Posted on April 16, 2009 - by katy
Working in publishing
Working in publishing is exciting, challenging and, at times, exhausting. No one goes into this business for the money – the hours can be very long at busy times, you may end up with quite a lot of responsibility, and the pay does not reflect this. So why would anyone do it? Well, it helps to have a passion for books and you will be working with some extremely talented and creative people. There is also a huge buzz in pulling together with your colleagues to make a book succeed. Your job may also take you away from the office to all sorts of interesting places, especially if you go into publicity, foreign rights or production. I worked in publishing for nearly four years, firstly as a general assistant, then as a Desk Editor, and I rarely had a boring day at work – that’s saying something!
But don’t just take my word for it. I interviewed some of the good people I work with now I’m an author, so click on the headings below for the low-down on some of the many different publishing jobs, and a few handy tips on how to get one of them for yourself!
Foreign Rights, Stephanie Fretwell
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What is your job and what do you do?
I sell foreign language rights for all of our books. This involves meeting foreign publishers, getting to know their lists and their local publishing practices, and recommending books from our own publishing programme which might work for them. Once a foreign publisher is interested in acquiring a book, I negotiate the price and contractual terms of the sale. I also act as the intermediary between the two companies, helping to support the foreign publisher with marketing ideas and information about awards and successes in our own market. In many cases, I help to organise the printing of the foreign edition as well. -
What do you like most about your job?
Meeting lots of people from all around the world, and getting to know the cultural differences among us all. Tastes in art and stories vary greatly so it is important to understand the aesthetics in each country you work with. Occasionally we make a book which appeals to everyone, which is incredibly exciting when it happens. I am lucky that I get to travel for my job – I have visited more than 10 countries for work in the past 4 years. I also really love books and reading, and am happy that they are an important part of my work life.
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What do you like the least?
Paperwork! It is important to stay organised, which is very difficult for me. But part of the job is to keep track of every sale I’m working on and to make sure that my customers have everything they need to publish their books on time. This means staying on top of some of the more tedious parts of publishing like printing details, shipping information, contracts, and payment.
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How did you become a rights executive?
It was not a clear path for me to get into publishing. I always wanted to travel and after Uni I taught English in South Korea for 2 years. When I came back home, I knew teaching was not for me and thought that publishing would be the kind of job I could make into a career. But I wasn’t sure so I did work experience for a children’s publisher in their publicity department. I really enjoyed my time there, and decided that working in international rights might be a good way to combine my interests in different cultures, art, and literature.
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Where did you train?
I have a degree in Anthropology, but the rest of my training has been through experience – working with children and books, living abroad, and doing internships.
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Did you have to do work experience?
I did do work experience twice, and while I don’t think it’s stricly necessary, it was an important part of my own path to a job in foreign rights. First I went into a publicity department – my main goal there was to learn as much as possible about the different roles in publishing in order to find the right fit for me. Then I did work experience in a rights department to learn more about the specific role I was interested in, and this eventually turned into a permanent job as Foreign Rights Assistant.
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If you were were interviewing someone for a job, what kind of person would you be looking for and with what skills?
I would be looking for someone who is dynamic and outgoing, interested in people, with international experience and cultural sensitivity. I would also want to hire someone who had a clear and realistic idea about what rights sales are about, was determined to work in that role, and would work as hard on the boring bits as they do on the interesting ones. I would look for someone who has genuine love of children’s books, can articulate why they care about the books they love, and is able to draw other people into their enthusiasm.
Production – Sarah Robinson
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What is your job and what do you do?
I’m Senior Production Controller – responsible for fiction titles and graphic novels. I see the book though from acquisition costings (working out how much a book will cost to produce, how many should be printed etc.) to finished product and ensure that it stays on budget and on schedule.
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What do you like most about your job?
The variety of different types of book (black and white paperback novel, full colour graphic novels, picture books etc.), researching different print processes, which can aid the creative team and hopefully save money! Getting to work with lots of different people in different areas of the publishing process, designers, editors, printers and finally seeing the finished product – so satisfying after months of hard graft.
