Work in publishing week is a national campaign that takes place every year. It’s hosted by the Publishers Association, established in 1896. This year it’s taking place from the 14th to the 20th of November. This campaign is aimed at motivating young people to consider a career in publishing.

The association aims to provide guidance and support to individuals interested in the publishing industry. The event was founded by the Publishers Association and aims to showcase the numerous jobs available in publishing houses, challenges myths about the industry, and answers any questions prospective applicants might have. It aims to provide you with helpful information that would help to propel your career in publishing.

What exactly does it entail to have a career in a publishing house?

Publishing is the act of making ideas public. Putting the ideas and concepts of experienced and young writers in front of the world’s eyes. The scope of having a career in publishing is tremendous if you have a passion for it. To have a career in publishing, you need strong writing skills and a good eye for appealing content. You also entail basic computer skills, the ability to present well, and a business instinct.

Below we have listed a few of the many cogs it takes to turn the great machine of a publishing powerhouse. From Agenting to Book Marketing, and Publicity to Design, you can choose which job fits you best.

CAREER PROFILES IN A PUBLISHING HOUSE

1. Audience and Digital Data Development

Matching books to readers is a challenging task, indeed. It\'s where the audience and digital data development team comes in. Along with this, the team is also responsible for helping the business run smoothly through consumer insights. It is the interpretation of trends in human behaviour to increase the effectiveness of a product in terms of its reach and sales.

This job requires a background in data analytics and a creative mind to plan web initiatives and enhance business efficiency. It is a great way to couple human behaviour and data science, giving you in-depth knowledge about how humans think and why they choose the things they choose!

2. Agenting Department

An agent helps represent a writer’s work. Contract negotiations and similar tasks are handled by a literary agent. Literary agents can vary in which type of authors they seek as it\'s also a part of their job to hunt for talent. Imagine finding the next biggest author!

Excellent social and negotiation skills, comprehensive literary knowledge and an eye for talent are just some of the skills needed to become a literary agent. As a plus, you might get to meet your favourite authors!

3. Audio Department

You guessed it right! The audio department is responsible for creating audiobooks. They have control over who to cast as the narrator to give the book an extra layer of depth and offer readers other ways to enjoy their books. This will require you to match the narrator’s voice with the book to be narrated, which is no easy task. If you have a knack for doing voiceovers, you can even do the narration by yourself! These days, eBooks and audiobooks are gaining popularity; hence you can thrive in the audio department of a publishing house.

4. Design Department

Most of us have bought a book because we fell in love with the cover. That\'s the work of the design department. An appealing book cover is vital to sales, it is the silent salesmen. People don’t realize it, but a dull book cover can harm the sales of a book and numb the excitement surrounding the book..

Therefore, publishing houses prioritise the design of a book more than anything. We at Austin Macauley Publishers have a wide range of book with attractive covers. If you have an artistic flair and a creative mind that you want to set free, then a career in the book publishing industry could be the right choice for you!

5. Online Book Marketing Department

Marketing is exactly what it sounds like. It includes advertising on the multitude of platforms available. Nowadays, online book marketing plays a vital role in a book’s success. It is evident that the digital age is well and truly in effect, With the increase of people using search engines and social media, it is only sensical to market books on digital platforms In this day and age, it is difficult to convince the general populace to try one’s product and requires quite a bit of creativity.

If you have an interest in adopting the skills of advertising books, increasing book sales online, and increasing the popularity of books then why not give this career a go! In the online book marketing department, your working hours will mostly be centred around pitching ads and coming up with catchy wordplay.

6. Editorial Department

Editors spend a lot of time with authors. They help them out and ensure their work stands out in the competitive market. They reveal possible inconsistencies and issues regarding spellings or grammar. They proofread your manuscript thoroughly to remove redundancies and any improper sentence formatting.

Editors form the backbone of a publishing company, guiding an author from the first draft to the finished product. Attention to detail is a must if you want to become an editor. This means having a sharp eye for pointing out any mistakes. Being an editor allows you to go through different writings of both known and unknown authors. If you are well-versed with the English language, you can build a successful career in the publishing industry.  

7. Production Department

The Production Department is responsible for the end product, whether it be an eBook or a paperback. From choosing the sides of the paper to the type of font, everything is in the hands of the production team. A great work ethic is essential to excel in the production department. As deadlines are often looming close by, and so are excellent administrative skills, any potential issues with suppliers can set production back by months!

8. Publicity Team^​

The Publicity team within publishing houses works with a blend of marketing and sales. Similar to online book marketing, they create book campaigns to encourage new and old readers to connect with the authors and their title.

To work in Publicity, one needs to be able to grab the attention of the masses and convince them that they cannot miss out on this title. The Publicity team promotes the books as well as the authors. They secure interviews and hold book signing events for authors to talk about their books and interact with the fans.

9. Rights Department

The Rights Departments responsibility is to make sure no one plagiarises the book. It also helps deal with franchises and adaptations, making sure the books make as much money as possible. All of this requires a good knowledge of copyright law and meticulously comb through contracts to ensure everything is lawfully correct.

10. Sales Department

Maybe your passion lies in sales. Here, you will have to find different ways to unite consumers with books. For sales, sharp business acumen and high-level persuasive prowess go a long way!

There are plenty of career options in the publishing industry. It depends on you and where your passion lies and what skills you have. The choices are plenty. Hard work and dedication are just required. Stop at nothing to achieve your goal of having a prosperous career in publishing.

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