Work in Publishing Week: Resources for publishing hopefuls

abbybathurst
2 days ago
5 min read

November 17th to 21st is Work in Publishing week, and here are some resources for publishing hopefuls.

Work in Publishing week is here, and the national campaign, organised by The Publishers' Association, aims to inform all about the publishing industry. Tips are shared, pathways into publishing are discussed, and information is learnt.

As a publishing hopeful, I have developed my knowledge of the publishing industry in the past year. I've attended lots of events, both in person and online, including The London Book Fair, some webinars, and even work experience at Penguin Random House.

However, being a publishing hopeful isn't easy. It is a competitive industry, and whilst I am based in East Anglia, many publishing hopefuls live up north and have fewer opportunities due to travel.

Therefore, in addition to my social media posts about Work in Publishing week, I'm sharing some resources for publishing hopefuls.

The resources below are all designed to help publishing hopefuls better understand the industry, develop skills, network with professionals and fellow hopefuls, and more.

Publishing Resources

The Publishing Post

The Publishing Post is an online publishing magazine. It is aimed at publishing hopefuls, giving them a platform to develop knowledge and skills, whilst building volunteering experience.

With blog posts, a jobs board and CV and Cover Letter feedback, The Publishing Post is a great resource. It includes interviews with industry professionals, breakdowns on campaigns and general application tips too.

By subscribing, you gain access to all articles and everything The Publishing Post has to offer. It's only £5 a year and well worth the money for the resources you receive in return.

The Society of Young Publishers

Another volunteer-led organisation is The Society of Young Publishers. This society not only helps publishing hopefuls, but also publishing professionals at the start of their careers.

With different branches of the SYP all across the UK, it's a fab resource for those with an interest in publishing.

The SYP has its own quarterly print magazine. This provides updates on what's happening within the SYP and also the wider industry with articles, interviews and reports.

There are also regular events, including networking events and workshops, that members can attend. Additionally, being a member of the SYP offers discounts on certain things, such as:

15% discount on a subscription to The Bookseller
30% off London Book Fair Ticket

There is also a jobs board and a mentorship scheme, run by the SYP, too.

The Bookseller

The Bookseller is the industry magazine, providing all the news you need to know about the publishing industry. I'm signed up to it, and it is an invaluable resource with regular round-up emails of their latest articles.

The magazine is online and in print, and has been the book trade magazine for 157 years. However, that's not all.

The Bookseller also has a jobs board, advertising lots of industry jobs available to publishing hopefuls.

BookCareers

BookCareers, run by Suzanne Collier, an award-winning careers advisor, is an incredible resource, offering all sorts of advice to publishing hopefuls. It helps with job hunting, CV and Cover Letter writing, and also advertises job vacancies.

There is also a BookCareers podcast, where Suzanne shares her insights and tips about the book industry.

Also, at the London Book Fair, there is usually a BookCareers careers clinic. I've attended this more than once, and it's been an invaluable event. Earlier this year, I went and was able to buy Suzanne's book, How to Get Into Publishing.

Creative Access

Creative Access is an organisation aiming to "build a creative economy". Since 2012, Creative Access has partnered with lots of creative companies, including publishers, to help get people into the different industries.

They often advertise job vacancies, as well as mentorship schemes, internships and workshops on various topics.

I've found Creative Access to be incredibly helpful in job hunting, not only for publishing but for other creative industries.

BookMachine

BookMachine is a versatile resource. It has a publishing community where you can network and connect with other industry peers, as well as lots of online courses and events.

There is also a BookMachine blog, which shares articles on various topics, including audiobooks, book marketing and publicity, book publishing business, and more.

And BookMachine is a creative agency that supports brands with marketing and other creative services.

Independent Publishers Guild

The Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) is an organisation that supports its members with lots of different opportunities, including networking events, training and other resources.

As a member, you get access to the IPG Spring and Autumn conferences; you can network with industry professionals; access to the IPG skills hub; opportunities for a mentoring scheme, and more.

The IPG aims to help independent publishers grow, and with their jobs board, it can be so useful for publishing hopefuls to join.

The Publishing Hopefuls Facebook Group

The Publishing Hopefuls Facebook group is probably the first publishing resource that I used. Created by Christina Storey, currently working at HarperCollins, this group is full of publishing hopefuls.

Tips and advice are shared in the group, as well as the opportunity to talk to other publishing hopefuls. People share questions, they share job adverts, and they ask for help on CVs and Cover Letters.

Everyone helps each other, and it's a great way to network with others currently applying for roles and job hunting.

Market Your Marketing Substack

Market Your Marketing is a Substack community run by Eleanor Pilcher, an award-winning marketer with lots of experience in the publishing industry.

This Substack is full of useful and insightful resources for publishing hopefuls. Eleanor has created a Publishing Hopefuls Toolkit, a publishing glossary, and runs her own webinars for publishing hopefuls — the next one is on 3rd December.

Not only is Eleanor lovely in person, but her advice and Substack articles are always incredibly helpful. I often read her articles on her Substack and find them very useful.

London Book Fair

The London Book Fair is a three-day annual event where the publishing industry comes together. It is more of a trade event with publishers developing relationships and making deals; however, I've been attending for the past two years and find it incredibly useful as a publishing hopeful.

There are lots of different publisher stalls around the fair, including the Big 5 and some independent, smaller publishers. There are also different publishing companies.

Plus, there are regular conferences/seminars to attend on all sorts of topics, relating to the publishing industry.

With so many people attending, it's a great way to network and meet other publishing hopefuls, but also professionals in the industry.

So, if you're a publishing hopeful, I hope this blog post full of resources has been helpful. These are some great resources to expand your knowledge of the industry, meet and network with professionals and other publishing hopefuls, and also gain confidence in applying for roles.

If you have other publishing resources, feel free to drop them in the comments below.

Until next time...