There’s an interesting article from the New York Times that’s making the rounds this week, about how a long-running, and hugely popular, publishing course at Columbia University now includes topics on digital publishing and ebooks.
The summer session began with a focus on “The Digital Future.” Students were schooled in “Reinventing the Reading Experience: From Print to Digital” by Nicholas Callaway, the chairman of a company that produces book apps for children. Managers from Penguin Group USA explained how to master “e-marketing,” and a panel of digital experts talked about short-form electronic publishing — not quite a magazine article, not quite a book — which is so new, the genre doesn’t really have a name.
It’s a heartening look at how the current generation of professionals are making sure that those who follow won’t be caught off guard by the new, ever-changing landscape of digital publishing. You can read the full article at The New York Times.
(Photo: julipan)
I read the article expecting to gain some insight into how the must-respected course was offering new insights. Instead I learned of the group’s “professionally bound booklet of catalog copy, publicity materials and sales projections”. Hmm. Sounds kind of old fashioned. I’m all for training the next generation. But with things changing as rapidly as they are, it’s challenging to imaging a Columbia course being the go-to place to learn about the revolution in publishing.