Placement at The Media Company Ltd

30/05/2012 by Leave a comment

Image

Before I started my placement for a magazine images of Meryl Streep sprung to mind. What would I be getting myself in for? Surely long hours and piles of admin. Well partly, yes. But also a great team, lots of support and one-of-a-kind opportunities.

I was lucky to achieve a placement at The Media Company Publications Ltd – an Edinburgh based magazine publisher who run Foodies Magazine, Living Abroad Magazine, Edinburgh Festival Magazine and organise the seven national Foodies Festivals. Researching the company before I started I imagined the office to be filled with rows and rows of sales and editorial staff. However, as I entered the small basement office I found a relatively small team of 13 with freelancers making up the rest of the design, production and marketing departments. It shocked me to find that a team this small achieved so much – a daunting prospect for your first work placement!

I wanted to take advantage of my opportunity with a team this small and so asked to work in the marketing department. This meant promoting Foodies Festivals, beginning with the Hampton Court Palace event that would take place in a few weeks. I was given guidance of how to speak to bloggers – a fearsome bunch I was told, yikes! – and how the company usually markets it’s events. From here, however, I was given pretty free reign. I could contact companies to offer free tickets, send promotional materials, request reviews, send gift bags to radio DJ’s… whatever I thought best. I took the guidance but was thrilled to find my suggestions to be encouraged also.

Because The Media Company has such a small team it has been my job to fulfil a partially administrative role, compiling invoices and answering the phone. But I can’t complain – this gave me a greater insight into the company, and gave me experience with the business side of the industry. Further to this, working in a small team means that your efforts are noticed and you get the opportunity to have a say. It has been really wonderful having an chance like this.

It has been an invaluable opportunity to be able to assist in the marketing of such popular events, and feel that my work was making a difference. Before beginning my placement I was fairly sure that I wanted to work in marketing, though I had never actually done so. The Media Company Publications Ltd let me find out for myself if I really liked it – and I do, I love it! It’s hard work, it can be long hours; but when you see your efforts make an impact, it is so rewarding.

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with

Placement at Palimpsest

29/05/2012 by Leave a comment

Before starting at Palimpsest, I wasn’t entirely sure what the precise role of the typesetter was in the publishing process. I had read about this branch of publishing, but quite often it is only mentioned in passing, and in relation to the activities of publishing houses rather than in its own right. In this respect, my time at Palimpsest has been illuminating. I have been frankly amazed by the sheer volume of work that can pass through the office in a single day, and the vital position that typesetters like Palimpsest hold in the industry. In spite of this constant activity, everybody I have had contact with has been friendly, approachable and more than happy to help with any questions or problems I have had. I have had no previous experience in an office environment and was impressed that a company can be so productive and yet also retain a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

In my first week in the proofreading department with Steven and the girls I completed several revises and one full read. Though Steven may have thought this would be boring (it wasn’t!) I have genuinely enjoyed putting the skills I have learned at Napier into practice. The feedback I was given was timely and helpful and the exercises I completed really highlighted the importance of quality of output for a company like Palimpsest and the attention to detail that goes into every page.

During this first week I also toured the office, sitting in on operational assistance, customer service, pre-production and production. Though I wasn’t with each department for very long (understandably they were all very busy) each one gave me an insightful outline of the work done in each area and how they all come together as an efficient and cohesive whole. I was also very happy to have time to sit in on the Palimpsest epub operations and find out how this is affecting the way that books are produced and how the company is adjusting to this development.

My second week in the production department was equally as beneficial. I was looking forward to getting in some practical InDesign work and I appreciate the effort the production manager went to in order to fit me into the department during a busy work week and provide me with worthwhile and beneficial exercises. Even having only got through two sets of revises, I have picked up many tips and tricks of the trade on InDesign just by listening to and watching the operators at work. I even got a little Photoshop experience into the bargain!

The variety of activity on the placement has been stimulating and challenging and more industry-relevant than I might have hoped for. Two weeks in the same department may have been a little much, but moving around and sampling each area has given me a far greater understanding of the processes involved in typesetting than I came with.

At no point during my time at Palimpsest have I felt lost, wandering or forgotten about and I think that is the thing most placement students worry about. It is clear to me that the aim of the company in offering this placement is to benefit the student rather than themselves and this is commendable indeed.

www.palimpsest-bp.co.uk

Image used with kind permission of Palimpsest Book Production Ltd.

