KLS 3541 Book business and entrepreneurship
KLS 3541 Book business and entrepreneurship
The book business is one of our oldest cultural industries. Over the years this has been a business in continuous growth. Especially during the last ten years the number of publications has exploded because of new technology and cheap producttion costs. The investments required in production are relatively small compared to the net profit a bestseller shows, leading to a great number of business trying their luck in a market with rough margins dominated by only a few large corporations. The three most powerful publishers in Norway are Aschehoug, Gyldendal and Cappelen Damm. Their main characteristic is that they take care of all the steps in the value chain of books, that is: publishing, distribution, book clubs and book stores, as well as the mass market. This means that they attend to all parts of the value chain in the field of literature, from the author to the reader. The dualism between art and commerce is a common theme in the lecturers. There will also be a focus on the challenges of marketing books in an already saturated market.
Students are to be aware of all the main players in the book business; publishing houses, book-store chains, book clubs and distribution. Some knowledge about libraries and the mass market for books is to be acquired. The students are to understand the process of production, the economics involved and communication dynamics between players and their audiences which play a role, PR, sales- and marketing strategies. The student also has to understand the interaction between the national cultural policy and the market and what kind of framework this interaction gives the players in the business.
The students should be able to show how different players in the value chain of books are dependent on each other. Being able to describe the economic structures and communications processes is also a requirement. The students are to understand and be able to carry out PR, sales- and marketing tasks in the business. They shall also be able to administrate the creative processes with important content suppliers like authors, illustrators, and designers.
The student has to develop a reflection regarding the artists creative development, as well as the nations need for a Norwegian culture and a highly developed Norwegian language, but also the businesss need for a healthy economy and growth. Students are to be able to reflect upon and make statements regarding these aspects.
- The value chain in the Norwegian book business
- Business models
- History of the business
- The author
- Publishing houses
- Literature
- Distribution channels
- PR, sales and marketing
- The economy of literature
- Digitalization of the literary field
- The reader
- Book business as part of the cultural business
The course consists of lectures, student work and student presentations. 30 hours of teaching will be spent on the course topics and 4 hours will consist of student participation. In this course we offer many interesting guest teachers and a visit to one of Oslo’s cultural institutions in the literary field.
Project paper:
The purpose of this project paper is to involve the students in learning throughout the semester. During the first part of the course, the students are to choose a subject and articulate a curriculum-related problem regarding the subject, which they are free to choose. The students are to work in teams, the ideal number of students in one group is three, but students can also choose to make groups of two or four. At mid-term the groups are to present their subject, problem and thoughts to the rest of the class. The group will get feedback both from their lecturer and their fellow students. Near the end of the semester, some weeks before the deadline for submitting the project papers, the students will have a short guidance session with the supervisor.
Higher Education Entrance Qualification.
No specific prerequisites
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 60 Grouping: Group (2 - 3) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Exam code: KLS35411 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination every semester |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Invigilation Weight: 40 Grouping: Individual Support materials:
Duration: 3 Hour(s) Exam code: KLS35412 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination every semester |
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 30 Hour(s) | |
Feedback activities and counselling | 4 Hour(s) | |
Prepare for teaching | 24 Hour(s) | |
Group work / Assignments | 56 Hour(s) | Project paper |
Student's own work with learning resources | 46 Hour(s) | |
Examination | 40 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.