Cirrus@Austlit

Objective(s):The aims of this assignment are to make students aware of the importance of analytical and writing skills to the editorial process and to give them the experience of carrying out a critical evaluation on a book from the Australian bestseller lists. Through the critical evaluation process they will gain an understanding of the skills required by an editor to write a reader's report on manuscripts submitted to a publisher or to carry out manuscript assessment for an author prior to submission to a publisher. By evaluating a book from the Australian bestseller lists, students will become aware of the kinds of books that Australians are buying and reading, which is key information in gaining a broader understanding of the Australian publishing industry.

Weighting:20%

Task:Select one book from the current bestseller lists in the weekend Sydney Morning Herald (Spectrum section). It can be a fiction or non-fiction title. Write a critical evaluation of the book as if you were writing a reader's report for a publisher on a manuscript submitted for consideration for publication. In this evaluation you should provide a summary of the book's content and themes, structure, style, strengths and weaknesses.

Assessment criteria:Demonstrated ability to:

carry out a critical analysis of a fiction or non-fiction book, considering its content and themes, structure, style, strengths and weaknesses

write a clear and concise evaluation in the style of a reader's report for a publisher

become familiar with the bestseller lists and the Australian general books market

Assessment item 2: Copyediting

Objective(s):To practise copyediting skills and to become aware of the role of the author in the copyediting process.

Weighting:40%

Task:To copyedit an extract from a manuscript.

Assessment criteria:Demonstrated ability to:

undertake accurate, sensitive and appropriate copyediting

create and use a style sheet

write appropriate and useful author queries

edit a manuscript neatly, using editing symbols correctly, so the editing can be understood by the author, the designer, the typesetter and the proofreader

write a coherent, lucid and persuasive covering letter that explains your rationale for editing decisions you have made

Assessment item 3: Structural report

Objective(s):To carry out a structural edit of a book-length manuscript.It is important to take full advantage of this assignment because very little training is offered in-house in publishing companies or in industry courses in structural editing. It is, however, an essential skill for an editor and one that is in high demand.

Weighting:40%

Task:To write a structural report on a complete book-length manuscript.

Assessment criteria:You will be graded on:

your identification of the major structural weaknesses and strengths of the manuscript

your suggestions to the author: are they constructive? will they improve the manuscript and overcome the identified problems? will they make the manuscript publishable or move it closer to being publishable?

the tone of your report: will the author react favourably to your suggestions because of the way you have expressed them? is the writing in the report clear and unambiguous? are the suggestions easy to follow?