Entrepreneurship and Publishing

BA (Hons) Entrepreneurship and Publishing
Explore the creative and commercial processes in publishing, while studying key business themes to allow you to generate innovative business solutions to succeed in the publishing industry and beyond.

Why choose this course?

Explore the creative and commercial processes in publishing, while studying key business themes to allow you to generate innovative business solutions to succeed in the publishing industry and beyond.

Book and magazine publishing form an important part of the creative and cultural industries. Between the author completing a written manuscript and final publication there are a range of other industry professionals involved in the process, including literary agents, editors and publishers. You’ll explore this process to develop the ability to hypothesise, implement and monitor solutions to relevant problems within the worlds of professional writing, book publishing and magazine publishing.

Alongside this you’ll explore wider themes of business, enterprise and entrepreneurship which will enable you to develop skills to start your own business or provide innovation to existing businesses.

How you will learn

On your Publishing modules you'll learn through a mixture of:


- lectures, seminars and tutorials


- creative writing workshops


- project work


- technology-enhanced learning


- peer reviews and presentations.


We also arrange visits to literary festivals, local and national museums, cultural heritage sites and other areas of interest for 'location writing' exercises.


On your Entrepreneurship modules you’ll learn through methods such as:


- formal lectures which will at times include expert speakers


- seminars which can be tutor-led or student-led and can include discussions, critical analysis of reading, presentations, group work, debates and general problem solving, interaction with real businesses, case study analysis, computer lab work, practical analysis and formative assessment


- tutorials which are one-to-one sessions with a tutor to discuss the development of assignments


- work experience projects


- self-directed study.


Opportunities and experiences

Real world opportunities are embedded in the programme, including working on live briefs, projects set by external industry organisations, and the option to take a business-based placement year between your second and third year to gain valuable work experience.

Our courses have a strong heritage of fostering links with regional, national and international partners, publishers, magazines, writing organisations, literary agents, book fairs and festivals and other literary organisations.

Careers and employability

You’ll graduate with strong, relevant skills for the workplace and a wide range of possible post-graduation opportunities, from employment to freelancing, business set-up, postgraduate research or work as an independent writer who is fully understanding of the literary, creative and business environment in which they must operate. Our Careers and Employment Service can help you boost your employment skills by connecting you with employers for work placements, part-time jobs and volunteering. They can also offer guidance on career options, CV writing or starting your own business.

Based solely on more than 24,000 student reviews, we were named Uni Compare's University of the Year 2027, and voted 1st in the UK for employability and 2nd in the UK for course quality. Not only that, but 97% of students would recommend the University of Derby*, which we can offer you industry-relevant teaching, state-of-the-art study spaces, multi-award-winning accommodation, and a welcoming, inclusive community.

*Uni Compare 2027