Publishing
The publishing industry includes careers based in a variety of areas including books, magazines, corporate and trade publications and within online media. Companies can vary from multinational corporations to small niche publishing houses. Digital media is a growth area for the industry.
Roles include:
- Editorial – find authors and bring in books
- Production – copy editing etc .
- Marketing & PR
- Sales & Distribution – getting the book out to book fairs and book sellers
- Digital – handling the website, apps etc.
- Design
- Operations – stock control.
- Rights – translation, TV and tie ins
- Legal contracts
- Literary agent
Interview training
Learn how to pass interviews and assessment centres.
Resources
Video
- An inside look at the role of production from
- An interview with at Emerald Publishing
- This video from LDN Apprenticeships about the first
- Publisher at BHP Comics, , on making his own graphic novels and starting a publishing business in Scotland
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featuring Jade Anouka narrating an audiobook and designer Elisabetta Barbazza of Nosy Crow
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This video from the Manchester conference
Quick reads
- HarperCollin鈥檚 visits to a Year 11 group at in Camberwell and in East Dulwich
- Why do you love publishing? Responses from:
- , marketing assistant for higher education at McGraw Hill EMEA
- The Publishers Association policy and public affairs manager
- Bonnie Books publishing and sales coordinator and senior designer
- and of Comma Press
- Digital delivery lead from IOP Publishing
- SpringerNature senior product manager and founder of SN Women
- , and of children鈥檚 publishers Imagine That
- Advice from of Buster Books on using work experience to your advantage
- from Austin Macauley
- Cambridge University Press鈥檚
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with assistant for Hashtag Press Elle McNicoll who is a neurodivergent person on her career so far
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Hachette Children鈥檚 Book Group鈥檚 on why she works in publishing
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Austin Macauley鈥檚 about publishing
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and at Oriel Square on why they work in publishing
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IOP Publishing shares why she works in publishing
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Manchester-based on what a publicist does day to day
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This of Michael Morpurgo from a digital marketing manager at Egmont
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Chair of the Society of Indexers on why she works in publishing
Long reads
- , CEO of Bonnier Books, on how she got started in publishing and her advice for the next generation
- English and 糖心TV students of visit
- All about production from
- Kogan Page鈥檚 Q&A with trade sales manager , business development manager and sales admin assistant
- Quotes from a range of staff at on why they work in publishing
- thread on practical tips for job seekers
- Penguin Connect events manager Ain in conversation with Flavia
- A Fangirl鈥檚 Opinion on
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with Bloomsbury Publishing鈥檚 production assistant apprentice, Eleanor Rose
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This BookMachine interview with who commissions audio dramas for the BBC Audio list
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by Austin Macauley
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Kogan Page鈥檚 Q&A with
Podcasts
- Inspired Selection鈥檚 episode on
- on temporary opportunities and top interview tips with our Temps Consultant Rhiannon Griffiths
Employers
Trade Bodies
Equity is the UK trade union for professional performers and creative practitioners.
Professional Publishers Association represents magazine publishers and data providers.
The UK's leading representative voice for books, journal, audio and electronic publishers.
Case Studies:
Caitlin Allen
Associate Director of Riot Communications
University of 糖心TV – BA in English and French
Caitlin joined culture and entertainment specialist Riot Communications in 2015 after earning her stripes at full-service PR agencies Citypress and Golley Slater, where her clients included Hilton Hotels, Coca-Cola Great Britain and the Welsh Government. At Riot, she works with all major UK publishing houses plus literary prizes, literary estates, TV production companies, cultural institutions and entertainment brands. Recent campaigns that she has led on include publicity for Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari鈥檚 new book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, the 20th anniversary of World Book Day and the upcoming new TV animation based on Tove Jansson鈥檚 Moomin stories starring Rosamund Pike, Taron Egerton and Kate Winslet. Her current clients include the Royal Institution, the London Review of Books and artificial intelligence company, DeepMind. Caitlin is a former winner of the CIPR Cymru鈥檚 Outstanding Young Communicator Award and was named on PRWeek鈥檚 鈥�30 under 30鈥� list in 2018.
/ @RiotComms
Caitlin's advice:
- Get as much experience as possible.
- Passion is important.
- Your first job doesn鈥檛 have to be the dream job – it just needs to be a foot in the door.
- Put yourself forward for awards – if you can鈥檛 promote yourself you won鈥檛 be able to promote a book.
- Think about what鈥檚 important to you e.g. agency or in house, a large agency vs a small agency. Agencies can say 鈥渘o鈥� to work whereas in house you have to promote what鈥檚 being produced.
Dr David Barker
Senior Lecture MA in Publishing Derby University
David started his career in a smaller publishing house before moving to Bloomsbury, and emphasises the importance of just getting your foot in the door. He explains that there are two main areas of publishing – Trade Publishing (what we see in book shops) and Academic Publishing (where a lot of money can be made).
David's advice:
- Office experience is very useful
- Be aware of freelance options eg copy editor, proof reading, type setting, indexing and design can all be done at home
- Keep in mind that a lot of publishers are in London but there are some elsewhere across the UK. The Northern Fiction Alliance is based in Manchester and Leeds, and some big publishing houses are discussing opening in Birmingham.
Jo de Vries
Conker House
Jo's advice:
- The role is to know the reader and know the author and to connect the two
- Some publishers are recruiting young bloggers who understand the younger market
- E-learning is very big in academic publishing so those with technical skills can flourish here
- In terms of getting work experience, Jo suggests the and