#WorkInPublishing Week: Our Publishing Journeys

Posted on November 20, 2020 in London

Thanks to the amazing people at Publishers Association, we’ve had a brilliant #WorkInPublishing week! Today marks the end of five days of virtual Conferences, employability events and interview tips from every corner and tier of the publishing industry. Just in case you’ve not heard enough from us yet at SYP London, we thought we’d give you a little insight into how we got to where we are.

I set up TSS Publishing because I felt there weren’t many online platforms that focused solely on short prose fiction. It’s been a labour of love (I have other work that pays the bills), but I’ve had the pleasure of publishing brilliant writing, dabbling in print, learning about online marketing, InDesign, Photoshop, data analytics, affiliations, running writing competitions and events, and even had the opportunity to travel to Bangladesh for the Dhaka Literary Festival. It’s amazing what a single idea can lead to. The internet and modern tech allow us to chase after our interests, to build community, to create. I encourage an optimistic attitude and self-belief, with a dose of practicality; make sure you can meet your primary needs, but then go for it – follow your passion. I’m happy to offer advice to anyone thinking of taking the plunge!

Rupert, SYP London Events Coordinator

The joke I always make about my journey into publishing is that I kind of fell into it. Post-university, I genuinely didn’t even know that publishing was a possible route for someone like me until a year into my first job as a part-time Library Assistant at a community library. Being surrounded by literature, by volunteers and patrons who love finding a new book and aren’t shy about their opinion reignited the passion for books I hadn’t realised I’d lost. I didn’t know where to go or what to do with that passion, so I did what any good millennial would do: I headed to social media. The first time I met a friend I’d made online in person she took one look at my flailing hands as I tried to convey what I loved about the library, explained that she was a literary agent and told me I needed to look at jobs in publishing. Four years later, I’m working for the brilliant Faber Academy, Faber & Faber’s creative writing school as their Coordinator. It’s not a side of the industry people consider when you say publishing, but we get the best of all worlds: I watch new authors take their first steps in their careers and established authors come back to us to pass on all they can, liaise with literary agents and publishers, talk to people all over the world and work with every department in the publishing house.

Jade-Louisa Pepper, SYP London Student Outreach Officer

In June 2017, as I was finishing my copy-editing programme, the New York Times announced they were axing half of their copy desk editors. I decided not to be disheartened that opportunities to work as an in-house copy editor were rapidly diminishing. My degrees in English and linguistics, nearly a decade of teaching English literature and grammar, plus my extensive training in copy-editing gave me solid foundations to enter the industry in as a non-traditional member. While I’m comfortable being an outsider (I moved to the UK in 2019, and it was the first time I’d lived in an English-speaking country in over ten years), becoming my own boss and starting a business were new, and scary, territories.

Yes, I’m an entrepreneur: I’m my own web editor and tech person; I’m the marketing, publicity and comms departments; I’m the accountant; I work in sales; I’m the copywriter; I’m the customer-service and complaints department; I acquire the talent and I do all the editing. My days are long with constant and steep learning curves, but I don’t find working from home lonely (usually – this year is an exception)! I get to choose how, and more importantly, with whom, to spend my time. Wonderful groups like the SYP, the CIEP, and BookMachine have introduced me not only to professional contacts but also to friends. It’s also been through these groups that I’ve begun figuring out where I would like to go and where I would be a good fit. If you’re looking to work in publishing, joining a group like SYP is essential, because this is where you can ask questions before you even start applying for roles.

Though the SYP, I discovered that in-house editing is far more than just editing. It’s commissioning, it’s project management, it’s pitching to sales and rights teams, it’s coordinating with design and production, it’s hiring freelance copy editors – like me! My #WorkInPublishing tip is to attend as many (virtual) events as you can, research companies, and really study job ads to get a good understanding of what these companies need you to do. Work on developing those skills before you apply. Companies don’t want a list of things you have done. They want to know what skills you have that will add value to their business – the best and most glorious business – of bringing books to life. 

Kelly, SYP London Career Support Officer

I work as the Academic and Community Marketing Assistant at Yale University Press. Previously, I worked as Business Support Executive at Kingston University Big Read which is a shared-reading initiative established across multiple universities in the UK. And previous to that, I did my MA in Publishing from Kingston University.

Between these major career-updates, I volunteered and networked as much as I could. I attended book fairs, festivals and networking events. At one such event, I discovered the joy of coding and ensured our SYP members knew about it too by organising a coding workshop. I had fallen in love with coding and the possibilities it presented were endless. It made me more confident in non-coding projects too. 

Hence, when I was selected to participate in Consonance’s Day of Code in 2019, I jumped at the opportunity. This led to me attending another networking and publishing event, FutureBook Conference of 2019, where Sam Missingham decided to tweet about me looking for a job. Three different job interviews later, I had found my first permanent role at Yale University Press which combined my love for coding and data with my knowledge in marketing!

My huge takeaway from this brief (nope, it was a long, and brutal, at times) journey to find a role in publishing is to be yourself; pursue your true interests and have fun! I tried to take away the gloom and doom of not having a job by volunteering, getting to know people and discussing books. It made me feel a part of the industry even when I did not have a permanent role. This is pre-pandemic, of course so I hope you are not too hard on yourself. Have patience and keep reading!

Tanu, SYP London Deputy Chair