Publishing can be quite an intriguing world for students and young professionals who want to make it in the book industry. It seems hard to get a notion of what is like to be in publishing, and sometimes we wonder what is actually necessary to make it in this world. The Society of Young Publishers is a non profitable organisation that provides a first contact with this professional field and arranges, in many different ways, a scheme of contact between professionals, amateurs and students.
On October 18th I was lucky to attend one of their get togethers in Doric Arch, a charming pub right next to Euston station. This organisation is entirely run by volunteers and they contribute in many different aspects: marketing, memberships, communications, etc. They are responsible for a great network that has been built all across the UK which counts with the support of a wide variety of publishing houses and recognised professionals. In this case, the event was an informal chat with different volunteers about their experiences in publishing: internships, collaborations, different study options and their impressions on how to best introduce yourself to this career. There were many people from different backgrounds: undergraduates, postgraduates, writers, interns and many more.
The conversation that stuck with me the most was the one I had with one of the volunteers about her job as a freelance publisher. I was chatting with two other students and she approached us to tell us a little bit about her experience. She explained to us how it was quite difficult to get hired by a publishing house when you don’t have much experience, so she decided to become a freelancer and ‘teach herself’ about the profession. It was really inspiring to learn how she explored many different sectors in publishing to acquire all sorts of tools that can be appreciated by publishing houses. For instance, she talked to us about the importance of familiarising oneself with the new technologies, specifically with graphic design, since that implies a very strong competence for a young professional who wants to be considered for a position in a publishing house.
Attending this event was refreshing and very interesting. I had never heard about the Society of Young Publishers before, but now I am eager to become a member and subscribe to their newsletter and magazine, since they give genuine and useful advice to people with a strong passion for books and publishing in general. I would strongly recommend everyone to check out their website, where they post dates for events, information of different kinds and also job positions. It can be found here:
Post by Paula Moreno
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