Fancy a career in publishing, but don’t know where to start?
Following the London Book Fair, which took place 14-17 April in Earl’s Court in London, it’s the perfect time to find out more about careers in publishing and what skills are needed.
The UK publishing industry can be very competitive to get into, but is a dynamic and exciting one to work in. It’s at the heart of the social, cultural, educational and political life of the UK.
Publishing is made up of a very diverse group of industries, including books, directories and mailing lists, journals, magazines and business media, newspapers, news agencies and other information services.
The job roles involved are many and varied and are increasingly blurring and merging across the workforce. Multimedia formats mean the industry is at an exciting time and subject to rapid change. There is an increasing need for skills in sales and marketing, technical and software, business and analytical skills as well as the ability to multi-skill.
What types of jobs are available in publishing?
Editorial: those who research, write, edit and commission content. Job roles include journalists, section heads, commissioning editors and sub-editors and require an excellent understanding of written English, a passion for telling a good story and an understanding of what readers want.
Design: those who develop and design page layouts, covers, branding, promotional material, online and interactive products. Job roles include designers, picture researchers, art editors, typesetters and web designers. To work in design requires creativity and technical skill to design engaging and attractive products that customers will love.
Production: those that make the final product, whether a book, magazine, newspaper, website, interactive product or game. Job roles include production planners, controllers and managers, print buyers, schedulers and editorial managers. You will need to have excellent project management skills, great attention to detail and the ability to negotiate a good deal.
Sales: those who sell, manage the sales cycle and work with customer accounts. Job roles include sales executives, representatives, account managers and administrators. You will need to have strong numeracy and communication skills and an understanding what your customers want and how your products can meet their needs.
Marketing: those who provide market intelligence and customer insight and produce marketing communications. Job roles include marketing assistants, product, communication or promotions managers, brand specialists, database and marketing services roles. You will need to combine the analytical with the creative and to track and communicate customer behaviour to feed into a successful sales and editorial strategy.
Rights and licensing: those who work on the legal side, negotiating contracts, agreeing terms for the rights holders, selling international rights or agreeing licenses to use content. You will need to have great communication and negotiation skills combined with an incredible eye for detail.
Creative Skillset has more job profiles and descriptions on its website.
What qualifications do you need?
Most areas of publishing require a degree, but not necessarily related to publishing.
For books and journals people often go on to do a specialist subject or publishing studies postgraduate qualification before entering the industry. This may help your application stand out and provide access to useful contacts, but it is not essential.
In newspaper and magazine journalism, an accredited qualification is considered desirable or sometimes essential.
How do you get a job in publishing?
Get to know the area you are interested in, the publishers and their products. Employers want people who are interested in the business and are passionate about their products and readers.
Make contacts: who you know is critical to finding out about opportunities, so network at industry events and build your own contacts to help you get ahead.
Give yourself an edge: use your initiative and always be prepared to go the extra mile. A can–do attitude will go a long way.
Good transferable skills such as project management, being digital–savvy and having a good eye for detail will always be considered useful.
Take a look here for some useful links to help with your publishing job search!
Creative Skillset has information and resources to help you get on in your career, including advice for writing CVs and networking and jobhunting tips. Visit the website www.creativeskillset.org for more information.
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