On behalf of SYP London, we’re extremely excited to welcome you at this year’s Annual Autumn Publishing Conference – first time in-person since 2019! There are plenty of topics to explore here today, with several more virtual panels available to you digitally. With special thanks to our sponsors, partners, speakers, and amazing SYP team, we hope these events offer you the opportunity to reflect on and gain insights from professionals with a variety of experiences and perspectives, to look towards the future of publishing and explore your part in it; the positive environment to create new connections and have a great experience with us at this year’s SYP Conference.
Alicja Baranowska & Flick Hemming
SYP London Chairs
Nailing Publishing Job Applications: CV and Cover Letters – 22 November Live (Zoom) at 7:30 pm
Expectations vs Reality: What Publishing is Really Like – 24 November Live (Zoom) at 7pm
Publishing Initiatives around the UK: Accessibility, Inclusivity and Diversity – Pre-recorded
Expanding Publishing: Different Jobs and Opportunities – Pre-recorded
The Impact of Publishing: Sustainability, Resources and Social Impact – Pre-recorded
9:15am Conference welcome
9:30am Keynote Speech: Perminder Mann, Bonnier Books 
10:15am Paths to Publishing: New Beginnings and Career Shifts
11:15am The Book Journey: From the Idea to Execution
12:15pm Publishing as a Business: Sales, Profits and Creativity
1pm Lunch
2:15pm Publishing Reportage: Hot Press, Book Columns and Newscasting
3:15pm The Digital Sphere: The Impact of New Technologies
4pm Closing panel: Where Do We Go From Here? (Bookseller Rising Stars)
4:45pm Closing of the conference
5pm onwards The After Party: Drinks near Birkbeck, University of London
Only ticket holders are able to access digital events, exclusive discounts and exclusive interviews. The tickets holders will be able to access the digital recordings from the website in the upcoming week, and access the links to the live panels (recordings of those will be made available afterwards). All details will be provided over the weekend so keep an eye on your mailbox!
We’re happy to announce Inspired Selection as our primary sponsor of this year’s conference!
If you haven’t heard before about Inspired Selection, we recommend reading more below and on their website as well as speaking with several of their representatives during the conference. If you’re looking for your first job in publishing or are hoping to progress your career, they’re the ones to speak to!
We’re lucky to have Rhiannon Griffiths (Senior Consultant) speak at our virtual panel on the 22nd November on Nailing Publishing Job Applications and Alice Bidetti (Senior Consultant) chair our panel on Paths to Publishing during the physical conference on the 26th November.
Inspired Search & Selection are experts in recruitment and Executive Search for the publishing industry. Their team is passionate about helping the publishing industry around the world find the right people for their teams whilst promoting inclusive recruitment processes. Inspired Selection works hard to break down any barriers of entry to the publishing industry to offer a broader choice and increase diversity. They place candidates for temporary, interim and permanent roles from entry level to board level. For all C-Suite and Non-Executive Director roles, they offer an Executive Search service.
We’re also pleased to announce Oriel Square as a sponsor of this year’s conference!
Oriel Square is a trusted partner to the most successful education companies in the world.
Oriel Square provides strategy, research and content publishing services for organisations involved in education. Their team works with start-ups, EdTech suppliers, charities, professional organisations and major publishers. Our clients are big and small, in the UK and worldwide.
We will have Claire Gilbert (Head of Operations) join us at one of our virtual panels on Nailing Publishing Job Applications, and you might get a chance to meet some of Oriel Square’s delegates during the physical conference too!
The Bookseller magazine is the incisive and independent source of news and analysis for the book trade. Whether you are a student hoping to find a job in publishing or actively working in the book trade, The Bookseller can provide you with the knowledge and insight to give you the advantage you need to succeed within the publishing industry. The Bookseller can help you find your dream job with its dedicated Jobs in Books recruitment section, develop key industry contacts at regular publishing events and conferences, and learn all about the book trade in the weekly magazine.
Copies of The Bookseller Magazine will be available to delegates attending the conference in-person and the digital edition for those attending the digital part of the conference.
BookMachine is for the people who make publishing happen. Their team provides community, courses and campaigns for industry professionals and their teams – to help folks to share ideas and best practices. With the global BookMachine Community, they bring together publishing people to connect, share and learn from one another. With BookMachine CAMPUS, they empower professionals with the latest skills they need to excel in their fields and accelerate their careers. With the BookMachine Creative Agency, they support publishers and industry-related businesses with stand-out marketing and digital products.
This year BookMachine will be providing a 1-month free trial for our delegates to join BookMachine and take advantage of their courses and networking community!
The Publishing Training Centre (PTC) offers top-quality virtual and self-study courses for the publishing industry and wider business world. Tutored by industry experts, each course builds publishing skills across a range of disciplines and provides specific learning outcomes – you’ll make an immediate, positive difference in your role, whether in-house or freelance. PTC tutors are practitioners in their field. They bring their unique, up-to-date knowledge and experience to the courses they teach, and students can be assured of learning from the best.
This year’s conference attendees will be able to book their courses with 15% discount.
James Spackman, also known as The Book Pitch Doctor, has worked in publishing since 1996, across sales, marketing, editorial and management. He has been coaching people in pitching skills for more than four years. SYP members get a $100 discount on the Pitching for Publishers course before 30th November.
The Indigo Press is an independent publisher of contemporary fiction and non-fiction based in London. Guided by a spirit of internationalism, feminism and social justice, they publish books to make readers see the world afresh, question their behaviour and beliefs, and imagine a better future.
At our physical conference this year, we will be joined by The Indigo Press’ team and one of their authors to discuss the publishing process of Arrival by Nataliya Deleva. Our delegates will be able to purchase a copy of the book with 25% discount as well as the publisher is generously doing a raffle with two copies that will be going to our lucky attendees!
Allison & Busby is a leading independent London publisher of many amazing books.
Allison & Busby is kindly providing us with some tote bags and books – so stay tuned about raffles and prizes during the conference!
Nosy Crow is a multi‑award‑winning, independent children’s book publisher. They make child‑focused, parent‑friendly children’s books for ages 0‑12.
They have kindly gifted us with books and bookmarks for the delegates.
Daunt Books Publishing is an independent publisher based in London. Founded in 2010, we grew out of Daunt Books, an independent chain of bookshops in London and the South-East. They publish the finest and most exciting new writing in English and in translation.
They have gifted us with some books.
Atlantic Books is an independent British publishing house founded in 2000. Theyhave since developed a list that has a world-wide reputation for quality, originality and breadth, and includes fiction, history, politics, memoir and current affairs.
They have gifted us with some books.
Lume Books is a digital-first independent publisher. They champion both debut and established authors, bringing their stories from the past to the present.
They have gifted us with some books.
Faber is one of the world’s great independent publishing houses. Since they were founded in 1929, poetry has been at the heart of their publishing, with T. S. Eliot as their first Poetry Editor. Faber shares a belief in the unique power of the published word to transform, to inspire and to challenge.
They have gifted us with some books.
