Consider attending a school that has courses in music business. Music publishing involves acquiring the publishing rights to songs you believe you can market. An understanding of how to spot talent and how to creatively market that talent is essential to success in music publishing, as well as an understanding of the avenues you can pursue to get songs published. There are also legal matters that you'll need to understand. Top schools such as Berklee College of Music offer courses that specialize in all aspects of the music business, including music publishing, and many of these schools offer online courses.
Pay attention to CDs, sheet music and song credits when you watch movies. Note the publishers involved in getting those songs published. Keep a notebook and brainstorm creative new ideas for publishing songs. Any public display of a song constitutes publication. Think outside the box when it comes to finding creative outlets for the songs you have publishing rights to. Creative thinking and contacts are going to be your best tools in publishing music.
Keep in touch with news in the publishing business. One way to do this is to join the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) or BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.). These associations are responsible for monitoring and collecting royalties on published work. Their websites also feature industry news and articles that can help you get inside the business of music publishing.
Visit the library or bookstore. You can also shop online stores such as Amazon. Books are a good source of information, including "Making Music Make Money" by Eric Beall or "Music Publishing 101" by Berklee Press. Websites such as Music Biz Advice and Music Publisher's Association also offer solid advice on how to become a music publisher. There are a number of ways to learn music publishing, whether by traditional classroom instruction or by actually doing it. The key is finding the right approach for you and working hard.