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , ,

Placement at Pocket Mountains

24/05/2012 by Leave a comment

I was excited about the prospect of driving the 60 miles or so to Moffat every day, getting up really early and getting annoyed on the A702 stuck behind a couple of lorries before hitting the M74 and pushing my tiny car to 90 mph before realizing that the engine might blow up if I continue. I like driving. But, alas, the owner, managing director and my supervisor, Robbie, gave me the opportunity to work from home, with an Edinburgh-based placement. A very exciting placement it is too…

I am researching a photographic guide to add to Pocket Mountain’s collection of pocket-sized books. Despite being an idea in the making at the moment, it involves drinking a lot of tea and coffee and spending time in the cafes of Edinburgh, photographing or the simple pleasure of reading. However it’s not all play and no work. After asking if it’s okay to take the photographs in the first place, I spend time talking to owners about their café, talking to staff, getting recommendations for other places to visit and trying to find out more about the philosophy behind the café. I am also reviewing the café (only good things), writing about 200 words on each one. This was difficult for me at first; having not really written anything for a commercial purpose before, but it is much easier now, and I have developed an enthusiasm for writing. Most people are fine with me wandering about with a camera; however, I’ve been met with suspicion by some others, wanting to know about who I work for – playing the student card always works, though I remember to take my business cards with me now.

I also thought I would need an office, a 9–5 kind of job but I’m enjoying managing my own time and juggling placement, work, dissertation and our book projects. This placement has made me re-evaluate my idea of ‘a job’.

The one thing I’m developing more than anything else is confidence: confidence in talking to people, confidence with the camera, and confidence in writing.  It definitely is an enjoyable placement, which has lasted more than the required time and will hopefully last longer. And I’ve gotten to drive to Moffat twice so far.

www.pocketmountains.com

Love Crumbs on West Port

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , ,

Work Placement at Word Power Books

22/05/2012 by Leave a comment

Inside Word Power Books

I was excited about doing a placement at Word Power Books, an independent and self-proclaimed radical bookshop in central Edinburgh, because there are books there that you would never find in large chain shops: bilingual children’s books; self-published magazines and pamphlets; and fiction from around the world. I was also keen to see what life was like on the other side of publishing.

My work at Word Power has been varied. I got to design new category signs, to make the shelves easier to navigate. I served drinks to guests at the launch of Jenni Fagan’s The Panopticon (chosen as a Waterstone’s 11 title). I also did some stocktaking, which helped me to get familiar with a lot of the shop stock, and tempted me to buy a few books.

Mainly, I have been observing rep meetings. It’s interesting to see how a potential book is pitched to a bookseller, and just how quickly they will flick through each AI sheet before making a decision (each has about three seconds). Apparently, the three most important things that a bookseller looks for are the price, the cover and the format, so AI sheets that have this information displayed clearly will stand a better chance of being picked up.

Each rep had a different selling technique. Some would try to push for the manager to take books she wasn’t sure about. Others were more relaxed, knowing the type of books she was interested in, and let her make her own mind up, happy to take an order for just one book if that’s all she was interested in. The reps often commented on how friendly it was in the bookshop, compared to others they had been to.

I have found out a lot through working in a bookshop that never would have otherwise. For instance, although a publisher might think a pure white cover hardback book looks nice, every bookseller knows that within 5 minutes of it being out on display, it will be grubby with fingerprints and dirt. When designing book covers, I had never considered practicality along with aesthetics before.

Word Power have been keeping up with the times and have introduced a website, much like Amazon, where you can order books with the click of a button that they will dispatch. I was surprised to find that their orders come from all over the world, even from as far away as Australia.

Doing work experience in a bookshop has made me feel like I have a more rounded knowledge of the book trade. Before, I had only ever considered things from a publisher’s point of view, and not thought about how a bookseller makes a living.

When I was at the London Book Fair in April, it seemed like every sector of the publishing world was separated, not listening to the concerns of each other. Authors lamented: “We’re expected to speak to our readers via social media, but publishers don’t teach authors how to and don’t ask them if they want to”, while publishers advised us to “Always go with the self-promoting author”.

After working in Word Power, my opinion is even stronger now that publishers and booksellers should be communicating more if they want to navigate the challenges of the digital age.

