January 2015 Session

CUNY Publishing Institute – January 2015 Session

Book Publishing – John Oakes
Mon-Thurs., Jan. 12-15, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.; Fri. Jan. 16 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Over four nights and one day, get a lightning-quick look at the possibilities and challenges of contemporary book publishing. What are sub rights? How can you navigate the maze of contracts and copyright? How can you reach millions of readers who might be keen to buy your, or your company’s, book? What are the options of printing? When to do an ebook or a print book? Learn from the insiders: directed by John Oakes, a veteran publisher and entrepreneur (OR Books, Nation Books, Grove Press) who’s keen to explore new ways of doing business. Featuring expert guests, including marketing pros and agents.

Sign up now and get access to these three bonus sessions at the CUNY J-School January Academy!

Be Your Own Brand – Toddi Gutner
Mon., Jan. 5, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Increasingly, today’s young journalists are following new, much more entrepreneurial career paths than their predecessors did. Instead of getting a job at a single media organization, these “indies” are going out into the world with their backpacks full of multimedia equipment and selling their work to multiple employers. In this workshop given by former BusinessWeek personal finance editor Toddi Gutner, now a successful independent writer and media consultant, students will learn the importance and particulars of building their own brand. The discussion will include advice on marketing yourself using social media and networking, pricing your services, structuring your business, and managing your finances and taxes.

Freelancing Workshop – Frederick Kaufman and Ellen Walterscheid
Mon.-Tues., Jan. 5 – 6, 1-5 p.m.
We’ll cover such topics as generating ideas, understanding the market, getting to the right editor, pitching the story, revising the pitch, understanding the contract, negotiating a good price, working with editors, and polishing the freelance piece. The class will be co-taught by Frederick Kaufman and Ellen Walterscheid. Prof. Kaufman is a faculty member at the CUNY J-School and CUNY’s College of Staten Island and a veteran freelancer who has published his essays and articles in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, Foreign Policy, Gourmet, Saveur, GQ, New York, Interview, Allure, Spin, Spy, Salon, Slate, Vice, Men’s Health, Scientific American, Popular Science, Nature, The New Yorker, and Wired, among many others. Walterscheid, the CUNY J-School’s original career services director, has written for such publications as The Sciences, AARP The Magazine, and National Geographic World. Guests will include a legal expert (who will discuss such issues as copyright and how to read a freelance contract) and a panel of top magazine editors who will critique student pitches. Focus is on the magazine/web market.

Non-Fiction Book Writing – Glenn Lewis
Wednesday, Jan. 7, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Take this one-day crash course on the essentials of conceptualizing, researching, organizing, and writing a professional-level non-fiction book proposal. The seminar also focuses on techniques for reporting and writing non-fiction books. Students are given insights into negotiating book contracts as well. The session draws on Prof. Glenn Lewis’ experiences as a book packager, agent, writer, and book proposal doctor. Guest speaker Stephen Morrow, executive editor of Dutton, will help evaluate pitches. Prof. Lewis is director of the journalism program at York College and is a consortial faculty member at the CUNY J-School.