PUBLISHING CAREERS: NEW SKILLS & ROLES FOR A CHANGING INDUSTRY

Publishing has long been a thriving industry, but in today’s world, covers more than just books. It also includes audiobooks, online content, and more. Publishing offers a wide variety of careers, from editing and design to marketing, sales, and tech-driven roles, with opportunities to suit a range of skill sets.

If you’re passionate about reading, are a creative, or a strategic thinker, publishing could be a good fit for you. This blog explores career paths in the modern publishing world and how you can break into your first role.

Publishing today

Publishing is a dynamic and varied field, with career options spanning editing, design, production, marketing and sales. Today’s digital age is transforming how we consume material. Audiobooks have become hugely popular as streaming platforms and apps have expanded. Online content is becoming as important as physical books, with the expansion of digital technology and AI opening up new roles in the publishing industry. Keeping up to date with trending themes on social media is now essential for the publishing industry, as platforms like TikTok heavily influence the bestseller lists. 

Publishing roles

These are some of the main career fields within the publishing sector:

Editorial

Editorial work is at the heart of publishing; editors play a crucial role in helping authors convey their ideas in the best way possible. Their guidance might involve improving structure and tone, ensuring accuracy, and steering style to suit the reader market. Entry-level roles, such as editorial assistants, may involve managing submissions, editing manuscripts, proofreading and communicating with writers. A role to aim for at the top end of a publishing career is that of editorial director, responsible for setting editorial strategy, approving major acquisitions, and leading the editorial team. The editorial department offers a promising career pathway for anyone with excellent attention to detail, strong communication skills, and a passion for new works. 

Design and production

Don’t judge a book by its cover, but actually, this can be crucial to a book’s success. Design and production teams turn a manuscript into the polished, finished product. They’re responsible for deciding on colours, fonts, layouts, cover designs, and digital formats. And it’s not just about an eye-catching cover; the design and production teams are responsible for ensuring the book is easily readable. Skills required here include creativity, proficiency with digital design software, and teamwork to communicate with other areas of the publishing team, such as editors and marketers. 

Marketing and publicity

The editorial and design departments are crucial in producing a high-quality, appealing product. But what’s the point if nobody knows about an upcoming publication? This is where the marketing and publicity teams come in, working to get new volumes in front of potential readers. Securing publicity for a book can be achieved in a variety of ways, from press coverage at book launch events and author signings to creating social media hype. It’s for this reason that publishing houses are often on the lookout for individuals who are social media savvy. If you have strong communication skills, experience in content creation, and thrive on creative tasks, marketing and publicity in publishing could be an exciting avenue for you to explore.

Sales and rights

Sales and rights teams are the final step in delivering material from publisher to reader. Sales staff work to get books into bookshops, online retailers, and libraries, making sure copies are widely available to interested readers. Rights teams also play a crucial role in expanding a book’s audience, handling deals for translations and adaptations. Both of these roles require excellent negotiation skills, resourcefulness, and the ability to build relationships with sales partners.

New and evolving publishing roles

Like most industries, publishing is rapidly evolving with the development of technology. AI-assisted editors and content reviewers are trained to use technology to speed up editing and fact-checking, a practice many publishing houses are currently adopting. Digital content managers are needed to oversee online campaigns, delivered through social media and websites. And recent developments in publishing aren’t limited to technology: publishers employ sensitivity readers who review content to help make books more inclusive. 

Getting into publishing

There’s no specific degree required to enter the world of publishing, with many applicants coming from areas such as English, media, graphic design, and other unrelated backgrounds. What matters is your skill set: demonstrating high-level communication, organisational ability, digital skills, and creativity are most important for securing a role in this industry.

For entry-level jobs, such as editorial assistant, marketing assistant, and publishing apprenticeships, it can be useful to demonstrate evidence of these skills. There are several online short courses that provide a strong foundation in relevant skills, and many are even free. These can be a great addition to your CV, especially if you are applying without previous experience. Many publishers value experience with social media content creation, so it could be a good idea to create relevant content and start building your own online audience. By building up a simple portfolio, whether with book reviews (you can publish these yourself online), online blog posts or social media content, you can demonstrate commitment to your future employer. Keep up to date with opportunities by following publishing houses on LinkedIn and social media. 

In our region, Liverpool University Press (LUP) has a dedicated careers and opportunities page that highlights routes into the industry and signposts to professional bodies such as the Society of Young Publishers (SYP). The Press itself also advertises real publishing roles locally, and its website includes Q&As with staff members, providing an insight into how they developed their careers.

If you’re already in an entry-level editorial position, the online Level 4 Publishing Professional apprenticeship supports you in developing on-the-job skills across the core parts of the publishing process. For those interested in academic study, the MA in Publishing at the University of Liverpool, developed in partnership with LUP, blends practical skills with career support, including optional work placements, career coaching and digital publishing experience.