You can find out more about Word Power Books by visiting their website, or by following them on Facebook or Twitter.

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vagabond Voices: An Author’s Perspective

18/05/2012 by Leave a comment

During my placement with Vagabond Voices, I had the fortune of attending two of their launches:  Allan Massie’s Surviving (to conclude a memorable first day) and The Lost Art of Losing by Gregory Norminton, the second book of aphorisms to be published by Vagabond Voices.

After the latter event, I approached Gregory to ask about the unusual form of the aphorism, and why we haven’t seen more of them in print, to which he replied, “I suppose the perception that no one would purchase a book of aphorisms is the main reason we don’t see more in print.” Among those who had arrived to pick up a copy of Gregory’s “little book” were Alasdair Gray, Bernard MacLaverty, and another of Vagabond Voices’ writers, Chris Dolan.

The seemingly irresistible little volume is perfectly proportioned to be picked up and dipped into for moments at a time; as Gregory summarized, with his characteristic concision and style,  “After all, when should the book be read if not in snatches: on the Tube between proximate stations, or for a moment while brushing your teeth?”

When asked about his experiences with Vagabond Voices, Gregory lauded the creative support and personal touch which developed through working with a small publisher, and described the benefits of the intimate author-publisher collaboration which could be achieved in this setting: “Working with a small publisher, specifically Vagabond Voices, I find an attention to detail, a care and a commitment to each book, which can be missing from bigger publishing houses. The former has to nurture, within its limited means, every hatchling” – a statement with which, as an intern of Vagabond Voices, I can readily identify.

Men assert, women know.

Toleration should not be confused with respect. Of course you are entitled to your opinion – as am I to treat it with contempt.

Fearless” is an epithet which bigots apply to themselves. An open mind grapples constantly with dread.

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Lost-Art-Losing-Gregory-Norminton/9781908251060

@Vagabondvoices

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , , , ,

Comment on BBC report

17/05/2012 by Leave a comment

Today the BBC reported that a ‘rise in tuition fees did not boost teaching time’.

According to BBC Radio 4, ‘in 2012, the seventh year of higher fees, students reported an average of about 14 hours scheduled teaching per week – almost the same as it was in 2007. But this is as low as seven hours a week in some disciplines.’ (Hannah Richardson, BBC News education reporter)

NOT true of us.

Study MSc Publishing at Edinburgh Napier University and you will be studying/working much more than this. Of course, we only want the most dedicated and committed students who are willing to go the extra mile. Our accreditation (PTC) proves that we know what employers want. In one year, you will have completed 6 taught modules averaging about 3–6 hours each, and then there is the dissertation which can mean approx. 6–10 hours of one-to-one contact with your supervisor.

As Universities UK state, we have been ‘improving libraries, IT facilities and other aspects of student life as well as improving teaching.’

We do all this, but without any decrease in teaching time or timetabled classes.

Filed under Publishing News Tagged with , , ,

Busy Days at Fledgling Press

14/05/2012 by Leave a comment

‘Indie, small, and slightly mysterious’ were the words I had in my head when I thought about Fledgling Press prior to my interview. Fledgling Press, as I found out through my research, is a small independent publishing company in Edinburgh which aims to champion new Scottish writers, whilst using Scottish artistic talent for their cover designs and illustrations. I was intrigued …

When I first met Clare Cain, CEO of Fledgling Press, I was excited by the prospect of gaining experience with a company passionate about who they represent and not just about profits. Clare agreed to meet me for an interview at the National Library of Scotland where we discussed publishing over coffee. Clare quizzed me about my work for my MSc Publishing course and the skills I’d gained so far, whilst filling me in on vital information about Fledgling Press. On top of this Clare was interested in the areas I wanted to gain experience in and talked about some Fledgling Press projects which would provide me with opportunities to expand my skills. Immediately I felt that Clare was concerned that, aside from hopefully making myself thoroughly useful doing work for the company, I would also gain an enjoyable and valuable experience through the process. I remember her particularly agreeing to offer me editorial experience —another step on my way to becoming an editor!

Clare and Kate hard at work!
Photo credits: Ellie Bush

The following Monday I was invited to one of the weekly Fledgling Press meetings in the New Town where I met the founder of the company, Zander Wedderburn. Already on my first day I remember feeling included in the meeting, being asked my opinion on Fledgling Press projects. It was clear I wasn’t just there as a tea-maker but was involved as a member of a team working on the development and promotion of work by new Scottish writers.

