Established in 1949, the Society of Young Publishers (SYP) is open to anyone in publishing or a related trade (in any capacity) – or who is hoping to be soon. Originally aimed at the 18-35 age bracket, we realised that many people are looking to change careers at any stage of life. As such, anyone interested in or working in the publishing industry is welcome to join the Society. However, our activities are primarily targeted at those looking to get into the industry or those within the first ten years of their publishing career.
We have two general streams to cater for this: Into and Ahead. Into is targeted towards those looking to get into the book industry whilst Ahead resources and events cater towards those looking to develop within the industry.
We have many branches of the SYP – London, Oxford, North, South West, Wales, Ireland and Scotland – each offering all the services and opportunities outlined below. The SYP UK branch supports those individuals who don’t live within these regions and oversees the wider organisation strategy.
For more information about each individual branch, you can explore our branches section.
The Society of Young Publishers is a voluntary organisation and is run by eight committees of dedicated volunteers who give up their spare time to help others take their first steps into the industry and progress within it. All members are particularly encouraged to join the committee or become otherwise involved in the running of the society. Getting involved is the best way to make new friends, meet new contacts and increase your skill set for getting into, and progressing in, the publishing industry.
£30 annual subscription (£24 for students or unwaged) for individual membership, or £18 for a digital membership. The outline of each of these can be found here.
No! Signing up for SYP membership covers all of our branches around the UK and Ireland. So whether you’re in town for the evening, or have moved to a new region, you qualify for all membership events and offers.
Simply log into your account and on the left-hand side of the menu, you will find an ‘Addresses’ tab. Here you can edit and update your address.
Log in to your account and select ‘renew membership’ from the menu on the left-hand side. Even if your membership has expired, your details will still work to access this page. Please do not try to create a new account using the same email address as this will not work.
Whilst you can edit your name, email and postal address, this is the piece of information that our system identifies your account by and cannot be edited after sign up.
We often find that our messages end up in people’s junk folder. Please check here first and if you still can’t find one, please email the relevant branch using our Contact Us form and the will be able to check your booking for you. We usually have names on the door so getting in without your email should not be a problem.
We often find that our messages end up in people’s junk folder. Please check here first and if you still can’t find one, please email our Membership Secretary on membersec@thesyp.org.uk and they will be able to assist.
Unfortunately not. We are an organisation run by volunteers who have full-time jobs within the industry so we don’t have an office, nor are we able to offer work experience. We are, however, a society that supports people getting into the industry and those in the early years of their career and would encourage you to take a closer look at our website to see what we do offer in way of advice.
Do get in touch! There is a contact form here, or you can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.