don't see it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-32439871113908949272009-06-08T10:34:00.002-04:002009-06-08T10:48:26.431-04:00the updateSo I haven't posted in forever. So sorry, got caught up in stuff.<br />First, the semester is FINALLY OVER! Thank all the Gods Humanity has ever worshipped! It was seriously starting to get long and exhausting. But we did learn an aweful lot like, I don't like to work in a team :p We spent a whole day watching everyone's presentations which was really interesting. I only had a very small idea of what everyone was doing so I was really surprised by how good everyone else's projects were.<br /><br />That said, I thought some of them really weren't viable if it had been a proposal for real. But the ideas behind it were really intriguing. We don't know yet which group has the best proposal. I have no idea when we'll be told but I sure hope it's us in Education :D I think we had a very solid proposal. Maybe not the most exciting but in the real world, it's usually the safest option that makes it. Sad but true.<br /><br />I think my favourite <span style="font-weight: bold;">idea</span> was the Trade Fiction division. They were going to do a range of lit in translation but they would translate best-selling novels from other countries rather than literary fiction which is what most commonly gets translated. It's a great idea but I thought it wasn't very realistic. It demanded a very high investment and the risk would have been really high. Still, I would have loved it if someone did that. Also, their presentation was really funny.<br /><br />We're now in Dissertation/Major Project time but I have done very little work which is making me very stressed which makes me procrastinate even more. Not a good combination. I wish I had picked a Major Project rather than a dissertation. The schedule is more obvious :) Some people on the course are doing real projects for real publishers as in making actual books that are actually going to be sold in bookshops. It's scary but it sounds so awesome too and you have resources and money to do it. I would recommend to future students that they take one of these on (they are usually advertised by lecturers or they come and give a bit of a presentation and take CVs and stuff). I didn't go for it because I thought it was beyond my abilities but I wish I had now. It also counts as awesome work experience and looks amazing on the ol' CV.<br /><br />I keep forgetting that the dissertation needs to be bound so I have actually a bit less time than the deadline. I really should be working harder :(Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-31338611581641320622009-05-11T12:37:00.002-04:002009-05-11T12:42:45.980-04:00Can't Have too much Work ExpSo, I started doing a bit of work experience at OUP's children division today. It's mostly admin work but I did get to do a bit of editorial.<br /><br />And I got to send out lots of Rejection Letters to slush pile authors X-D and two request for fulls. I think I have finally become evil. I enjoyed sending those letters way too much... Except maybe the one writing by a dad and his kid who died of a brain tumor before they could finish the book.<br /><br />Ok, so most of it was pretty bad but I guess I got the lucky pile because it wasn't quite as dreadful as I expected. I mean, it wasn't publishable, by far, but it wasn't entirely illiterate.<br /><br />Anyway, I enjoyed it but am really tired now and can't think of anything else to write :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-60914795998835651922009-04-23T04:24:00.004-04:002009-04-23T04:35:03.957-04:00London Book Fair<p>The LBF was my second book fair ever, the first one being Frankfurt way back when. It has the advantage of being close by but somehow I spent almost as much money in between getting a hair cut and getting there and other stuff I can't think of right now but managed to empty my debit account. Seriously, in two weeks, I ended up going from 100GBP to 0.36! Oh and, American friends (and friends from elsewhere too for that matter) if you need a haircut, don't do it here. Regardless, the fair gave me an excuse to go back to London, which I love (probably because I don't have to live there), and it also meant that I had a legitimate reason not to do any NPD work. That's a big plus. Another one was that as a volunteer and a student, I didn't have to pay an entry fee (£40). Another tip, if you're a student and want to get in for free, you need to preregister online. No one told us this and boyfriend ended up having to pay the full fee to get in. He was so pissed he only went one day.</p> <p>I think I enjoyed this fair better than the one in Frankfurt. Part of it is that we were better prepared, we know more about what is going on in the industry so we were more interested and knowledgeable about the products certain publishers were exhibiting. Another thing was that we could go to seminars which broke up the hours of aimless wondering through the stands although I found the seminars fairly vague and general and I knew most of what the speakers were saying already (minus the exact numbers of course) maybe they weren't very good speakers or maybe Brookes just prepares us really well. I'll go with number 2 ;) It was also much smaller, as in, a small fraction of the size of Frankfurt. And I still managed to get more free stuff. LBF FTW!