From that day forward I have been involved in editing manuscripts, final read-throughs of work on their way to print, creating pages and designs for an innovative new Fledgling Press catalogue (it’s going to be made out of bookmarks—ingenious!), been initiated into the weird and wonderful world of first-time author submissions as well as assisting with the judging of a book cover competition at the Edinburgh College of Art. I ended up relishing my Mondays with Fledgling Press. Apparently there is never a dull moment in a small independent publishing house. Working alongside another intern, Kate McNamara, it was all hands on deck as we worked with Clare from her home in Portobello.

What I gained from working with Clare was much more than just practicing my editorial skills. As well as learning how a small independent company manages to grow year upon year, from a tiny company to a not-so-tiny company, I also learned how it feels to be a valued member of a publishing team. The responsibility given to me by Clare and Zander provided me with not just practical experience but confidence in my decision to work in editorial. But more than this, I have a lovely few weeks working alongside Clare, Zander and Kate to look back on and am very grateful that I was able to work with such a nice group of people.

If you would like to learn more about Fledgling Press and their titles please visit their website at www.fledglingpress.co.uk or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

A Date for your Diary

10/05/2012 by Leave a comment

Edinburgh Napier University Publishing students printers visitMSc Publishers spent the afternoon at Letts printers. They are the largest print maufacturer in Scotland and as the market leader, they produce over 20 million diaries a year.

The students were impressed with the sheer scale of production and the specialist processes used in Notebook and Diary manufacture.

Thanks to Graham Ellis and and his team for a highly informative tour.

See their website: www.letts.co.uk/

Filed under Events, MSc Publishing News Tagged with , , ,

Vagabond Voices

09/05/2012 by Leave a comment

“Artistic exchange between cultures is a crucial component of global understanding”[1]

I was born in Poland and for twenty-seven years of my life, apart from the first six when my reading skills were fairly poor, I have been exposed to literature and books from around the world. Publishing in my home country went through a very difficult journey and non-Polish titles allowed me to travel around the world in my imagination. My favourite writers are from Albania, Chile, Hungary, and Russia.

I heard a lot about high reading standards in the UK. On my arrival I was looking forward to experience a wonderful voyage through the bookshop shelves where I would find literature that would enrich my personal library. When I was looking for titles by Sandor Marai one bookseller suggested that it would be wiser to learn Hungarian because translations are not something which I would find in the UK book market.

Just 3% of books published last year in the UK have been translations.[2]

Through my work placement in Vagabond Voices I understood how difficult it is to publish successful translations. It’s a time and money consuming process, with little chance of any financial profits. Beside these difficulties there are people like Allan Cameron (Vagabond Voices director) who believes in the importance of bringing books from abroad into the UK market.

“To discover the most advanced ideas in literature, you need to know what is happening elsewhere, and however vast the English-speaking world may be, it is still thinking through the closed mechanisms of a single language.”[3]

This small publishing house was launched in 2008 and was based on Lewis, until recently moving to Glasgow. Vagabond Voices specialise in translations of contemporary literature, political polemics and rants.

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , , ,

09/05/2012 by Leave a comment

 

Inside Main Point Books
Photograph by Ewelina Wasacz

People going in and out, stopping in wonder, browsing through the shelves, chatting or celebrating the silence – this is how it looks like here every day. There are works by Walter Scott or Leo Tolstoy waiting to be read again. There is art, feminism, travel, and sport books ready to be picked up. People from all walks of life are drawn to this place. No wonder. It’s magical.

You may ask ‘What are you doing here’? I’m being lucky, I answer. I’m having a great pleasure working for Jennie Renton, the owner of Main Point Books, which is an independent bookshop. As it happens, Jennie is also a founder of Textualities.net, a website dedicated to books and writing, and a freelancer involved in production, editorial and publicity activities.

When imaging my placement I thought of someone passionate and knowledgeable about publishing who would show me their craft. And this is exactly who Jennie is. However, I also pictured this person as someone working in a formal, modern, spacious office full of Macs and other technologically-advanced devices. I couldn’t be more wrong when it turned out to be a lovely bookshop, with a friendly atmosphere and hi-tech gadgets kept to minimum. I prefer this cosiness much more to a typical office environment.

