Now that I’ve caught your attention with that click-bait title, I hope you will stick around as I discuss the fact that nobody actually knows the answer to that age-old, desperate question: How can I succeed in the publishing industry?  

This industry was one that I stumbled into by accident. While working on my bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Creative Writing at Indiana University Indianapolis (shoutout to IUPUI – miss you guys!), I had the pleasure of working on the editorial staff of the university’s literary magazine, genesis. It was there that my eyes were opened to the possibility of doing something like this as a full-time career, and that got me excited for the future; finally, I had an answer when someone (inevitably) asked me, ‘So, what are you going to do with an English degree?’  

It was another happy accident that I discovered the MSc Publishing course at Edinburgh Napier University. I had been finishing up my undergrad online, and while I really wanted to stay in the city, I wasn’t sure how I would manage it if I wasn’t studying, so I took a chance on an extremely competitive programme and somehow got in. One of the biggest draws to this course was the fact that there was a placement module built into the programme schedule; this way, I would be gaining some practical, hands-on experience in the workforce alongside my academic studies, while also establishing industry contacts that could lead to a potential job post-graduation. 

When I realised that finding that said placement, however, would be up to me, I was tempted to freak out because applying to jobs, and interviewing for jobs, and talking about myself in interviews for jobs is not my forte or my skillset. It is ironic that many of us publishers, a bunch of introverts who’d much prefer reading a book to having a conversation with someone, have all chosen an industry which relies almost entirely on having conversations with someone. Networking is vital if you want to make it anywhere in life, but especially in this industry we publishers call home.  

Enter: Luath Press. Director Gavin MacDougall already has an existing relationship with Napier’s powerhouse, Avril Gray, so as it turns out, it was easy to find a placement there, as many other MSc Publishing students have opted to do as well. There were four of us in my group, working remotely from December 2023 to January 2024. We were each given a choice of an upcoming title we wanted to take responsibility for, and I chose to work on Barbara Henderson’s new children’s book: The Boy, the Witch, and the Queen of Scots, a historical fiction focusing on a fascinating period of Scotland’s past. Since my work both last trimester and this one has been primarily focused on editing and marketing adult fiction titles, I wanted to expand my portfolio by taking a closer look at the process of children’s publishing. 

As a side note, the craziest thing that I learned while on this placement was that I actually had a previous connection with author Barbara Henderson – apparently, she lived across the street from my parents around two decades ago and used to watch me when I was a baby, to my great surprise. It is just so ironic that flash forward all these years, and I’m the one working on her book, of all people!

Right from the first group meeting, we were given a checklist to work on which included reading through the manuscript and suggesting edits, designing a cover for the book along with matching marketing materials, and planning promotional events. While it was a bit discouraging to discover that all of the work we had done was not intended to see the light of day, but rather to serve merely as an educational tool, I am still pleased with my results. I was able to see a lot of personal growth, since at the start of this course, the concept of graphic design terrified me; now, I was able to produce the cover for The Boy, the Witch, and the Queen of Scots very quickly and with increased confidence. And this additional practice has been even more help to me as I am currently working through my own book project.

So, with all of this extensive experience that I now have tucked under my belt and typed into my CV, I can tell you that literally no one has it all together, or even truly knows what’s going on. The publishing industry is full of creative individuals who are passionate about their interests – namely books – who simply aren’t afraid to advocate for themselves and what they bring to the table, and I want to be one of those people.

In the words of the great Michael Scott, ‘Never, ever, ever give up.’ And yes, I know he’s talking to Jim about Pam, but the same principle applies here: if working in the publishing industry is what you want to do, don’t give up on your goals, even if it doesn’t look the way you expect it to right away. You might have to take your time, work your way up from an area you’re not particularly interested in, but you may just discover something new that you never thought of before, so keep pushing through, keep pushing yourself to branch out and show people all of what you have to offer. And take comfort in the fact that we’re all in the same boat – we’re all just figuring this out together! And that is the be-all and end-all answer for how to succeed in publishing. 

(If you caught my reference in the title, the phrase ‘be-all and end-all’ originally comes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, of which I am designing my own, brand-new edition! Stay tuned for more updates if you’re interested.)  

Banner photo from: https://www.redpoints.com/blog/do-you-know-how-piracy-is-affecting-the-publishing-industry/ [Accessed 15 April 2024].