</p> <p>I was doing some volunteer work but that was very light. Just change the paper at the door with the title of the seminar and make sure the speakers had water. Most of the seminars pretty much ran themselves and I didn't even need to do that. After that, I could leave if I wanted to. Which I did only once because the seminars were fairly interesting. Also, my first one was a talk with James Patterson and I got to shake his hand and got a free hardcover too. There was this scary woman managing everything, really scary. I was very intimidated. Also, there was police on the floor, woot, James Patterson is so VIP :) It was the most interesting talk too, about literacy and getting boys to read. I have to say the talks on literacy and getting boys/teenagers to read were the best of all those I went to. I learned about this effort called "Headspace" run by teens for teens that creates library spaces where teens are encourage to spend time relaxing with music, internet and of course books. Apparently, they're quite successful in getting kids to start seeing books as fun. I missed the talk about Spinebreakers which was a shame because apparently it was excellent and everyone was very impressed.</p> <p>Other than that, I got to try some food prepared by international big name chefs and even chatted with a Peruvian one, yay! I got four free books (that's 3 better than Frankfurt) and loads of publishers bags (which I kind of collect) and other neat freebies :D</p><p>Canon Tales was a lot of fun and I recommend it to anyone thinking of going to the Fair next year. That's also were I managed to ambush Cory Doctorow and got his card (I want to interview him for my dissertation) so there, I made the day count for something, academics-wise. Of course, I'd had a bit of wine beforehand so I'm afraid I babbled a bit and wasn't very coherent. Oh well, I'm sure he doesn't even remember anymore and as long as I get my interview, who cares?<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-442079199799435852009-04-09T09:09:00.002-04:002009-04-09T09:24:51.756-04:00Creative CommonsHeya,<br /><br />so, here's a post about something publishing related rather than university related. I don't know if I told you that I'm doing my dissertation on Creative Commons. It's quite interesting although I'm not passionate about the topic. I wish I were but I chose my topic very last minute and 'til this day I can't think of anything else that gets me very excited. Depressing. You'd think I'd have some kind of passion. I'm dead inside!<br /><br />Anyway, I spend most of the morning reading Cory Doctorow's book, "Content". The book is available as a free download on his website under a CC license (appropriately enough). It's a collection of essays that covers a very wide range of topics from DRM to fanfiction and a very engrossing read, even for those of us not particularly good at understand legal issues of any kind. I read it cover to cover even though some of the topics didn't relate to my research at all simply because he makes it accessible and very readable.<br /><br />It's very relevant to current issues in publishing and other creative media and I recommend the read to aspiring writers, publishled authors and people currently in or wanting to go into publishing. It makes certain things clear that I was very confused about.<br /><br />Cory Doctorow's website is at www.craphound.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-63972013224326633002009-03-26T06:58:00.003-04:002009-03-26T07:44:58.563-04:00Fanfic writer thinks copyright doesn't apply to HERI was gonna blog about something completely different (it was going to be on David Fickling guest lecture for the Children's publishing module) but then I ran across this topic at the Absolute Write Watercooler and I stole the title :P<br /><br />You want to stop drinking now if you don't want to spray it all over your screens.<br /><br />A fanfic writer who goes by Lady Sybilla has written a sequel to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books (titled: "Russet Noon") and has self-published it under the pretense that the characters have entered "the public psyche" and are therefore not copyrightable and that "Characters are only copyrightable if their creator draws them or hires an artist to draw them". Cue snorting and drink spraying, I told you not to take that sip.<br /><br />She's sent out press releases, she has Youtube trailers (at least 2 that I know of) and apparently has sent out a casting call for a Native American hotty to take pictures of as whats-his-name-werewolf-boy.<br /><br />And you know what's really hilarious? Her "publisher" AV Paranormal has opinions and is trying to "educate" people on copyrights but, get this, AV Paranormal is registered to an organisation called... Lady Sybilla! Also, when you google AV Paranormal you get a website about some ghosthunting TV show. Huh?<br />So when she refers to her "publishers", she's really talking about herself in the third person, 'nuff said.<br /><br />No legit publisher (and most non-legit for that matter) would touch this one. They'd be as crazy as Lady Sybilla if they did. The copyright sharks are closing in. They're busy laughing their arses off right now.<br /><br />I've written the occasional fanfic myself as well as a "proper" writer of my own original work. I don't think fanfic is a bad thing or that it should be stamped out but most fanfic writers are honest, creative folks who just want to play around a bit with something that's touched them and know that trying to make a profit from someone else's work is theft. However, not everyone is as informed as I am and this can only make it harder for the good people writing fic who are just as outraged by Lady Sybilla's behaviour.<br /><br />I'm not a big fan of lawsuits, especially when it's between fans and authors/publishers (I find that often it's the copyright holder being too touchy) but this time around, I'm gonna be eating popcorn and watching for some serious fallout - and I will be siding with Stephenie Meyer's lawyers.