My placement is a basket full of development opportunities. One day I work on internal page design for a football book that is just about to be published. InDesign, action! Another day I find myself helping out with the biggest purchase ever made in the shop by one of the top hotels in Edinburgh stocking up their Scottish-themed library. But that is not all. There is also the production side to my placement when I oversee the progress of publication of Edinburgh Review, a literary magazine released three times a year by the University of Edinburgh. The quality of work of both well-known and unknown writers is outstanding. My job is to design the internal pages of the magazine. One busy afternoon I also have a chance to uncover the complex process of copy-editing.

All these activities create a unique opportunity to discover  and learn different aspects of publishing business. I’m never bored here. How can I be if there are so many interesting tasks to complete? I work in various locations: Jennie’s shop, Edinburgh Review’s office, the Napier University campuses, which adds to the general excitement of my placement. Before I started this unforgettable journey through joys and challenges of a freelancer’s work I had not expected to be involved in so many activities. They truly allowed me to get a taste of a real-life ups and downs of working in the industry.

If you feel like having a good read and an enjoyable conversation get up and pop in to  this superb bookshop at 77 Bread Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9AH or get yourself a cup of tea and enter the online world of literature at http://textualities.net/.

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , , , ,

Food for Thought – My Placement with Foodies Magazine

08/05/2012 by Leave a comment

When I started this degree I wasn’t entirely sure which area of publishing I wanted to work in but having had the chance to work on both a live magazine project and a live book project – I settled more or less on magazines. Therefore when it came to choosing a placement I was keen to experience the real-world of magazine publishing.

It has been said that I think with my stomach and I absolutely adore cooking so when offered the chance to do my placement with Foodies Magazine, I jumped at the chance. Foodies Magazine is produced by The Media Publications Company Ltd. They also organise Foodies Festivals which take place in seven different locations during the summer months.

Over the course of my placement I have had the opportunity to work on both Foodies Magazine and the Foodies Festivals. This has given me a valuable insight into the process of running a professional magazine and event planning. I have had the chance to help out with a wide range of tasks and been made to feel like a valued member of the team.

Foodies Magazine

Logo used with kind permission from The Media Publishing Company Ltd.

Foodies Magazine is distributed free across Scotland and contains a lively mixture of food and drink news, recipes and articles about top chefs. The magazine prides itself on being ‘A celebration of fine food and drink’ and it’s friendly tone and bright colours make for a beautiful publication that is a joy to pick up and read.

As part of the team working on Foodies Magazine, I helped by extracting recipe text from PDF files as well as typing some out from recipe books. I had the opportunity to help research and write some of the news stories, in addition to a potential article. I was also asked to help mark up the adverts in the latest issue which involved checking the adverts in the magazine against a separate list of the adverts. When I found the advert I then wrote the code next to the advert in the magazine.

Foodies Festival

Logo used with kind permission from The Media Publishing Company Ltd.

As I mentioned above the Foodies Festivals take place at seven different locations around the country over the summer months. My work as part of the team working on Foodies Festival, centred primarily on the Hampton Court Palace event as well as the Brighton event. I aided the team through a variety of tasks. I researched a number of potential business to whom the festival could be marketed. I also researched companies that offer VIP wristbands and was able to offer advice on the likely quality of the various options.

I had the chance to flex my data-entry skills in helping to maintain the client bookings database. There is something deeply satisfying about a fully updated excel spread sheet and it was nice to feel appreciated for my data-entry skills. The other main task I helped with was the compiling of the exhibitors profiles for the Hampton Court Palace and Brighton show guides.

I also helped answer the phones which whilst scary to start with, I soon got over my nerves and I take away from this placement an improved confidence around telephones. All in all I have enjoyed my time with The Media Publishing Company and I feel it has confirmed for me my desire to make a career in the magazine publishing industry. I am grateful to all at The Media Publishing Company for allowing me the opportunity to do a placement with them.

For more information on Foodies Magazine or Foodies Festivals please visit http://www.foodies-magazine.com/ and http://www.foodiesfestival.com/ respectively.

