Upskilling has been on every publishing hopeful’s mind lately, especially when the job market is more competitive than ever. If you feel lost yourself and don’t know where to begin, we have gathered the best virtual events and workshops to boost your publishing career. Additionally, two great digital book festivals are happening very soon and they are well worth a virtual visit.
National Careers Service London Events
LinkedIn for Job Searching Online Workshop
Thursday 20th of August, 2pm
The NCS will provide guidance on how to effectively establish your online presence through networking, and detailing ways that you can improve your profile to boost your career potential. Sign up here.
Top Tips for Virtual Interviews Webinar
Tuesday 18th and 25th of August, 10am
All the tricks and tools you need to feel confident and prepared for your next virtual interview. Sign up here.
Personal Branding
Brand You! A Personal Branding Masterclass
Tuesday 25th of August, 12 pm
Business coach and author Cindy Etsell will show you how to further enhance your professional reputation and career. She will divulge her own experiences on taking ownership of her personal brand and how this skill can drive your career forward. Sign up here.
Coding Workshops
Free Online Coding Taster Session with _nology_
Wednesday 19th of August, 2.30pm
This session will offer a real insight into the fundamentals of software development. You will learn how to build a simple interactive web page using HTML, CSS and JavaScript via a live code-along session, delivered by expert software coaches. Sign up here.
Coding 101 - Curious About Coding
Wednesday 26th of August, 5pm
A one hour online course providing an introduction to coding in Python, part of a series of free courses by the University of Sunderland and Institute of Coding. Sign up here.
Social Media Events
Social Media Strategy Workshop
Wednesday 26th of August, 11am
Hosted by Three Sixtee, a London based digital marketing agency, discover how to promote your brand through social media, identify your target audience, create engaging content, measure your strategy’s success, help your business grow and more. Sign up here.
August’s Top 10 Social Media Trends
Tuesday 25th of August, 4pm and Sunday 6th of September, 5pm
Hosted by Sesh Coworking, a female-focused flexible workplace and community, take a look at the Top Ten social media trends of August and learn how to utilise them in your career growth. Sign up here.
Regional
Getting Into Northern Publishing
Tuesday 18th of August, 6pm
The Northern branch of the SYP will welcome Alice Murphy-Pyle (Harper North) and Emma Layfield (Hachette Children’s North) to discuss regional publishing, new Northern publishers and tips on breaking into the industry. Delivered via Zoom.
Do Not Miss These Upcoming Book Festivals!
Islay Book Festival
Thursday 27th–Sunday 30th of August
Islay Book Festival is an annual community led festival held on Scotland’s whisky isle, run by a host of volunteers who have organised a range of free digital events to celebrate Argyll’s thriving cultural scene. Some of our top picks from this year’s line-up include:
Thursday 27th of August, 3pm: Poetic Reflections in Gaelic and English with Aonghas MacNeacail, poet and songwriter.
Friday 28th of August, 4pm: Gerda Stevenson: Celebrating the Women of Scotland. Gerda will be discussing Quines, her poetry collection giving voices to fifty-seven Scottish women, from queens to footballers.
Saturday 29th of August, 12pm: The Bibliotherapist Will See You Now. Struggling with what to read next? Join Ella Berthoud for literary recommendations and prescriptions.
Saturday 29th of August, 8pm: Live online concert with The Bookshop Band, where they will be playing songs inspired by books (you can even put in a request for a book you’d like to hear them sing about!).
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Saturday 15th–Monday 31st of August
For two weeks, take part in 140 free events for adults and children alike, chat with other Festival goers, take part in Q&As, ‘meet’ authors and even get your book signed! “Keep the Conversation Going” with the world’s most talented writers including Hilary Mantel, Marian Keyes, Bernardine Evaristo, Elif Shafak, Matt Haig and Julia Donaldson. Sign up here.
Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned professional, attending these events helps you stay connected. A tip I found useful for preparing for interviews in any field, including publishing, is treating it like a coding interview in tech. You need to practice answering key questions, anticipate problem-solving challenges, and show how you’ve handled past situations. The same preparation method can apply when you discuss projects, collaborations, and how you tackle difficult tasks in the publishing world.