Oxford

PUBLISHING
There are over 8,000 publishing companies in the UK, with
the three largest companies (Penguin Random House,
Hachette Livre, HarperCollins) taking around half of total
UK sales. Other large employers include Pan Macmillan,
Pearson Education, OUP, Bloomsbury, Simon & Schuster and
John Wiley & Sons, with many other smaller independent
publishers. Online publishing and digital books are changing
the face of the industry, which is enjoying steady growth.
Most sales in the UK come from ‘trade’ publishing: fiction
and non-fiction books that you can buy on the high street or
download onto an e-reader. Academic texts and journals also
have a significant market share, as do school textbooks and
English Language Teaching materials for international sales.
The processes of publishing are generally
divided into editorial, design and
production, marketing, distribution,
contracts and rights, and administration.
Specific job functions range from
Commissioning Editor to Editorial or
Publishing Assistant, from Copy Editor
to Marketing and Sales Officer, and from
Rights Manager to Web Developer.
Often acting as intermediaries between
‘trade’ publishers and writers are literary
agencies.
Normally working in small firms,
agents have to be a ‘jack of all trades’:
editing books with authors, convincing
publishers to buy them, and dealing with
contracts and media enquiries. And, of
course, reading lots too.
Salaries in publishing can be lower than
other sectors, but many people find
compensating intrinsic satisfaction from
their passion for the industry. It’s worth
noting that this is a commercial industry
like any other and that people work
widely across different types of books
and journals.
MORE INFORMATION
If you want to find out more about
this sector, visit:
www.careers.ox.ac.uk/publishing
154
GETTING IN AND
ENTRY POINTS
A few publishers run formal graduate
schemes, including Cambridge University
Press and HarperCollins. Most, however,
recruit graduates for specific jobs such as
marketing, and the majority of people in
publishing start in administrative positions
and work their way upwards. One
“
Cecily Gayford
Editor, Profile Books
Publishing is a very social,
interconnected industry,
so the more contacts you
make, the better position
you’re in for the future.
”
Cecily studied English Literature
at Balliol College, 2011.
(See more about Cecily’s career
path on page 15.)
common entry role for Oxford graduates has
been as Editorial Assistants; this role may
involve many duties, including preparing
scripts for handover to publishing services,
chasing readers’ reports for new book
proposals, drawing up and sending out
author contracts – as well as doing market
research and commissioning book proposals
in consultation with their editor.
For any job, a demonstrated interest in the
sector is extremely important, and having
relevant work experience can be a real
advantage. A few large players, such as
Penguin and Oxford University Press, offer
formal internship schemes. Most smaller
publishers will be willing to provide shortterm,
basic work experience. Short-term
paid work in a bookshop will also give you
useful insights into the market.
CareerConnect is a useful source of
vacancies for permanent jobs and work
experience in the sector. Key external
job sites include The Bookseller, Oxford
Brookes’ list of publishing jobs and
internships (they run an MA in Publishing)
and the IPG job board. Many firms,
particularly smaller publishing companies
and literary agencies, do not formally
advertise vacancies, which means you need
to get in touch speculatively to enquire.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR IDEAS
+ + Join the Society of Young Publishers.
Run by young professionals in the sector,
it holds regular networking nights in
Oxford.
+ + Demonstrate interest by joining other
related student societies, such as the
Society of Bibliophiles.
+ + Gain experience by working for a student
publication such as the Oxford Student,
Cherwell, Isis, Bang! Science Magazine
and so on. Many offer experience as
editors and in technical roles.
+ + Attend the London Book Fair in April: a
huge exhibition aimed at the publishing
industry, it’s a great way to learn more
about the sector and build your network.
+ + Offer to help in your department or
College, for example, to support the
production of conference materials
and reports, internal documents or
promotional material.