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , ,

Work placement at Archaeology Scotland

08/05/2012 by Leave a comment

Ever thought of becoming an archaeologist? Well, I have, when I was a little girl and watched all of the Indiana Jones movies: I wanted to go in search of the Lost Ark with Harrison Ford and ride a motorcycle with Sean Connery, while running away from the Nazis. For a while I was convinced my archaeological desire would not come true – how could it? I grew up and left my childhood dream behind and started a publishing course, which, as it turned out, I truly enjoy. You couldn’t go further away from archaeology, could you? Well, that’s where fate came in to prove me wrong as I did my publishing placement with Archaeology Scotland and got first hand experience of what modern archaeologists do, while being able to deepen my knowledge of publishing design processes.

As I said, I did my placement with Archaeology Scotland, a voluntary membership organisation that looks after maintaining the archaeological heritage and research in Scotland. The task I was entrusted with was re-designing the latest issue of their eponymous membership magazine and looking into ways of making that content available online and establishing whether the newly re-defined format could bring the printing costs down.

What I enjoyed the most was the designer freedom to create a brand new issue from scratch, to be able to decide on the organisation of the textual and visual elements on a page and to make sure it all comes in together nicely and is consistent across the issue. In addition to all that, which was all very hands-on and practical from day one, I also had to deliver a presentation reporting on my work progress to the editorial sub-group which included the company’s President. This was a little more challenging, but most definitely beneficial for my presentation confidence skills.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my working experience there as I was exposed to some of the actual publishing problems, while learning more about the work of real-life Indiana Joneses (well, they might think they are). I got lucky, I must say – I got the best out of both worlds. Minus the baddies, luckily.

_

If you are interested in Archaeology Scotland’s activities, visit their webpage, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Work placement at Witherby Publishing Group

04/05/2012 by Leave a comment

Although it was not in the original list of companies offering placements, when we were told Witherby Publishing Group had open a placement position, I decided to do a little research and I was immediately attracted by this publishing house. Witherby Publishing Group is the oldest publisher in the English language, established in London back in 1740. In 2005 they entered into a joint venture with the Scottish company Seamanship International Ltd and since then they have been based in Livingston. They have found their niche market in marine technical, operational and regulatory publishing.

Because publishing is much more than fiction, I found the idea of working, even for a few weeks, with a technical publisher was really appealing. However, I must confess that I was somehow concerned about my lack of knowledge of the shipping industry and boats in general. That fear disappeared when I stepped into the office. All the staff was very welcoming and they were kind and willing to help me and answer any questions had. In fact, since I did my placement I have found myself reading all the news related to shipping, vessels and the maritime world in general with special attention.

When you work in a niche market, everything is done in a different way from traditional or trade publishers. The marketing efforts are more targeted, royalties and permissions change drastically and even the editorial line has nothing to do with what we may be used to. However, during my placement at Witherby, I was very lucky and I had the opportunity to enjoy a very complete learning experience, in which I could work with and observe the duties of almost every department in the company, such as editorial, marketing, rights, finance, sales, warehouse, graphic design or IT. This allowed me to carry out many different tasks and to have a real insight into the work flow of this publishing house. Among the things I did during these 5 weeks, I highlight editing, proofreading, doing précis of reports, researching topics, writing articles and creating publishing agreements. I also remember one of the first things I could see was the big warehouse where they keep around half a million books. They process their own orders and it was very interesting to see how this system works. In addition, they have an interest in digital formats, and for that reason they have created an e-reader platform for their e-books.

My stay at Witherby was full of great moments I really enjoyed and it made me discover a whole new side of the publishing industry in which I would like to work in the future. Summarizing what we have been hearing in many lectures and professional conferences this year: if you want to be successful, find a gap in the market and fill it; the future of printed books is, most likely, in the niche markets.

If you want more information about Witherby Publishing Group, you can visit their website or follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook.

Filed under publishing studies, work placement Tagged with , , , , ,

Venturing into the real world with Alban Books

03/05/2012 by Leave a comment

I’d heard stories from students who had interned before; bleak, tea-filled narratives about being chained to photocopiers and blinded by endless Excel spreadsheet grids. Despite this, I was rather looking forward to my placement, although I hoped the horror stories, rather than being a sign of what was to come, were in fact just anecdotes exaggerated to make them good for sharing down at the pub.

I secured my spot at Alban Books Ltd; a sales, marketing and distribution company who provide services in the UK and Europe for seven big US publishers. I started on the 15th March 20

12 and came into the office to be introduced to my desk (I had my own desk!) and my computer (with a personalised email account!!). So far, so good.

