Date of Award
Fall 11-28-2017
Degree Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)
Department
English
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Chris Palmer
Co-Chair
Dr. Lara Smith-Sitton
Abstract
It is no secret that the field of publication thrives on collaboration: among publishers, editorial and production team members, designers, marketing and publicity staff, sales representatives and promoters, authors, illustrators, reviewers, and, of course, readers. However, an equally important yet less-explored relationship exists within this industry, between publishing staff and a text itself. As such, despite this crucial connection, the technical means by which the final product is created may also be overlooked.
This practicum examines these technical resources: style guides/sheets (especially for house style), their creation, and their usage in publishing, specifically how they pertain to sales material. Also guiding the exploration are discussions with Peachtree Publishers Ltd, an Atlanta-based publishing house of children’s and young adult literature, about generating the aforementioned documents. The finished product—the first official style sheet for the company’s sales catalogs—applies this information. The research and subsequent project attempt to facilitate tasks at Peachtree Publishers and, in the grander scheme of things, to shed light on the behind-the-scenes process of effectively creating and maintaining a truly valuable but often underestimated tool in editing.