<br /><br />Youtube trailers: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-GB&v=Gf3fKR3AAy8&gl=GB">1</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mH-IGNJHHU&feature=related">2</a>.<br />Russet Noon<a href="http://russet-noon.com/"> website</a><br />Russet Noon <a href="http://www.prlog.org/10203784-russet-noon-new-tribute-sequel-to-the-twilight-saga.html">Press release</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-58056719695152876822009-03-15T05:41:00.002-04:002009-03-15T05:52:24.209-04:00Visit to Oxford University PressOn Friday we had a "visit" to Oxford University Press (OUP) for the children's module. I put visit in quotation marks because, well, they took us to a meeting room and gave us a marketing lecture. I was disappointed, I really wanted to see some of the building.<br /><br />Still, the lecture was rather interesting although it only covered publicity and marketing. The marketing assistant did our M.A. last year too which gives me hope.<br /><br />One of the things they insisted on was how much things cost. They handed out covers of two of their books and ask how we would market them and how much we thought everything would cost. We never got it right. Even something as small as a bookmark or a postcard was ridiculously expensive. Actually, it came up that sometimes it was the same price for bookmarks as for rucksacks! Mainly because of all the safety testing that needs to be done on <span style="font-weight: bold;">anything</span> that might go to children. Which I guess makes sense but sometimes it can be a little exaggerated.<br /><br />Also, they gave us some figures for marketing budgets for individual titles. I know this is gonna kill some author who'll stumble by this post but: some books have big marketing budgets and some have none. And quality doesn't necessarily come into the equation. Publishers have to do those books that are easier to market widely and that's not always the quality book but the one with an author who's done something interesting or who's a great public speaker. With the kind of money available, you have to get value for money.<br /><br />I know it is unfair. I'm something of a writer myself and someday, I hope my book will be one with a marketing budget.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-43553582565383914482009-03-09T06:40:00.002-04:002009-03-09T06:45:41.679-04:00Not all interviews are equalHere's an account of an interview from just this year by Brianna. Clearly the methods have changed somewhat as it doesn't sounds like anything my current coursemates have told me their interviews were like (or maybe it's because it's early in the year and the interviewers aren't tired of the same ol' answers yet ;) Who knows?). The lesson to draw from this, IMO, is that no one can tell you exactly what the interview will be like.<br /><br />In spite of her experience with the interview, Brianna did get accepted at OBU by the way :)<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">The interview day began kind of poorly for me as I confused the time</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> change difference and found the interview was scheduled 2 hours before</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> I had planned. As I arrived to my regular 8 to 5 job, I received a</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> phone call from my interviewer and promptly had to reschedule, while</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> attempting to hide the purpose of the phone call from my boss and</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> coworkers who don't know I am considering graduate school. Luckily, my</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> interviewer had some extra free time later that day and I managed to</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> leave work for that purpose. Still, it ruined my built-up idea of the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> interview going smoothly and I felt more nervous when the actual time</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> came. The lesson here is that if you are an international student, pay</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> close attention to the time difference!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> I already felt stupid and apologized immediately when OBU called. I</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> had prepared for a week to answer questions based on my strengths,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> weaknesses, interests in the school and general publishing questions.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> I expected to be asked about what jobs I would see myself doing in the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> industry and I also expected a lot of questions about my background.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> What I found, though, was that the background meant little except for</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> clarification purposes.