Upskilling Tips with the Publishers Association

By Grace Edwards, Tom Hankin, Misha Manani and Lydia Marshall

For over 120 years, the Publishers Association has represented the interests of publishing businesses in every branch of the industry. Ranging from consumer, educational and academic publishing, the PA has remained a powerful collective voice for the UK publishing industry. Many well-known initiatives, such as World Book Day and the Booker Prize can trace their origins to the PA. Over its 128-year-long history, the association's central role has always been to advise all those in the world of publishing, with many resources available on its website. These include a wealth of information on apprenticeships, traineeships/internships, online training courses and tips on upskilling within the industry.

Opportunities

· Jobs Board: A dedicated platform for finding publishing jobs across various sectors. You can explore vacancies from member organisations directly on their site. They offer links to external resources such as The Bookseller, The Guardian Jobs and Creative Access which provide further publishing-related opportunities. Additionally, they collaborate with recruitment agencies such as Atwood Tate and Inspired Selection, specialising in publishing roles across all career levels.

· Reports and research: Provides both annual and quarterly reports that give insight into the current state of the UK publishing industry. This includes sales data, export figures, and trends in both print and digital publishing across sectors such as trade, academic and educational publishing.

· Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: The PA promotes programmes such as the Publishing Equalities Quarter and Lit in Colour that focus on enhancing diversity within the publishing workforce and broadening representation within published content. They also launched an industry-wide Inclusivity Action Plan (created alongside Creative Access) that further promotes equality, diversity and inclusion in the workforce.

· Export Toolkit: A key resource regarding exportation in publishing which provides guides and resources to support UK publishers in exporting books and digital content abroad. The toolkit includes market-specific guides and advice on international sales, rights and translation services. This is worth looking at if you are interested in the sales and rights departments.

Resources 

· Watch the OpenBooks series: These are fantastic webinars for those from underrepresented backgrounds to make publishing more accessible and inclusive. They are available to watch with industry change makers and expert panellists speaking about discovering your career pathway and the different departments. Start learning today and sign up!

· Navigate the various departments: A list of the teams in the publishing ecosystem for you to understand the elements that go into creating a book and bringing it to the market, the roles to consider when applying for jobs and deciding your next steps. It’s important to note there are more roles for progression in between, so this provides the key foundation for the entry-level and managerial roles.

· Discover ways to train, study and upskill: Hopefully, you have guessed that ‘upskilling’ is our favourite word! You can find the options for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in publishing. They also include the apprenticeships and traineeships you can apply for, and career guidance resources from BookMachine and Bookcareers.

· Advice for writing cover letters and CVs: These are the norm with job applications, however, there is a growth of publishers using application questions. The PA shared their tips for applications with two helpful videos. There are also bonus interview tips at the end which ensure you have prepared answers for the common questions.

Top Tips and Advice 

· Become a member: There are two types of memberships: member and associate member. If you're interested in joining, you can contact the PA and you will receive information on the fees, criteria and the application process. Members get great benefits such as a 360-degree view of publishing, business advice, practical tools, resources and more.

· Stay updated on events: The PA has a calendar of important upcoming events. They include the following: seminars, lectures, training sessions and networking opportunities. They have beneficial virtual events happening, for example on 10 October 2024 there is An Overview of the Audio Books Market. However, these events are only accessible to members.

· Stay updated on news: The publishing industry is competitive, but you will stand out from other candidates if you're knowledgeable about relevant industry news. This is a great way to show your passion for the industry. The news topics include education, press releases, activities and academics.

· Search the career section: This section on the PA website has useful information that can help publishing hopefuls advance in their career prospects. Readers can find information on things such as CV and cover letter guidance, mentorship opportunities, jobs, industry news and OpenBooks – which is a series of free online events aimed at young people from underrepresented backgrounds.

Thank you for reading this issue! Join us in the next one where we cover Upskilling Tips with Bookcareers.