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Working in publishing
The publishing industry offers a range
of career routes for a variety of talents....
Gaining entry to the publishing world
can almost be as difficult as getting your writing considered
for publication. As with writing however, research pays off
and taking time to plan your strategy for landing the first
job and then making appropriate career moves will be time
well spent.
All publishers receive many more CVs
and applications than there are jobs available; disappointments
are inevitable. An essential first step to success is to have
a basic understanding of what the various jobs inside publishing
involve.
Contrary to popular belief, there is
life beyond being an editor and here we have attempted to
give a brief sketch of the most significant functions in publishing
and the parts they play. Specific job titles have been avoided
wherever possible as job titles vary from one publisher to
another.
Large or Small?
The first decision you need to make is
whether to join a large or a small organisation. This will
determine whether you specialise in one particular area of
work or hold a more general position involving several different
skills. An example of this is copy-editing; in a small publishing
house commissioning editors normally do their own copy-editing,
whereas in a large house there may be a separate specialist
department. The other differentiating factor is the range
of lists, which are potentially far larger and more diverse
in a large publishing house.
Trade or Academic?
The next step is to consider whether
you want to work in academic or trade publishing; your educational
background and qualifications, as well as your personal interests,
may well play a part in your decision.
The trade publisher produces books for
sale to the general public via high street bookshops. The
academic publisher produces specialist titles for special-interest
bookshops, libraries and institutions. Although trade publishing
is more in the public eye, academic publishing can be every
bit as interesting and challenging.
Within trade publishing there are further
subdivisions between, adult and children's lists. Your initial
appointment need not tie you to one area forever, but it is
worth bearing in mind that a long spell of employment in one
field or another will lead to your being typecast by your
experience. The higher up the ladder you are, the less likely
it is that you will transfer to another area.
Departments
Editorial
Most speculative applications to publishers
focus on editorial roles. Although jobs in editorial are often
viewed as being the most glamorous, they are also the most
difficult to get into; there are very few editorial posts
even in large publishing houses.
Editorial work is largely concerned with
building a list in line with the publishing house's policy.
This entails commissioning work as well as deciding which
manuscripts to accept from agents and which to reject. Editors
also need strong negotiating skills for buying manuscripts
and need to be skilled at dealing with authors, literary agents
and in some cases, lawyers.
Editors can have an influence on everything
about a book, from cover design to production details and
can also be involved with the sales and marketing team. In
large publishers, there may well be separate departments dealing
with all of these functions. Large publishers may even devote
a department to producing the blurb copy and author biographies,
although in smaller publishers these will generally be dealt
with by the editor or assistant editor.
Essentially, the role requires creative
flair combined with business sense and an eye for detail,
all combined with enough personal charisma to keep authors
and agents happy. Easy!
We have a number of different titles
for our Editors within Penguin, they fall into three bands;
Commissioning Editors, Senior Editors and Editors (title according
to experience). Assistant Editors work closely with the more
senior staff and with some books will handle the author direct.
Desk Editors and Copy Editors within
Penguin fulfill the next stage of the process. They read manuscripts
for repetition, contradiction and simple mistakes of spelling,
punctuation and grammar. An important task is to check the
factual information and look for anything libelous.
Contracts
In a small publishing house, the editor
will probably draw up and deal with the contract but in larger
houses there will be a contracts department. This will maintain
responsibility for ensuring that these documents are in line
with the original deal arranged by the editor. Substantial
liaison needs to take place with the rights department, as
the contract will lay down full details of both volume and
subsidiary rights. Essential for careers in contracts are
a meticulous eye for detail; a legal background could also
be be useful.
Rights
Rights departments have responsibility
for the selling of all kinds of rights for published books.
These can include serial rights, overseas rights, rights to
publish in paperback, television and film rights and merchandising
rights. Merchandising rights play an increasingly important
role in the profitability of certain character books, particularly
in children's publishing. The contribution that the sale of
rights can make to a publisher's profits is substantial with
major activity concentrated at book fairs, both in the UK
and abroad. For entry into rights, candidates should have
negotiating skills, an eye for detail, and highly developed
personal organisational skills.
Design
Design departments, together with production,
are responsible for the physical look and feel of the book.
Some designers are employed in-house, some are freelance.
Everything from the book size to the cover design, type size
and typeface needs to be selected and discussed frequently
with both the author and editor involved.
Much design work is now carried out via
desktop publishing systems and requires both technical and
creative training. Subsections of design departments may well
include specialist areas such as picture research; this is
of vital importance for illustrated books or for certain jackets.
Picture researchers need an in-depth knowledge of fine art
over the centuries. Text design tends to be treated as a separate
specialism for which typography skills and qualifications
are a prerequisite.
Almost everyone working in book design
will have a degree in graphic or typographic design, although
there are administrators in this area who keep an eye on schedules
and the progress of the design.
Production
Sometimes known as the 'book-making department'
the production department is responsible for the physical
process of transforming the manuscript and artwork into the
finished book. This includes everything from ordering the
paper, obtaining estimates for typesetting, printing and binding
to arranging proofs, print-run numbers and so forth with an
appropriate printer.
All the stages in production need to
be scheduled according to strict deadlines. As with all processes
involved in getting books into the bookshop, production is
time-critical; the Sales Department will have committed availability
of the book to bookshops many months in advance.
Working in book production is a career
for people who are highly organised, able to negotiate, diplomatic
and willing to accept responsibility for the quality of the
final product. Most training in book production is done in-house
but there are formal courses, most notably at the London College
of Printing. There are NVQ's in book production.
