Careers in Publishing and Editing. Dr Beth Driscoll Lecturer in Publishing & Communications driscoll@unimelb.edu.au

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1 Careers in Publishing and Editing Dr Beth Driscoll Lecturer in Publishing & Communications

2 You are in the right place! The University of Melbourne s Publishing and Communications Program is widely respected in the industry. Melbourne is the home of: Education publishing Independent press publishing (Scribe, Text etc) Pearson Penguin (one of the big six multinationals, largest in the world, recently merged with Random House) The Wheeler Centre The Melbourne Writers Festival, the Emerging Writers Festival Plus, it s a UNESCO City of LIterature

3 My career path Always reading A love of language (especially cryptic crosswords) Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English Bachelor of Laws PhD in Literary/Publishing studies Market research work at Cengage (leading educational publisher)

4 A snapshot of the publishing industry $2 billion industry in Australia. Sharp decline in 2010, since then has stabilised somewhat. It has always been a difficult industry to break into. Dynamic time in publishing due to digital activity: the rise of the ebook, the impact of online booksellers such as Amazon, increasing amount of self-publishing. New opportunities here, with young publishers breaking new ground. Main areas: books, magazines, textbooks, journals. Many publishing jobs are available outside traditional publishing houses eg in-house editors for corporate or government departments

5 Inside a publishing company key roles The CEO and Board The publisher The editor Production: the production manager, the designer Sales and marketing: the sales and marketing manager, publicist and sales rep Distribution: Stock control and the warehouse Note: in a small company, people often combine roles and other roles might be outsourced, eg distribution, design, some aspects of editing.

6 The publisher Acquire new titles Negotiate deals with authors In Australia, the publisher does the structural work on a manuscript. Manage titles through production, develop marketing proposal

7 The editor Helps authors to develop their manuscripts May assist with structural edits Copy-editing: style, spelling, grammar, accuracy May co-ordinate freelance editors

8 A day in the life of a senior editor : Check s, Google Alerts, RSS feeds, twitter, read pitch letter from agent : Editorial meeting: brainstorm titles, discuss cover designs : Read an author s revised intro for a current project, respond to author with feedback, make notes for copyeditor : Phone call with book cover designer, open Excel to manage editorial schedule for coming season, set deadlines for each stage. 3:00-4:00: Meeting to discuss adapting current title as an enhanced e-book or ipad app. 4:00-6:00: Work on catalogue copy for new acquisition, take call from copyeditor with questions about manuscript, send page proofs to author

9 The production manager/production editor Work out costs, choose and manage suppliers Schedule the process, from handover of manuscript to stock deliveries

10 The designer Work on pagination (page plans) Design covers, source blurbs Source or produce illustrations Lay books out in InDesign Prepare books for digital publication Often this is a freelance role only some very large publishing houses do design inhouse

11 Sales and marketing manager Publishing is a sales-oriented industry: sales and marketing people are influential. Responsibilities include: Develop marketing plan Manage relationships with distributors and sales reps Identify and develop new sales channels Develop online marketing initiatives Coordinate events schedule

12 The publicist Publicity for a book begins 6-12 months before publication and ends about 4 months after launch. Publicists report to the sales and marketing manager Tasks might include: Develop publicity plan (subset of marketing plan) Submit galleys or books to reviewers Submit prize nominations Secure author interviews Run social media campaign Plan book tours Arrange for promotions or giveaways.

13 One possible career path for you Always reading A love of language An Arts undergraduate degree (or something else ) A postgraduate publishing qualification these have replaced much on-the-job training and are becoming an industry standard. Internships Volunteer work at writers festivals, work in a bookshop Networking, networking, networking

14 Our degrees Masters in Publishing & Communications 2 years full time Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Editing and Communication) 1 year full time Postgraduate Certificate 6 months full time

15 Our program Taught by experienced industry professionals We teach: Copy and structural editing Digital content creation Print production and design Project management Sales and marketing Professional communication Technical writing and editing Legal issues in publishing

16 Internships We have partnerships with over 150 organisations in Melbourne and interstate. We are developing industry internship links overseas. Students are supported to find a placement. Students in 2013 and 2014 have interned with Penguin, Hardie Grant, Affirm Press, MUP, Bauer Media and Cambridge University Press and others.

17 Some useful websites for industry news Australian Publishers Association: Small Press Network: spunc.com.au publishingperspectives.com

18 Any questions? Dr Beth Driscoll