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> I was asked what certain phrases meant regarding my honors courses and</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> my grade point average (GPA) - which I assume they don't use in the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> UK? The previous week had been spent skimming stories on Publisher's</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> Weekly and The Bookseller, but the questions I received were much more</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> pointed. I had no questions about strengths or weaknesses, what I</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> thought publishing was, why I liked OBU, etc. My questions were very</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> focused on specific events and lawsuits within the publishing</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> industry. I don't want to give away details, but the stories I was</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> asked about have been in the news for years and I had never heard of</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> them. I felt completely lost and utterly stupid as I fumbled for</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> opinions. The important thing is that I gave opinions. Interviewers</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> will not mind if you have a differing view. They want to see that you</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> can speak clearly and form your own ideas. I even told the interviewer</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> that I had never heard the news story in question and she gave me some</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> key points to research.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> Overall, it was a stressful interview. I did not feel comfortable, but</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> I felt like I did the best I could with the knowledge I had. I would</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> just suggest that anyone who is considering grad school in a specific</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> subject should know, in detail, the most pressing current events. I</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> thought I did, but should have dug deeper. Everyone should write a</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> thank you letter after the interview and send it immediately. I</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> usually have no problem with interviews and do not get stressed</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> easily, but for some reason I did. Not every interview is going to be</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> perfect, so you shouldn't expect it to be. Just do the best you can</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> and make sure you have a genuine interest in the topics. Relax.:)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-83207827829270994232009-03-06T16:02:00.003-05:002009-03-06T16:07:58.605-05:00SequelAnother post! Aren't you surprised? :D Me too!<br /><br />I got another email from the person who asked about interviews. She asked another question and I figured it wasn't a bad one for the blog. Hey, if you email me, chances are I'll post it up. It's a fair exchange, right ;) ?<br /><br />---<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I know you are well traveled, so if you had the choice would you study</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> in Oxford again? And having gone through most of the program, would</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> you seriously recommend it to other people? The thing is, I'm trying</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> to decide if it worth my time and money (I'm financing it myself).</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> Your honesty would be truly appreciated. Also, do you feel like you</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> have any time for travel? My travel outside the U.S. consists of one</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> backpacking experience through Europe. I would love to see more of the</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> UK. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Yes, I would totally redo the course if I had the option again. In all honesty, this is probably the happiest I've been in my entire life. Sure it's hard sometimes and there's a lot of work and pressure. There are people in the course I don't like to work with (although they are not bad people, just people I have no chemistry with) and I can't wait to be done with it and in the real world again. But that's true of every academic course :D<br />We have a lot of fun as a group and although we're hardly ever all together anymore, when there's a large group of us in one place, we have a blast and that's as important as the modules themselves in a way.<br /><br /></span><st1:city style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><st1:place>Oxford</st1:place></st1:city><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> itself is a very nice town. It has a nice, village feel rather than being a stuffy "old university" town. It's very pleasant and although I sometimes miss having a wide range of options for things to do in the evening or on weekends (</span><st1:country-region style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><st1:place>England</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> will seem very slow and sleepy in comparison to the </span><st1:country-region style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> - everything closes ridiculously early!) but it's probably just as well budget-wise :) And </span><st1:city style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">'s practically next door anyway.