Oxford

CONTRASTING PATHWAYS INTO PUBLISHING
DEVELOPING YOUR CAREER IDEAS
B
Cecily Gayford
Balliol College
Marine Debray
Balliol College
English Literature 2011 English and French 2011
Profile Books: Editor
I didn’t think about careers much while I was at Oxford – I
was keen to concentrate on my degree. But once I left,
publishing seemed like an obvious avenue to explore
(though I did also think about journalism).
I sent out a blizzard of CVs to pretty much every publisher
I’d ever heard of and did a variety of internships, both short
and long.
I also did a certain amount of freelance work, as a
researcher and an archivist, which definitely helped me
develop general skills like organisation, time-keeping and
so on.
Once I arrived at Profile Books, six months after graduating, I
knew I wanted to stay and really felt like I fitted in.
During my extended internship (3 months), someone left - so
I was really in the right place at the right time to get in as an
Editorial Assistant.
After 2 years more years, I have now been promoted to
Editor.
Reflections: Keep going! Publishing, particularly if you
want to work for an independent or a particular imprint –
is tricky to get into. A lot of it is timing, but just as much is
perseverance and dedication.
Harper Collins: Internal Consultant
At Oxford, I was Fashion Editor at the OxfordStudent and
decided I wanted to work in fashion magazines.
After interning for Tatler, Brides, and Sunday Times I found
that none of these were for me, which left me at something
of a loss.
I joined Danone as a Marketing Intern. I learned a huge
amount, from managing budgets and creating TV adverts,
to doing consumer research and developing new products.
Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the business
and marketing side, I figured that if I could get passionate
about the products I was working with, I could really enjoy
this line of work.
I left to complete an MSc in European Studies at LSE and
applied to the HarperCollins Graduate Scheme, starting
in 2013. I gained experience in core function, including
Editorial, Marketing, Sales, PR, and Finance through six
3-month placements across the varied imprints and
business divisions.
I now work as a sort of in-house consultant, using all of
my experience, including the skills I learned at Danone. I
am supporting all the divisions, working on creative and
technological innovations to help the business grow.
Reflections: I never thought I would want to work in
publishing – I was more interested in writing. Now I revel in
being part of a big machine that allows fantastic content to
reach millions of readers.
Advice: Publishing is a very social, interconnected industry,
so the more contacts you make, the better position you’re in
for the future.
And it helps if you really like books, so keep reading too.
Advice: It’s OK to not know what the next step is, as long
as you put your all in to what you’re doing presently – learn
everything you can from the most unusual tasks, figure out
what you love to do and what you hate to do, and use that
to filter down to the career that’s right for you.
“All careers evolve. Learning from experience
and being open to the possibility of change is an
important part of that, whether you stay within
a single field or move between different areas.
www.careers.ox.ac.uk 15