our work

the publishing game

The Publishing Game

Eastside was commissioned by Arts Council England to develop a project that would address the issue of under-representation of black and minority ethnic groups within the publishing industry. The Publishing Game is intended to remove cultural barriers and  showcase publishing as a possible future career option for young people from diverse backgrounds. To provide practical, hands-on projects that explore the creativity at the heart of the industry, Eastside has developed two distinct projects, which include a magazine project in partnership with the National Magazine Group (NatMags) and the London College of Communication (LCC), and a book publishing project in partnership with Penguin Books. The objective is for the students to go through the entire process of publishing their own magazine / book from beginning to end, which gives them a real insight into the variety of roles within the industry. The magazine project offers workshops on editorial, features, commissioning, art design, desktop publishing, budgeting, advertising and sales and marketing. Students will experience writing features, interviews and vox-pops, as well as organising photo shoots and selling advertising to local businesses. Students also have the opportunity to spend a day on-site at the NatMag's offices in central London and to visit LCC to see their magazine printed. The book publishing project begins with an overview of the industry, a brief history of Penguin Books and a trip to Bookmarque House to observe books being printed and bound. This is followed by a commissioning and acquisitions talk, a legal and negotiation workshop with literary agents and sessions on  sales, marketing and publicity which illustrate different methods used to market and sell books to a variety of target groups. The students write and edit the content, design the front cover and publish their books. The Publishing Game challenges students to allocate roles according to individual abilities and interests, develops skills in autonomy and keeping to deadline, and widens their horizons while increasing the scope of their ambitions.