Project Title: Exploring the World of Publishing
Essential Question: How does a book go from an idea to what we see on a shelf?
Statement of Purpose
For my Senior Project, I will read a number of books (hopefully 2-3 per week) by different authors and any interviews or blogposts the authors may have done about those books. I would also interview people who work in different parts of the publishing process to get to know what it’s like.
Overview
This project appeals to me because I’m really excited to be taking a critical, more in-depth look at something I’ve enjoyed my entire life. Reading the books critically will answer my essential question by making me aware of the choices the author made to make the book what it is, and interviewing people will inform me of what their part of the process looks like. This project will challenge me by forcing me to read as a writer/editor, not as a reader, which will be new for me. It builds on my prior knowledge because I already have some idea as to what the publishing process looks like once the books reach the bookstores, but I’d like to know more about what it looks like before that.
How will you measure your success?
I will measure my success by how much I will learn and grow as a reader and a writer.
These are my learning goals:
- Learn how to find balance in a creative job
- Gain insight into the world of publishing
- Learn about writing/reading as a job, rather than a recreational hobby
- Grow as a reader and a writer
- Learn how to critique/edit writing in more ways than one
Resource List
So far, the books I will be reading are:
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- Writers and Lovers by Lily King
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Daily Plan & Schedule
On a typical day, I will work through a book, read any interviews/blogposts if I finish the book, and interview a person if I have an interview scheduled.
Documentation Plan
Explain why this is the appropriate documentation for you and your project and how this plan fits your project. If you plan to use platforms other than the Senior Project blog, please make sure to include them here (e.g., another blog, journal, Google Doc, Instagram, etc.), intended frequency of updates, general description of the content (reflective writing, photos, essays, etc), the URL for digital documentation or the sharing plan for analog documentation. (Documentation must be updated at least twice per week and be accessible to the committee.)
On top of my Weekly Timesheet, I will use a spreadsheet where I will track my progress. I plan on documenting the book, article, or video I watched/read, the author, amount of pages, etc. I also plan on having a Google Doc documenting things I’ve noticed from each book. I plan on updating the spreadsheet daily, and the doc whenever I finish a book or interview.
Material Needs
The only materials I will need are the books I’ll be reading.
Backup Plan
My original idea was an internship that fell through, so this is my backup plan!