<br /><br />There is some time to travel too, I haven't but that's mainly because I'm trying not to spend my parents' money. I like to eat out with my friends so I find myself going through money very fast and I'd rather eat out regularly than take a really cool trip and have to be tight with the cash later. I figure I can always travel more later when i have a regular paycheck, lol.<br />But yeah, a lot of people from the course are traveling regularly all over </span><st1:place style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Europe</st1:place><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">, either to go visit their families or do some tourism. It's also easy to travel within the </span><st1:country-region style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><st1:place>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">, plenty of airports that Ryanair goes to and also, buses. A bit expensive to my taste and the train aren't very reliable but it's doable. And again, with </span><st1:city style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> next door, you can usually get just about anywhere in the country easily enough.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-7037326597798925742009-03-03T16:23:00.002-05:002009-03-03T16:27:34.300-05:00The Dreaded InterviewSomeone emailed me asking about the interview process. Fool that I am, I had forgotten my password for the gmail account in the "about me" box. I've just recovered it but I was too late to answer this reader in time for her interview. I'm SO SORRY! I'm such a doofus sometimes! Well, most of the time, I'll admit it.<br /><br />But, it was a good question, so I'll answer it here anyway (can't believe I didn't do it sooner, after all my agony over it last year!).<br /><br />---<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Yes, I had an interview before I was accepted at OBU. Mine was done by phone (at the inhuman hour of 7 am) as I was living in Peru at the time. Some people had to come to Brookes for a face-to-face encounter. </span><br /> <br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> Let me tell you from the start that there really isn't much to worry about. The Lecturers are all very nice and informal, we were on first name basis with all of them since before the course began :) They're not looking to reject you, quite the opposite. If you're asked for an interview, you're pretty much there already! </span><br /> <br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> They'll ask you things like: </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> - How do you define publishing?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> - What do you feel are your strengths?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> - What do you feel are your weaknesses?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> - Why did you chose OBU?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> - Why did you chose Oxford?</span><br /> <br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> It's a conversation more than an interview, really. At least, it was for me.</span><br /> <br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> Here is some general advice on how to do this (bearing in mind I've only done this once): relax, the lecturers are your friends and want you to succeed. It's hard to believe but I know these people and I can say there isn't one of them that isn't a good person. Leander might be scary but she's really a teddy bear (just don't tell anyone I said that...). Be confident, publishing is a business, a tough one at that, where people juggle big sums of money every day. Shyness is normal, they understand that (and most people in publishing are naturally shy), but it's very impressive if you manage to fight it off when it matters. They also know you're gonna be nervous. Speak with conviction, doesn't matter if you're wrong or if they disagree with you. They'll respect you more for thinking for yourself. Don't be arrogant though, they don't tolerate fools easily (especially not Leander - can you tell she's one of my fave lecturers yet?). </span><br /> <br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> Oh, and don't prepare too much or you'll get stuck if your interviewer deviates from the script you've imagined. Take it easy, it's mostly a formality.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-16693056988787062682009-03-01T06:21:00.002-05:002009-03-01T06:30:20.027-05:00Research ProposalsSo, Research Proposals are the devil.<br /><br />We have to write a 2000w. proposal for our dissertation. Based on this paper, they will assign us a supervisor. The thing is, the proposal assumes you've done some research on the subject already: how are you going to research the topic, what resources do you have/need, what's your schedule, how much money etc. I mean, most of us just decided on a subject at the very last minute.<br /><br />BTW, mine is "Open Access and Creative Commons: Giving your Work Away for Free" . Working title only :)<br /><br />So here I am, trying to write a proposal that will be acceptable (it's not graded but if it sucks, they don't let you do a Master's but you can still do a post-grad diploma - that's the course minus the dissertation/major project).<br /><br />I'm not especially interested in Rights but as the proper Humanities scholar that I am, I'm more interested in the social aspects of this topic as well as how I can think of making it profitable to publishers (because I want a good grade on this project ;D ).<br /><br />I'm kind of looking forward to writing my dissertation but I'd enjoy it more if I didn't have the mammoth NPD project at the same time, let alone the DMP blog to fiddle and update regularly (as my faithful readers will know, not my strong point) and a looooong essay for Children's. Oh, and work experience, which is getting progressively more boring and routine.