Careers in Publishing

Careers in Publishing
Who we are, and why you are
listening to us
• Jo Dingley – Editorial Assistant, Canongate Books
• Seonaid MacLeod – Contracts and Rights Executive,
Mainstream Publishing
• Matt Oldfield – Sales Assistant, Canongate Books
• Lindsay Terrell – Marketing Assistant, Canongate Books
The Publishing Landscape in
the UK
• Every year over 150,000 new books are
published in the UK
• The UK exports more than any other
publishing industry in the world
• The value of UK book exports is higher than
the export turnover of any other creative
industry
Publishing in Scotland
• There are around 110 publishers in Scotland
• Approximately 1,500 people in Scotland are employed
in publishing, excluding freelance workers
• The Scottish publishing industry contributes the same
amount to the nation’s economy as the cashmere and
salmon industries
In a typical year, Scotland's
publishers:
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Produce 3,000 titles − fiction accounts for around
30% of this
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Account for a sales turnover of approximately
£343m and pay royalties to over 14,000 writers
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Have launched the careers of hundreds of new
writers including the likes of Alasdair Gray, Yann
Martel, Alexander McCall Smith and Michel Faber
What are we publishing?
• Trade fiction
• Trade non-fiction
• Academic
• Educational
• Maps
• Dictionaries
• Diaries
• Journals
• Magazines
• Graphic novels
• Online resources
Classics
Romance/ Erotica
Graphic novels
Literary fiction
Thrillers
Science Fiction
Commercial
Women’s Fiction
Fiction
Horror
Crime
Children’s 8-13
Historical
Poetry
Children’s 0-8
Young Adult
Cookery
Memoirs
Lifestyle
Popular science
Biography
History
Non-fiction
Nature writing
Reportage
Popular culture
Humour
Illustrated reference
INDEPENDENCE, INTEGRITY, QUALITY & RANGE
BENEFITS
• Regional sales force
• Specific promotions & increased terms
• SOLIDARITY, STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Case Study of a Corporate Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Cornerstone Publishing (Company)
Arrow Press (Imprint)
Fifty Shades of Grey
Vintage Publishing (Company)
The Sense of an Ending
Jonathan Cape (Imprint)
Casino Royale
Corporate vs. Independent
• The Books
commercial, niche, risks
• The Day-to-Day
variety, focus
• The Reputation
big names and big heart
• The Money, Honey
not all bad news
How a
book
is
born
Seriously though…
Jobs within Editorial
• Publisher
• Commissioning Editor
• Managing Editor
• Desk Editor
• Copyeditor
• Proofreader
• Copywriter
• Translator
• Recipe Tester
• Photographer
• Ghost writer
Jobs within Sales
1. UK PHYSICAL
(Key Accounts, Individual Accounts, Special Sales, Reps)
2. DIGITAL
3. EXPORT
Jobs within Marketing
& Publicity
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Marketing
Graphic Design
Web Design
Code Writing
Social Media
Advertising
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Publicist
Blogger
Reviewer
Events Coordinator
Social Media
Jobs within Rights
• Rights Director
• Contracts Director
• Responsible for:
• Translation rights / English-language reprint
• Serial rights
• Permissions
• Reversions
• All other sub-rights – audio, large print, film etc
Jobs within Production
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Production Editor
Production Manager
Digital Production Controller
Graphic Designer
Typesetter
Printer
SALES
AT THE BUSINESS END
OF PUBLISHING
UK PHYSICAL
1. PHYSICAL BOOKSTORES
2. WHOLESALERS
3. ONLINE RETAILERS
DIGITAL
EXPORT
• WHOLESALERS & RETAILERS
THE SKILLS
• ADMIN/IT
spreadsheets, reports, costs
• PEOPLE SKILLS
negotiation, promotion, networking
• CREATIVITY
new customers, new packages
Production
Judging a book by its cover
…and its margins
•Print Production
• Accuracy, Aesthetics and Budgets
•Digital
• Revolutionising the written word
•Design
• Putting on a face for the world
Rights
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Selling translation and reprint rights
Supplying all material to publishers
Negotiating terms
Book Fairs
• Meetings to pitch books to foreign publishers
• Liaises with:
• Editorial
• Production
• Legal
The Ideal Rights Candidate
• Good negotiation skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Attention to detail
• Knowledge of one foreign
language (at least)
Marketing
Creating a Moment
for the Trade
* Website
* Materials
* Advertising
* Events
for the Consumer
* Website
* Advertising
* Social Media
* Competitions &
mailing lists
A little room for creativity
Bing Case Study: Decoded, Jay-Z
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNic4wf8AYg
Publicity
Charming the Masses
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Accompany Authors
Coordinate Events
Arrange Interviews and Reviews
Represent the Company
Maintain social media profiles
Photo Credit: Global Stories
Photo Credit: M Hicks
Photo Credit: Karen Wright Photography
Editorial
• We commission, acquire and edit material
from new and established authors
• We work with agents to foster new talent
• We brief text design, page design and
cover design
• We write blurbs and marketing copy
• We are the first point of contact for
authors
A Commissioning Editor…
• Meets with agents regularly
• Negotiates advance and royalty
deals
• Advises the author and assists
them during rewrites
• Works with photographers and
illustrators
• Briefs cover designs
• Has final sign-off on all
elements of a book’s publication
• Reads A LOT!
