Getting Into a Career in Publishing

It seems that as soon as you are accepted in to a university, something you have spent the majority of the previous year sweating over, rather than being able to relax and concentrate on your degree, you are immediately interrogated about what you intend to do next. Whether speaking to a parent, friend of the family or a relative stranger, it's always the same "So, what are you going to do with your life?" A question that shakes the very foundations of your being because, let's face it, most of us haven't got the foggiest.

So half thinking about it and half wanting to just be able to shut these people up, I triumphantly exclaim, "I want a career in publishing!". Of course, whether you had decided on this career path from the day you acknowledged that people have jobs, or, like me, merely knew that you liked books and you thought it would be a logical progression, the real question is how?

Book Publishing is a relatively small industry with approximately 4,000 book and journal publishers employing some 33,000 people. Entry is almost exclusively at a graduate level and it attracts a huge number of applicants each year. This, as many careers advisors will helpfully remind you, is a very competitive field for graduates.

But do not despair, the largest publishing houses (the top ten publishers control 63% of the total market), offer work experience internships and some offer graduate training schemes. The only downside is the fierce competition for the limited number of spaces. Haymarket Publishing, Britain's largest privately owned publishing company offers only 15 places on its graduate training scheme.

So what can you do to stand out from the crowd? Relevant publishing work experience of some kind is essential. "Argh!" I hear you cry, if like me, your last 'official' work placement was at secondary school when you spent the obligatory week learning how to photocopy. Unpaid work experience aside there are many other ways to gain the necessary skills and experience to prepare you for the publishing world.

There are Masters degrees and other vocational post-graduate courses specifically targeted for publishing, yet for those who, after completing a first degree do not want to embark on another graduate programme an intensive course might be the answer. Swales and Willis run a series of such courses with reassuring titles such as 'Making A Career In Publishing'. Richard Willis, who has previously worked both as a production and a commissioning editor says:

"We could see that a lot of students were interested in Publishing as a career but had little understanding of the different roles in the industry and how to get their first job. We aim to help them with that. Our courses, although they don't give you a qualification as such, give you invaluable background information and enable students to make informed career decisions."

Richard himself struggled to break into publishing, even with a PhD. He found that a vocational qualification enabled him to get his 'the-foot-in-the-door'.

"I did a diploma course at West Herts College and got my first job straight after that. You need to get in touch with large publishers months in advance to get a place on one of those hard-won schemes or internships. If you are unsuccessful, or the deadlines have passed, remember that persistence pays. It is worth approaching smaller or independent publishing houses. In fact a smaller publisher may enable you to gain hands on experience in more than one area of the business and photocopying related duties will undoubtedly be kept to a minimum!"

Although love of books and the written word will always have a role to play in book or journals publishing, marketing and business skills are now just as important. Richard Willis advises graduates not to forget that "Publishing is a manufacturing business". Under the all-encompassing term 'publishing' is a broad spectrum of different roles each of which demand different skills. Proofreaders and copy-editors prepare author manuscripts for publication and production need excellent grammatical and punctuation skills.

"Try and learn about the different roles and think about what sort of job may suit you. It is an important decision since it is difficult to swap careers between Production and commissioning, for instance."

A brilliant summary of the details of the different job descriptions and information for graduates can be found online at www.prospects.ac.uk Whatever position you decide upon IT skills are crucial. Richard confirms:

"All job seekers should have good general IT skills such as knowledge of word processing, the internet, email, databases and spreadsheets"

Interview brownie points and industry insight can be obtained by reading trade publications such as The Bookseller (available in most libraries), or by becoming a member of one of the publishing associations such as The Society of Young Publishers or The Society of Women In Publishing, which offer training and hold talks and events on publishing related issues. Whether you begin by writing for your university newsletter or manage to secure work experience at Penguin, the opportunities are endless.

Useful Links:

The Bookseller - www.thebookseller.com
Swales and Willis - www.swaleswillis.co.uk
The Society of Young Publishers - www.thesyp.org.uk
The Society of Women in Publishing - http://www.wipub.org.uk/