My first task was wholly unrelated to hot beverages; in fact it was to write copy for Advanced Information sheets for a list of new autumn titles, the details of which had just been released. In at the deep end, but it was interesting and it got me familiar with the titles I would be working with over the next month or so.

My office duties over the next few weeks varied from A.I. creation to direct mail material/e-Newsletter compilation and design to data entry for Alban Books’ new website that is launching over the summer. It took a while but now my eyes, rather than melting at the sight of an overwhelmingly packed Excel spreadsheet, are now finely attuned to picking out the details I want – this must be what it’s like to be a real grown-up with a marketing job!

The office itself is a great place to work: there are only four others in the office and the banter is great. Topics of conversation range from “Which are better, robots or dinosaurs?” to “Will dressing your baby up like an idiot make them hate you in later life?” while at Easter we had a ‘design your own egg’ competition with lots of felt tips(the raw state the eggs were in made for a couple of smelly casualties!).

The whole placement wasn’t spent in the office though; at my initial interview with the Managing Director, Jonny Gallant, I was given a task that I could really get my teeth into. I had mentioned my love of children’s books and the M.D. suggested I look at the children’s list that they manage, the sales of which weren’t as high as they should be. I was given dummy copies of some new titles and sent on my merry way…into a void with no leads or answers. It was intimidating at first but it got me jamming my thinking cap on my head and straining the ol’ grey cells to think back to those heady days of trimester one and the marketing lessons we’d had at Craighouse campus. I worked my way through the various factors that have an effect on product sales and with a big help from a focus group of Waterstones Children’s Book Buyers I got lots of help with my quandary and was able to bring a lot of good information back to Alban Books. It’s an ongoing project, but one that I hope will have a positive impact on sales.

I’ve had a great time at Alban Books: I’ve learnt a lot about marketing which was the area I was weakest in, in regards to of publishing, and also I’ve had the opportunity to really help the company – a chance that many interns don’t seem to get. I was asked to stay on at the office and I happily accepted – I’ve got a lot of unfinished business to attend to!

For more information about Alban Books and the titles they manage, follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook or visit their website.

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , , , , ,

My Placement at Drimlike

03/05/2012 by Leave a comment

A part of the team!
Photo credits: Natacha Blavoyer

When one thinks about publishing, one naturally pictures books, magazines and other printed content. As such, most of my classmates are undertaking their work placements with either book or magazine publishing companies. But as we are all aware, everything is now “going digital”, the rise of the e-book being a very good example of the so-called digital revolution. The word publishing should therefore evoke not only books and magazines, but also websites and the internet. Running a website, whether it is for commercial or personal purposes, means writing or commissioning and publishing content, and advertising this content for a specific audience. Isn’t this definition close to how we would describe book and magazine publishing, too? My choice to do a long-term internship with a digital communication agency is therefore not so surprising, and I am about to tell you a little bit more about this experience.

My role at Drimlike is that of a French Digital Copywriter, which is fairly self-explanatory since my main task is to write new content in French for the web. Drimlike is an international agency based in Edinburgh that employs French, Scottish, Spanish and German people. The reason for this is that the company is currently working on a website available in four different languages. Targeting an international audience is always a very ambitious task, nowadays made easier thanks to the internet. However, given the amount of competitor websites available, it is essential to maximize visibility by ensuring that your websites remain on top of search engine page results. The problem is that Google is a powerful guru who decides the ranking position of each website, and being friends with him is not an easy task! One of the best ways to please Google and stay on top of the ranking is Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which involves optimizing written content using keywords and links to other pages. I wasn’t familiar with SEO at all before starting my placement, but thanks to the lovely people who have welcomed me for a few months, I now know the basics of it.

My work placement at Drimlike has definitely given me valuable experience and has taught me a lot in terms of digital marketing and copywriting, which I am sure are skills that I will use in my professional career. Indeed, during a talk entitled “How To Get Into Publishing” that took place at The London Book Fair 2012, Neil Morrison (Random House HR director) said that new jobs requiring a good understanding of the uses of internet and social networks are now entering publishing companies. Like I said, everything is now going digital and publishers have to adapt to this change by creating a space for new jobs.

Although I cannot say that I now master the complicated and ever-changing process that is SEO, I am still very happy with what I will take with me at the end of this professional experience!

Ps: Internship positions available all year long, for more info visit the website or contact job@drimlike.com :)

Filed under work placement Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.