By Meghan Capper, Tanvi Jaiswal, Misha Manani and Georgia Stack
In this issue, we provide useful insight on resources, organisations and courses for anyone who's just starting out in the publishing world and wants to build their knowledge of the industry. These can support your career journey and grow your publishing skill set.
Publishing Organisations:
● SYP (Society of Young Publishers): This organisation informs and assists publishing hopefuls across the UK and Ireland. They also offer a mentorship scheme each year which provides career guidance from publishing professionals.
● BookMachine: They host online and in-person events and courses. Hopefuls can make connections, build key skills and develop their careers.
● Independent Publishers Guild (IPG): A friendly network of independent publishers with a range of resources and events to support their growth and efficiency.
● Bookcareers: An online career development and guidance service. They offer professional advice on CVs, cover letters, and interview preparation. They even have a Newcomers Job Club.
● Inspired Selection: A leading publishing recruitment agency. Take a look at their website to find some entry-level roles near you!
● Publishers Pending: A social media project created by hopefuls aiming to make the industry more accessible by sharing their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Follow their Instagram @publishers.pending or Twitter @pubpending to join their community.
● Publishers Association: They run a Work in Publishing campaign every November to inspire 14–24-year-olds interested in a career in publishing. They offer CV and interview tips, showcase a breadth of career opportunities, and host Q&As with professionals.
Useful Resources:
● Hachette Career Webinars: Ten 'Opening the Book' recorded events hosted by Sharmaine Lovegrove. They cover the experiences in different departments, tips, and skills for getting a job.
● Publishing Hopefuls Facebook Group: Join this community for those hoping to break into publishing. You will find Q&As, job opportunities, CVs and cover letters.
● The Bookseller Job Search: Filter by job and employment type, location and company. Sign up to the Jobs in Books email for the latest every week!
● Creative Access: There are forty-three employer partnerships in book publishing for underrepresented backgrounds. Look at the job opportunities board and sign up for the emails.
● ERIC: Explore your career options, upskill through resources and find work in the creative industries. Download the free app on your mobile and sign up for the newsletter.
● Book Brunch: A UK publishing trade magazine to read about the industry and develop your commercial awareness. Subscribe to the free daily newsletter.
● The Publishing Post: Subscribe to the free bi-monthly digital magazine where you can learn more about the industry such as events, marketing campaigns and upskilling tips.
● Publishing Hopefuls Toolkit: Created by Ellie Pilcher who lists many resources for interviews, applications, side hustles etc.
Publishing Courses
Universities with Publishing MA’s: University of Derby, University of Stirling, Kingston University, Oxford Brookes University, Edinburgh Napier University and UCL. Please find more here.
LDN Publishing Apprenticeship: This programme collaborates with various publishing houses such as Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. They match your profile with the most fitting opportunity in the industry and give publishing hopefuls a chance to learn on the job!
Short Courses: If you’re looking for shorter courses, then the industry is full of them. They offer both online and in-person workshops. Some of these courses are offered by Book Machine Book Campus, The Publishing Training Centre, University of City London, Get Into Publishing, Columbia Publishing Course, and The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing by Google.
LinkedIn Courses: You can explore different courses offered by LinkedIn as well. They specialise in Ebook Foundation, Editing e-books, Metadata for Book Publishing, Marketing Copywriting, Creating an Editorial Calendar and Content Marketing of Ebooks.
Top Tips
Watch Videos from YouTubers in Publishing: Ellie Pilcher’s #MarketYourMarketing, Ain Chiara, Eleanor Marie Rose, The Society of Young Publishers, Bookish Babe, Claire Fenby, Jack Edwards, Jasmine Reads, Leanne Rose and Books and Things.
Develop Your Technical Skills: Key software like BooksoniX for metadata, Canva, Adobe (InDesign and Photoshop) and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) are used frequently in publishing.
Network: LinkedIn is a great tool for making connections within publishing. Reaching out may open doors. For those attending university, most have alumni that you can contact, so it is worth searching for fellow students that have gone into your aspired field!
Get Experience: There are many paid publishing internships and work experience vacancies advertised at indie publishers. Alternatively, sending a CV and cover letter may get you noticed! If finances are an issue, The Book Trade Charity offers sponsorship to support candidates with travel costs or other funding required. Additionally, you can develop skills and show an interest in publishing by writing for a student newspaper, having a Bookstagram, or joining The Publishing Post.
Thanks for reading Issue Fifty-Five! Join us again for Issue Fifty-Six, where we will cover Upskilling Tips for Career Progression Part 1.