Where to start
Think beyond the obvious job roles by looking at Prospects. Be aware that many English/AHSS students feel drawn to editorial roles in Publishing. Be tactical and think of other roles that might suit you such as sales, production, rights, marketing. Also consider “publishing” done by non-publishing companies (training manuals, product brochures).
Publishing now is high tech, with a large focus on online publishing and apps. Working on your IT skills (InDesign, Photoshop, Excel, general coding) will give you a significant advantage.
You should be keen to embrace the technological revolution rather than just liking books and bookshops. Having a penchant for business and being able to work well in a team will also be important.
Your main motivation should be having an interesting job and pleasant working environment, rather than earning a high salary.
Any work experience with a publishing company will be useful. Publishing is a business: retail, sales or marketing experiences will also be valuable.
Publishing-related opportunities with student societies in Cambridge offer a lot of scope for you to develop your skills. You could try writing for Varsity or The Cambridge Student, or fundraise and run publicity for a student society. Accumulate experiences of working in a team and accomplishing projects.
If you are struggling to get into publishing there are some master’s courses available, but these are not essential. Spending your time on gathering relevant work experience will often be preferable. It is very worthwhile, however, doing short courses to increase your proofreading, web editing, project management, marketing or design skills.
The Bookseller is the main source of job advertisements. There are relatively few graduate schemes available in the sector.
For work experience, try applying speculatively or going through any contacts you may have (you can use LinkedIn or Handshake).
Roles in publishing are very diverse. You cannot send the same CV to everyone. Spend time properly tailoring your experience to the specific requirements of the role. Remember to evidence your achievements with numbers, hard facts or amounts of money—publishing is a business.
Think carefully about the ‘look’ of your CV or other documents. People who work in publishing spend a lot of time thinking about the choice of font and good layout. Equally, attention to detail is essential - no spelling, grammar, spacing, or punctuation mistakes.
Careers Service events (including the Careers in Creative Industries Fair), can be found on the Handshake events page
The Careers Service holds an Annual Publishing Careers Panel. You can listen to podcasts of previous panels.
Current vacancies and potential employers can be found via Handshake
You can gain relevant publishing experience at a plethora of student societies
Due to Amazon and the rise of e-books, the publishing sector is in crisis, with academic and fiction publishing especially struggling. Children’s literature, EFL (English for Learners), and commercial publishing are more buoyant.
Cambridge students who want to write their own material often think publishing is a good way in. It often isn’t. Work that exposes you to new experiences e.g. teaching in Japan, might be more beneficial. Listen to the podcast on Creative Writing.