Work in Publishing Week

This week is Work in Publishing Week, a campaign organised by the Publishers Association to encourage young people to pursue a career in our industry. It will show the range of different opportunities, from marketing to admin, editorial to IT, and provide practical advice on how to get that first job.

Publishing is a relatively small industry but an endlessly vibrant one, filled with new ideas and approaches. Entering it can be as tough as entering any other creative industry but we urge anyone interested to stay positive and remind them that there may well be many more opportunities out there than they first assume. From the huge conglomerates to small, independent presses, there are companies all over the country publishing books, magazines, and journals for academics, specialists, students, children and the legendary ‘general’ reader.

Publishing might not be all glamour – at least not here in Marketing – but at Boydell & Brewer it is extraordinarily satisfying to be part of a very creative, highly-skilled, and extremely hardworking team producing books as culturally valuable as we believe ours to be.

So if you or anyone you know is interested in working in any part of the publishing world, we hope this link to Work in Publishing Week – https://www.publishers.org.uk/resources/careers-outreach/work-in-publishing-week/ – will inspire and encourage your success

Here with accounts of their work in publishing are four colleagues from Boydell’s UK office.

I joined Boydell & Brewer in March, with minimal knowledge of the publishing industry but have learnt a huge amount in that short space of time. My role in the Pre-Press department grants me a good view of all stages of production and allows me to work on titles in a vast array of subject areas. As an Assistant Production Editor, I guide submitted manuscripts through copyediting and typesetting to produce a final file ready for print. I thoroughly enjoy the variety of tasks I undertake and being able to work as part of close-knit team, although we each take responsibility for different books. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to work for a small publishing house with a great reputation, without any prior office experience under my belt. Finding work experience in publishing today is almost as difficult as landing a first job so I am grateful to have taken my first steps with Boydell & Brewer. – Emily Champion, Assistant Production Editor

Boydell & Brewer is my first excursion into publishing, which I applied for following the completion of my PhD. I applied for the role of Assistant Production Editor as my research developed an interest in the relationship between text, image, and its design on the page which I was keen to pursue as a career. After two rounds of very friendly interviews I was offered the position. Boydell & Brewer is a unique company and I have received so much support in learning how to guide titles through the production process from the initial readying of files for copyeditors to the receiving of the final files for publication. The company has given me a fantastic opportunity to develop valuable, practical, industry-specific experience. – Bonnie McGill, Assistant Production Editor

I have worked at Boydell & Brewer since 2005. I initially applied for an assistant role that I saw in the advertisement section of The Bookseller, a Publishing Industry magazine that I had access to during my studies at University. After a friendly interview it turned out I was unsuitable for the role I had applied for but I was offered an alternative opportunity to work as a temp to gain industry experience. When the position of Receptionist became available I was successful in securing this role and throughout the years used my University business skills to work in various roles, including managing the eBook program and organising stock management solutions, until I reached my current role working in licensing content. I really value the opportunity given to me in the form of getting some office based experience for a prolonged period. I had done work placements at publishing houses in University holidays but these did not compare to the experience I got working in an administrative capacity at Boydell & Brewer. – Rachel Reeder, Rights and Contracts Executive

Next month, I will have worked at Boydell & Brewer for 1 year, and I am so excited at how far I have come with the company in these 12 months. I was hired as a Marketing Assistant, joining the company with a BA in publishing, but not much experience in the industry. Before joining the company, I worked in a digital marketing agency, and by combining what I learned in that role, with my skills in publishing, I am now a Digital Marketing Executive. I feel so thankful to begin my publishing career in a company which allows me to progress and grow in fields new to me, combining existing skills whilst learning new ones. I’m excited to see what my second year with the company brings! – Sofie Samuelsson, Digital Marketing Executive

Follow our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts this week as Boydell & Brewer employees share what they love about working in publishing.

Subscribe to the Boydell & Brewer blog via email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

* indicates required

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories