This seminar offers writers and graduate students perspective on the publishing industries, in the U.S. and internationally, from the multiple perspectives of the author, editor, agent, publisher, and reader. If the tired axiom “publish or perish” remains true of those planning a future in publishing or the academy—as every indication suggests—this course offers survival skills, for future employment and success in university life. The class begins with a history of publishing in the U.S., followed by an overview of a media/cultural studies approach to ownership and control in the modern era. We discuss procedures and standards for submission of articles and book proposals to publishers of literary, scholarly, and technical work. We examine in detail the roles of editors and agents in circulating and accepting manuscripts—with an emphasis on the increasing globalization of publishing/media activities.