Sales
To sell books requires that highly knowledgeable,
enthusiastic people call on booksellers and persuade them
to stock both new and backlist titles; their role in supporting
the efforts of marketing is frequently critical to the success
of a book. Some large multiple booksellers, however, have
moved towards centralised buying which has changed some sales
roles.
Sales people also have to visit schools
and institutes of higher education to discuss forthcoming
publications with teachers and academics, and in some cases
establish where there might be gaps in the market for future
publications.
Essential sales skills are articulacy,
an ability to build relationships, and influence people and
a good understanding of the UK book trade.
Export Sales is a separate specialism
which often requires foreign language as well as sales skills.
Marketing & Publicity
Marketing is frequently divided into
two separate functions. One focuses on preplanning the marketing
campaign including press advertising and the production of
catalogues and promoting materials, the other is publicity.
The Publicity Department concentrates
on getting press exposure and organising promotional events
such as book launches and author signing tours to establish
a book when it is first published. The general rule of thumb
for differentiating marketing from publicity is that marketing
has to be paid for, whereas publicity is free. There are,
of course, plenty of circumstances to prove this rule wrong
but it helps as a guideline. Publicity and Marketing work
hand in glove even in the largest of houses.
Obviously the market will strongly influence
the type of marketing activity carried out. There are, for
example, substantial differences in the way children' books
are marketed and sold and the way an adult bestseller will
be promoted.
Distribution
Not all publishers distribute their own
books, some use a third party distributor or even a third
party salesforce to do the job for them. Without an effective
national and possibly international distribution system, no
publisher can survive.
Systems have become highly sophisticated
and a high degree of computerised stock management systems,
as well as highly developed mechanised picking and packing
processes have developed.
Large book warehouses may stock up to
11,000 titles, some of which will be turn over very quickly
and others which may sell in small but regular quantities.
Academic and classic books sell over many years and therefore
need to be kept in stock for long periods of time. Distribution
staff are also frequently called on to send out a whole range
of promotional items, from counter packs to dump bins and
fluffy toys. Penguin also offers an agency distribution service
to other publishers.
Roles within distribution include pickers
& packers, warehouse operatives, fork-lift truck drivers,
and chargehands (warehouse supervisors). Distribution employees
should be reliable, flexible and posses good numeracy skills.
Support Functions
Publishers, like all businesses employ
people in Accounts, Computing, Human Resources and Training;
all of which offer opportunities for people to use their general
clerical, administrative or management skills within the context
of the book world. All these departments are, of course, tailored
to the needs of the business. This means that accounts, for
example, will get involved not only with the production of
typical business records but also with collection and payment
of royalties and the costing and pricing of books.
Finance
Finance within Penguin is made up of
several different specific functions, including:
- Management Accounts
- Financial Accounts
- Sales Ledger/Credit Control
- Royalties
- Cash and Payroll
For more senior positions with Finance it is necessary to
have a full or part professional qualification from a recognised
accounting body, i.e. ACCA or CIMA.
More senior positions with Credit Control will often require
that you are either already qualified or studying towards
membership of the Institute of Credit Management. There are
many more junior/clerical positions within the finance department.
These normally require education to GCSE level, naturally
with a strong leaning towards numeracy.
Human Resources
The Human Resources department offers a support service to
the organisation; its areas of responsibility include recruitment,
staff welfare, salary administration, advice on employment
law, job evaluation, industrial relations, childcare/maternity,
equal opportunities, training and development etc. The department
is charged with developing HR policies that are appropriate
to the organisation.
The skills required to work within a publishing company's
H.R. Department are much the same as those in other companies,
however an interest and understanding of the publishing process
is a definite advantage.
The jobs within H.R. vary from secretarial through H.R. Officers
to H.R. Managers; to work at this level you would usually
have achieved either an H.R. qualification through to I.P.D.
or have several years experience working within the H.R. function.
Health and safety is also part of Human Resources and the
Human Resource Director is responsible for Health and Safety
throughout the Company. The Health and Safety Officer advises
and coordinates all Health and Safety activities as well as
providing training in Health and Safety matters.
Administration &
Maintenance
The Administration department within a publishing company
covers a variety of responsibilities. Within Penguin, the
Administration department is responsible for reception, post,
photocopying, stationery purchase, telephone systems, contract
cleaners and are a source of general information and advice
about workstation equipment.
Maintenance can be a complicated area depending on the type
of site and location with the department taking responsibility
for air conditioning, heating, water supply, electric's, distribution
systems, etc.
The varying roles within Administration and Maintenance offer
many different career opportunities; some require more specific
qualifications than others. As an example, Maintenance teams
may include a qualified electrician, as well as people with
more general skills.
Information Services
In line with all industries, publishing companies are becoming
increasingly computerised. Information Services work with
all other departments in developing computer systems that
enable the Company to continually improve its processes and
access information that enables the company to manage its
business effectively.
At Penguin there are three distinct areas within the Information Services function:
- Operations - ensuring that the existing mainframe computer
systems are operating, and taking remedial action when problems
arise.
- Development - developing new systems and enhancements
to existing systems
- PC support - supporting, installing and recommending enhanced
equipment specifically in relation to personal computers
Most positions within Information Services require a high
level of specific, dedicated education. The most senior positions
require a degree plus several years computing experience in
the relevant area. 'A' level education or an equivalent computing
qualification is sufficient for lower graded jobs.
We also offer vacancies for Trainee Programmers where full
training is given. 'A' Level standard education is required
and all candidates undertake an aptitude test.
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