Corso di Laurea magistrale in Scienze del libro, del documento, del patrimonio culturale

The purpose of this course is to offer a critical overview, from both a theoretical and practical perspective, of the development of a book today, from manuscript to publication. The specific educational objective is to equip students with an awareness of the various phases, roles, and functions that make up the contemporary publishing industry through an analysis of concrete examples and workflow.

At the end of the course, students will have gained a knowledge of: a) the various components that shape an editor’s judgement and guide his or her choices; b) the different professional figures that operate in the publishing sector; c) how work on a text is conducted within a publishing house: from editing on a micro and macro level, to copyediting and revisions, and, finally, publishing strategy and the writing of additional texts, such as jacket copy and promotional materials. More generally, students will gain an understanding of how the publishing industry, in all of its variations, thinks about, plans, and evaluates a book.

Through various concrete examples, the course will follow the life of a book from its first appearance as a manuscript pitched by the author/agent (or requested by the publisher from the author) until its publication and arrival in bookstores. An overview will be provided on the work of a publishing house and on the professional figures of today’s publishing industry. In particular, the following topics will be analyzed: a) a publishing house’s internal criteria and methods for selecting books: editorial vision, publishing guidelines, scouting, working with literary agents; b) textual work: from micro to macro editing, from revisions and copyediting to proofreading; d) the choice of the book cover; d) the importance of copy, and of all of the materials that accompany the book throughout the publication process, from the promotional catalog and sell sheet for bookstore to order the book to the text on the jacket, from advertisements to social media campaigns, granting the students the opportunity to study specific examples and to gain practical experience.

The lessons will last a total of 18 hours (3 CFU) and will be conducted in person. Excluding the changes outlined in the “Note” section regarding a potential continuation of emergency circumstances due to the pandemic, students who are not able to attend classes in person will be guaranteed the possibility of audio and video files uploaded onto the platform Moodle, along with the course material.

Expected knowledge and skills will be tested through exercises conducted during the course and through an oral examination, which will entail a discussion of specific case-based examples and experiences. The student’s level of preparedness will be considered sufficient (with a grade given out of thirty) if he or she is able to demonstrate the course’s educational objectives using appropriate terminology and a critical understanding of the material.

For students with DSA or disabilities, please refer to the University's support (https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-con-disabilita) and reception (https://www.unito.it/accoglienza-studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa) procedures, and in particular the procedures required for exam support (https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-e-studentesse-con-disabilita/supporto-studenti-e-studentesse-con).

Students with SLD are asked to inform the lecturers and at the beginning of the course, in order to agree on a personal learning path tailored to their needs, even beyond the compensatory and dispensatory measures provided for the examination.

Will be guaranteed the possibility of using teaching material in the Moodle platform.

In addition to the learning materials supplied during the course, students are required to study one of the following volumes, of his or her own choice, for the final exam:

a) Roberto Cicala, I meccanismi dell’editoria, il Mulino 2021;

b) A proposito di libri, first issue of the magazie Il Post “Cose. Spiegate bene”, Iperborea -; Il Post 2021.

For the fulfillment of course exercises, an additional useful text is Ernesto Franco’s introduction to following volume:

c) I pareri di lettura dei consulenti Einaudi 1941-1991, edited by Tommaso Munari, Einaudi 2015.

Students not attending the class in person are required to read one of the following supplementary books:

a) Roberto Calasso, L’impronta dell’editore, Adelphi 2013;

b) Valentina Notarberardino (edited by), Fuori di testo: titoli, copertine, fascette e altre diavolerie, Ponte alle Grazie 2020.