<br /><br />*sigh* I can't wait to finish the course and get a real job.<br /><br />Oh and, I will try to post something other than me whining. I was thinking maybe a post on the history of Children's lit or something like that, distilled from my class notes. I just have to work up some motivation to do something course related. I need a holiday...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-38219550359121516072009-02-22T06:19:00.002-05:002009-02-22T06:35:49.481-05:00Life's a stageI was out with boyfriend yesterday because it was such a beautiful day. The sun actually stayed out for more than an hour. I had some books to return to the county library down by Westgate Centre (Queen Street). It's a very good library by the way.<br /><br />The sun was shining, the streets were lively with families out for a stroll and rowdy teenagers piling up on the statue in front of Westgate. I took the boy on a looooong stroll along the Thames. It was gorgeous! I'd been up there before, in september when the trees still had leaves, but this time it was both peaceful and dramatic. The light was a little strange later in the day and the trees were gold and a metallic sort of green.<br /><br />We tried to walk back to the town centre down the other bank but somehow ended up in a wild bit of scrubland between two arms of the river with no bridges. We turned around and ended up walking down Iffley Road. From there, we went to the G&D's on Cowley Road, something of a regular haunt for us.<br /><br />The Oxford Playhouse was holding a "show" called <a href="http://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/show/?eventid=864">Etiquette</a>. Boy and I were having coffee and ice-cream close to the two tables by the window which were covered in a black cloth and had props and headphones on them. Couples sat at the tables and listened to instructions. They were clearly playing out a scene. We were intrigued but didn't really think to participate in whatever this was. After the end of one performance though, the woman in charge of the thing came to ask us if we wanted to give it a try if the people who had reserved the next slot didn't show up. We said ok. So we did it.<br /><br />I don't know what to make of the experience. It was intriguing... There we were, playing out a scene at a cafe in Paris between a prostitute and an old man. Then we were actors in a play about a woman leaving her husband. Then there was something about a murder. All this using the props and language (we had to repeat certain lines, at times it worked really well as he was replying to the questions I asked and vice-versa at the proper speed). It was a little unsettling. At times it was very hard to hear what boy was saying so I missed part of the experience very likely. Still, it's pretty cool and I recommend the experience. The whole audience becomes actors becomes characters. The use of little white figures and chalk on the black board works really well. I completely forgot the other people in the cafe for a while. But I still don't know what to make of the play itself.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-8256674203204320302009-02-19T07:47:00.002-05:002009-02-19T07:55:48.750-05:00Now it feels more like a Master's course!Phew! Week 3 and already there's lots of work to be done. The way I see it, I have it pretty easy. All I have to do is read a couple of articles on Children's Publishing that Claire assigned, do a bit of research (more because I'm interested than because I have to) and do some NPD research. This last bit is not very stimulating but I think it's mainly because I'm not too thrilled with the project and the group.<br /><br />Oh well!<br /><br />On the other hand, the Magazine module looks tough although the Lecturer is usually so much fun. Boyfriend has to write a 3000 word essay on a cultural subject rather than straight publishing. It's on Men's Magazines (yeah, thooose) which is an interesting topic but involves a lot of research an 3000 words is a LOT!<br /><br />We also have to hand in our official dissertation proposals next week or the week after that. I've barely even thought about mine. I think having NPD and dissertation work in one semester is exagerating. The NPD project could be a dissertation all on its own! It's that huge and stressful! I mean, it's very interesting from the point of view of getting experience of how it's supposed to work in a real company without risking real money on it but it's a lot of work that is a bit too much like the editorial project for my taste. I don't know, maybe I'm panicking prematurely but I feel it like this weight on my shoulders all the time, even when I'm not really thinking about it. I guess this is how a postgrad is supposed to feel.<br /><br />Trial by fire and all that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-21303254368771798892009-02-15T05:51:00.003-05:002009-02-15T06:05:58.805-05:002 weeks in and already hating group workWell, NPD is a bit disappointment. I swear, two weeks in and I'm already hating it. It's the editorial group project all over again but with more work and people taking it very seriously from the beginning.<br /><br />I'm really, really tired of group work. You know it's bad when you know from the beginning that you're going to end up hating everyone in your group in a matter of weeks. Add to that a very bossy and unimaginative Managing Director and you have a recipe for a very unhappy Chantal.