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What do you like the least?
Production can at times be a thankless job, you are right at the end of the chain so if a book is running late it’s up to you to pull all the stops out to get in printed on time. It’s a very admin based role so can at times be bit boring.
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How did you become a Production Director?
I graduated with a fine arts degree but wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself so I decided to follow my brother into the world of publishing and enrolled on a MA in Publishing at the London College of Printing
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Did you have to do work experience?
No, but I would advise that you should if you can as it will give you a good feel for the type of work you’ll be doing. No qualification can actually prepare you for the office!
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If you were interviewing someone for a job, what kind of person would you be looking for and with what skills?
Great organisational skills and a clear head are important in production. A good head for figures and an understanding of budgets and deadlines is also essential. I’d be looking for a creative thinker with a good eye for detail – a sociable and friendly person, because keeping up good relations with your suppliers always pays off.
Publicity and PR, Alice Burden
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What is your job and what do you do?
I’m Publicity and Public Relations Manager at Walker Books
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What do you like most about your job ?
Rebecca and Sean from the Sales and Marketing team
get to work closely with some of the most amazing books, authors and illustrators in the world. There is nothing quite like the feeling of reading a brand new book, before it’s hit the shelves, and knowing that it’s going to be a huge success. Being able to introduce our books to journalists and reviewers and consequently seeing them in print never stops being exciting and rewarding.
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What do you like the least?
Deadlines!
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How did you get here?
My first job in publishing was in editorial, but after three years I moved over to the publicity department. PR is my real love, being able to talk a lot about books I love is brilliant! Since my first job in publishing, I have gone on to PR roles in both TV and licensing, but knew I’d always come back to books in the end.
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Where did you train?
I did an English degree, followed by a Masters degree in Children’s Literature, but didn’t have any specific publishing training.
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Did you have to do work experience?
It was through doing work experience that I was offered my first publishing job.
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If you were were interviewing someone for a job, what kind of person would you be looking for and with what skills?
I look for enthusiasm, attention to detail, time management and the ability to come up with a solution – whatever the problem.
Literary Agent, Catherine Clarke
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What is your job and what do you do?
Ellen busy editing at Walker
I am a literary agent and director of the Felicity Bryan Agency in Oxford and I represent writers of non-fiction for adults and writers for children and young adults which means I develop proposals and novels with writers and help them find publishers and negotiate publishing contracts on their behalf, in the UK and the US and in translation.
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What do you like most about being an agent?
I love working with talented writers, sometimes at the very beginning of their writing career, and offering them guidance and support and then making a good match for them with a publisher. I love being able to work with writers in different fields, which very few publishers get to do. And I really love working in such an international business with shared passions.
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What do you like the least?
Can’t think of anything…
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How did you become an agent?
A mutual friend put me in touch with Felicity Bryan in 2001, because she knew Felicity was thinking of taking on a new agent; previously I had been a publisher, running the Trade Books department at Oxford University Press, so I had plenty of academic contacts and editorial experience, but I was looking to expand my horizons, especially into children’s books.
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Where did you train?
I trained originally as an editorial assistant at Oxford University Press after I graduated with a degree in Modern Languages, then worked through the ranks to become Publishing Director. So I learned the nitty gritty of editing, but also how to write cover and catalogue copy and how to make a case for publishing a particular book – I knew just how many people within a publishing house were involved in making a decision about whether to publish a book. Which is a good reality check for an agent.
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Did you have to do work experience?
When I became an agent, it was a case of learning on the job, and I was lucky to join an agency with a formidable track record and a great set of contacts already in place.
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If you were interviewing someone for a job, what kind of person would you be looking for and with what skills?
I would look for someone intelligent, well read, and socially at ease, who can build up and maintain contacts quickly, and who has a good grasp of negotiating skills and a mixture of commercial nous and confidence in their own judgement, and the ability to convey that to other people.
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