
SYP Alumni
Posted on June 19, 2018 in UK

If you’re reading this then you fit into one of four categories of people:
- You are a member of the Society of Young Publishers (SYP)
- You are thinking of becoming a member of the SYP
- You are not thinking of becoming a member of the SYP, but are interested in the publishing industry
- You are an SYP Alumni and were a member at some point
Whichever category you fall into, we want you to know that we aim to help everyone. If you fall into category four and were once a member, perhaps, like myself, you stopped renewing your membership as you moved through your career. But we want to do more for people at all stages of their career – not just those at start of it.
My name is Elle and I am the Rights Executive for Stripes Publishing – and I’m also volunteering on the 2018 SYP UK committee as the Alumni Liaison Officer.
This year, I’m volunteering on the SYP UK committee because it was through the SYP Annual Conference that I found out about Rights – which is what I do today – and felt like it was time now to give back to those just starting their career in publishing. I’m proud of and love our industry (and books!) with a huge passion, but it’s also down to us to make changes. I have also realised that there is also so much to learn about our industry, even as I move forward with my career.
Last year, the SYP created the Alumni chapter and now my role as Alumni Liaison is to support and work with you, our Alumni, to make the SYP even better for you. We want you to have a space to continue to network and learn, and we are in the process of putting together social talks on topics that we, as professionals like yourselves, think we should learn about!
The format of these events will be as follows: an opening moment for you to relax after a day of work and get yourself some refreshments, followed by a few speakers on a specific topic. We will welcome questions after the talks, before opening the space for you to mingle.
The events will be quarterly and will hopefully be useful for you as a professional. We will be looking to hold them in venues that are accessible for all and we are very much open to suggestions for event themes, too; if you have any ideas or would like to speak at one, please do let us know!
We are also always looking to hear from you, professionals, about different issues in publishing and we are always keen to hear about your experiences in the industry. We have regular events at all of our branches on so many topics – from our Careers Speed Dating event to area-specific talks to our Annual Conferences – there is so many ways we rely on publishing professionals to get involved.
So, if you fall into category four, we hope to see you at some of our Alumni events in the future. If you have any questions, please do email me at: alumni@thesyp.org.uk!
If you fall into those first three categories and are not an Alumni member, know that we are always looking to help you grow throughout every step of your career – whether you are a current member or not.
With best wishes,
Elle