A Managing Editor…
• Keeps the department running, and makes sure all the
books are in line with the production schedule
• Hires copyeditors, proofreaders, legal readers and
translators
• Works closely with the production department to make sure
that the text in 100% accurate, delivered on time, and that
the book is perfectly produced
• Seeks permission to use quotations from other
writers/artists in a book
• Budgets for the editorial department
‘Beginners’ by Raymond Carver, edited by Gordon Lish
http://www.newyorker.com/online/2007/12/24/071224on_onlineonly_carver
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/Carver.pdf
The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot, edited by Ezra Pound
What makes a great Editor?
• A love of books is not enough, though you can’t be an
Editor without it
• Commercial awareness and a sound business head
• Strong people skills
• Organisation and excellent time-management
• Obsessive attention to detail
• A quick wit and a way with words – many Editors also write
• Dedication and hard work
• A foreign language is useful
• A deep knowledge of your subject area/sector
Required reading
If you want to be an Editor, get used to shunning the
pub in favour of a good book
•Editor to Author: The letters of Maxwell E Perkins
•Stet: An Editor’s Life by Diana Athill
•Butcher's Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for
Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders by Judith Butcher
•Elements of Style by W. Strunk Jr. and E. B. White
•The Business of Books by Andre Schiffrin
•New Hart's Rules: The Handbook of Style for Writers
and Editors
•The Oxford English Dictionary
•The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2013
How do I get a job?
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Get a good degree from a good university
Choose your sector
Choose your department
Get an internship in that department or
one which is related
• Read around your chosen area
• Apply for entry level jobs
Seonaid
• Internships:
• Part-time; 1 year
• Temp at Mainstream:
• Full-time; 2 months
• Rights and Contracts:
• Administrator; 1 year
• Executive; 1 year
Matt
• Office-based work
• Working with Books
Waterstones, Edinburgh Book Festival
• Interning at Publishers
Palgrave Macmillan (2 weeks), John Blake (2 weeks),
Canongate Books (6 weeks)
• Getting involved
Lindsay
• Education
• Undergrad – English Lit and Journalism
• Postgrad – Literature and Modernity
• Internships and Temporary Positions
• Canongate Books – 9 months
• Edinburgh International Book Festival
• Book Slam
• Full-time Positions
• Ashley Furniture – Marketing Specialist (1 year)
• Canongate Books – Production Assistant (1 year)
Marketing Assistant (1 year)
Jo
• MA in English from St. Andrews
• Work experience at Penguin Press and Luath
Press during studies
• Graduated in 2009 and went to work as an
antiquarian book dealer in London
• Interned at Dorling Kindersley – 5 months
• March 2010 – Editorial Assistant at Canongate
Books
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Established in 1949, the Society of Young Publishers is open to anyone in publishing
or a related trade – or who is hoping to be so soon
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The SYP caters especially for those with fewer than ten years' publishing experience.
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Run by a team of dedicated volunteers, our aim is to help assist, inform and enthuse
anyone trying to break into the industry or progress within it
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We have branches in London, Scotland, Oxford and the North of England
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The Scottish branch is relatively new, and we are always looking for new ways to
include the whole of Scotland – from Gaelic publishers in the Western Isles, to
academic publishers in Edinburgh, and from new e-publishing start-up companies in
Linlithgow, to indie publishers in Glasgow
Why should I join?
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Monthly lectures, seminars, workshops, debates, socials, film screenings and much more
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We publish a regular newsletter called InPrint, which is available online as InDigital
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Regular jobs bulletins letting you know about new entry level vacancies at publishers all over the
country
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Discounts for members on training courses, subscriptions and events
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Annual all-day conference run by senior industry figures
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The SYP is one of the few regular meeting places for people in publishing,
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Acquire a network of informal contacts and friends throughout the industry
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The SYP is forever expanding its activities and services, and we are always happy to receive any
ideas or assistance
Graphic Novels
Film Screening
LECTURE ON CONDUCTIVE INK
Bookbinding Workshop
Find us on:
www.thesyp.org.uk/scotland/
Questions?