By Grace Edwards, Tom Hankin, Misha Manani and Lydia Marshall
As you’re reading this, we will assume that you’ve likely dipped your toes into the job-hunting waters. In any industry, but especially publishing, these waters can seem murky at best and downright abyssal at worst. With job adverts listing “essential skill” after “essential skill”, even on entry-level positions, an application can become an incredibly daunting prospect. You need not fear, however. There are plenty of ways that you can develop your skills and profile for that entry-level role of your dreams. As we’ll list below, these are small, important changes that you can do at home or alongside your other commitments to transform your job search from frustrating to rewarding.
Application Support
CV and cover letters guidance: A tailored application with evidence is key for positive responses. Make sure you always proofread several times and get someone else you trust to check too. Bookcareers has a podcast episode on the 7 CV Essentials for Book Publishing. Also, ensure that you highlight transferable skills related to the role.
Mentorship: This is a great way to get advice on improving your applications and becoming more employable from a publishing professional. The Publishers Association has lots of information on mentorship opportunities.
Networking: Making connections helps you to learn more about the industry. You can contact people through social platforms like LinkedIn and X. By reaching out, you can also get guidance on roles you're interested in. Attending publishing events is another avenue to meet new people. The Society of Young Publishers (SYP) website has great tips on networking.
Job tracker spreadsheet and other resources: This can ensure you stay organised with your job hunting and applications. You can log information such as applications, deadlines, interviews and responses in one place. You can download various trackers online or create one on Google Sheets/Excel. Ain Chiara who currently works at Bookouture has excellent content on the publishing industry. Make sure you check out her video on Practical Tips To Get Into Publishing.
Interview Advice
Use the STAR technique for competency questions: This is a useful framework for structuring answers, which stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. Situation: Describe the relevant background and explain why this situation was important to your role or project. Task: Outline your responsibilities and what you aimed to achieve. Action: Detail the specific steps you took, emphasising your problem-solving, decision-making, or collaboration efforts. Result: Explain the outcome of your actions and the impact they had on the project, team or organisation.
Research the company/imprint: Get to know the publisher’s catalogue, mission and overall style. Determine if the division specialises in trade, academic or commercial titles and be familiar with their bestsellers, audiences, genres and notable authors. Your answers should reflect a genuine interest in the specific niche the job position is in.
Highlight relevant experience/skills: Show a clear understanding of what you bring to the table in a way that directly aligns with the job’s requirements by highlighting relevant skills to show you understand the role’s priorities. For example, if you’re applying for an editorial position, emphasise your experience with editing, project management or working with authors/clients.
Prepare questions: Asking questions at the end of a publishing interview is a great way to show your genuine interest in the role, your understanding of the industry and your dedication to making a well-informed career decision.
Tips to Develop your Commercial Awareness
Read industry publications: The key UK publishing industry publication is The Bookseller where you can discover the latest acquisitions, industry news and trends. You can learn and then share your knowledge in applications and interviews. If you create an account, you can view two free articles a month. There’s also BookBrunch where you can read the headlines for free and Publishers Weekly in the US.
Follow publishers, literary agencies and bookshops: The key social media platforms are Instagram, X and TikTok which all target different consumers, so it’s important you understand the demographics. The uploads vary whether they are static posts, reels etc., so it’s good to see how publishers are communicating their upcoming titles with audiences, reviving their older books and getting people excited about books and authors.
Visit bookshops: Besides the digital landscape, you should immerse yourself in the physical places. Go to the bigger bookshops such as Waterstones and the independents, including Goldsboro and Gay’s the Word. Think about which books are on the tables, the layout, window displays etc. You can also visit museum shops, gift stores etc.
Check the bestseller charts: If you have access to The Times, you can read The Sunday Times Bestsellers List. You should also go to Amazon where you can see the bestsellers in print and eBook. It’s important that you know which books are doing well in volume/value, so you can acknowledge the reasons behind their success.
Thank you for reading this issue. Join us in the next one where we will cover Upskilling Tips for Your First Publishing Job.