The Society of Young Publishers is a volunteer-run organisation supporting junior and aspiring publishing professionals. Working across the UK and Ireland, the SYP is made up on six committees: Ireland, London, North, Oxford, Scotland and South West. Each committee works to run events and conferences, support young professionals and offer mentorship.
Given the rate at which junior professionals are leaving the industry due to burnout, lack of promotional prospects or recognition in return for their work, it seems fitting that the SYP chairs for 2022–3 aim to “make career progression for professionals who are already in the industry their chief focus this year.” April Peake, Commissioning Editor at Penguin Random House, and Amalia Mihailescu, Student Adviser at University College London, will chair SYP this coming year.
With in-person events making their comeback this year, we expect to see an array of informative and engaging events that will benefit the publishing community. April suggests that “[They] have a number of really exciting new initiatives planned for the year ahead and [that she is] particularly looking forward to developing our offering for those members who, like [her], either live outside of traditional southern hubs or are now more than a couple of years into their career in publishing.”
With in-person events rising to the forefront of our minds, Amalia is keen to remind junior and aspiring professionals that SYP are focussed on ensuring that digital-only members will see the benefit of the new digital resources they have to offer: “With the new website launched at the end of last year, I am keen on seeing this space developing into a key resource for users, where they can find the latest updates on our activity, both UK wide and region specific. As we build this up, I do encourage members to start exploring our digital home and take advantage of all the perks we have in store for them, like our resource centre, partner discounts and more.”
You can stay up to date with the SYP by following their various accounts on Twitter, including @SYP_UK and the regional teams (@SYPIreland, @SYP_LDN, @SYPNorth, @SYP_Oxford, @SYPScotland and @SYP_SouthWest).