How to Land a Publishing Job

 How to Land a Publishing Job

How to Land a Publishing Job

This post by Laura Berlinski-Shine offers advice on how to get employment in the publishing sector.

Editing is most likely the first thing that springs to mind when you think of "book publishing." Although editing plays a significant part in the publishing sector, there are many other jobs in the area, ranging from marketing to visual design.

I have over seven years of experience in publishing, most recently at Penguin Random House as an academic marketing manager. I can attest to the fact that working in the book business can be both demanding and fascinating. You also get a ton of free books.

My journey to publication was a little different. I looked for a marketing assistant job and sent out cold letters to hundreds of small presses after volunteering at a small education professional development publisher. I received an email one day from the vice president of a professional publisher's firm that deals with libraries and information science, telling me that my timing was perfect as his marketing assistant had just left for the day. I spent a year and a half in that capacity before going on to work for Penguin in an institutional marketing capacity and then transferring inside to the academic marketing division.

Do you intend to work in the publishing sector? Continue reading to find out about various book assignments and how to begin.

How to begin your publishing career

It could be difficult to take that first step. It takes labor, study, and networking to discover your first opportunity, like it does in many other businesses. Since people have varying educational backgrounds, there is no specific major or degree required to get employment in publishing.

These are some typical routes to landing your first job in publishing.

publishing initiative

Publishing events, usually spanning several weeks in the summer, provide aspiring publishing professionals with an opportunity to gain knowledge about many facets of the business, hear from prominent figures in the field, and establish connections with other industry experts. While some programs only focus on book production, others also educate participants about magazine and internet publishing. Well-known publishing initiatives consist of:

• New York University Publications Institute during Summer

• Course on Columbia Publishing

• Denver Publishing Institute

• Course on Yale Publishing

a traineeship

Internships are available from all five of the major publishing firms as well as several smaller ones. Make the most of the opportunity after you get it, just as with any internship. Go above and above what is required of you, get to know your colleagues, and make an effort to learn about many facets of the company. Although there's no guarantee that your internship will result in a full-time publishing career, the contacts you establish and the experience you get will help you land a position elsewhere.

networking

In any sector, networking is crucial. Getting out of your comfort zone is frequently the first step, even if it might be challenging to know where to begin, particularly if you don't know anybody in the region. I'm not sure how many prospective publishing industry professionals have contacted me on LinkedIn to seek guidance on breaking into this industry.

If the alumni directory at your university exists, consider contacting publishing industry experts via it. You already have a connection in this method. You may also go to industry events and make connections on LinkedIn. Junior professionals in the sector are welcome to join the Association of American Publishers' Young to Publishing club, but you may also learn about news and activities by visiting the website and contacting committee members.

Be cautious: Being too aggressive is a real thing. Publishing professionals are often quite busy. If you keep contacting them after they have made it obvious that they don't have time, you may seek for recommendations from strangers or, worse, ask them directly. They will be irritated by any urgent work. The best course of action is to be very clear that you are not looking for a job and that your goal is to learn about the sector. Even if this could be your ultimate objective, if you come across as kind and involved instead of pushy and haughty, the professionals you network with will remember you and refer you in the future.

Experience

It's a little complicated, but your chances of landing a new job increase with experience. Gaining experience with a smaller publication may help you advance to a bigger publisher if your objective is to work with one of the Big 5 publishers. That's what I carried out. Remember that you may need to start at a junior level in a larger home even if you have expertise.