<br /><br />I don't know, maybe it won't be so bad this time around. The trick is to work hard from the start and make your voice heard (a bit of a challenge for me) so you don't get left behind (and see people take credit for your work so you end up losing points grrrrr!). I'm taking on Editorial and Design work. I wanted to be Managing Director but everyone voted for this other girl *le sigh*. Oh well, at least I get Design which I really wanted and avoided Finance which I didn't.<br /><br />The other modules are okay, I've very happy with Children's Publishing, we had a great discussion on Friday about gender in publishing. We discussed how women had gotten into publishing through Children's imprints which the men didn't consider important enough to put someone more "qualified" in so they gave it to the women and from there...we invaded and conquered :D<br /><br />We also discussed the argument that the reason boys aren't being properly catered to nowadays is because it's women in charge, chosing and making books they enjoy hence, girls will like better. Boys did use to read a lot more in the past when men were in charge. I just say, "well, duh, there was no TV."<br /><br />I'm still not sure about Digital Media Publishing. I wish the lecturer would take more time to explain the software and the ideas behind ebooks and such and less time digressing. Also, he stumbles over his words a lot and speaks very fast and I just disconnect and start playing on the internet. The project sound like a lot of fun. We have to pick a Public Domain text (or something on Creative Commons) and make it into an ebook with all the bells and whistles we want (i.e. sounds, video, links whatever). I wanted to do the Malleus Maleficarum but it's a very long text so I don't think I could enhance it as much as I want to because it would be a lot of very repetitive work and with NPD to keep me busy and a dissertation to start working on, I don't think I want to take on more work than I have to.<br /><br />Another project is to have a blog that we'd update regularly. Yes, I have this one but it doesn't count. Also, I could work on my regular posting here, sorry :) My class blog is at: http://imedia.brookes.ac.uk/perez<br /><br />I'm doing book reviews. We have to have at least 20 posts by the end of the semester and I figured that ought to keep me going. I can definitely write about 20 books. You're welcome to have a look and comment on how bad my reviews are (or the books, whatever)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1275827009176763507.post-72919914781410499512009-02-04T05:46:00.003-05:002009-02-04T06:03:33.578-05:00The new semester has begun!Meh, classes started again on Monday. At 9 am with Research Methods (for our dissertations/major projects). It was very exciting to see everyone back together again though. I was ridiculously perky. It's that "first day of school" thing, I guess. I wouldn't know because this is the first time I'm experiencing this which, in my opinion, speaks volumes about how much I've been enjoying myself here.<br /><br />We have 5 student from Paris X university over as ERASMUS exchanges. I started chatting with them. It feels so good to have someone to speak French to! They're quite nice too. Someone had the good idea to invite them to Jazz night yesterday, which I had completely forgot to tell them about. So we had a chat over the music. The Bullingdon (a.k.a. The Bully) has live jazz every tuesday in the backroom. The Bullingdon is right in front of Tesco on Cowley Road. It's something of a regular thing for a lot of the people on the course. It's very good. I meant to go more often but I'm a lazy bum who doesn't want to go walk down the hill to it (and then back up again).<br /><br />We also had New Product Development on Monday. It's a class that brings together everything we learned last semester. It's a role-play class! We're "Buckley Publishing" and are divided into groups that are different division within the company. I'm in the Education division (meh). We each have to come up with a new product that will fit with our goals (slightly different per division according to our "profile"). It looks like it's going to be labor intensive and the groups are huge! 9 people! It was bad enough with 4-6 last semester! We're all going to end up hating each other!<br /><br />We also handed in our dissertation registration forms. They're going to assign us to Research methods seminar groups that are relevant to our subjects. In the end, I've decided to go with Open Access and Free audiobooks. I wanted to work on an ecological topic but I couldn't come up with one especially interesting angle to work on (that's what happens when you have too much interest in something I guess) and I was going to touch on digital media anyway so now I'll do it the other way around. Incorporate some ecology into a digital dissertation. I'm quite excited about the subject now and looking forward to starting to work on it.<br /><br />I have Digital Media class this afternoon where, get this, one of the assignments is to have a blog and update it regularly. I've got the blog part down, I'll need to work on the updating regularly thing though, heh. We'll also be graded on how we customize our blog which I don't know how to do yet but we'll be taught and on the research that goes into the posts. Yes, I can't use this blog for the class (*le sigh*) but at least I have some blogging experience and I'll be able to make this blog better too. I love it when things work out that way. We'll also be covering Photoshop and Dreamweaver, two programs I've used before and some other two things I can't remember and have never used.<br /><br />Should be fun, all in all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2