Books. We love them. Gone are the days when books were associated with grand cobweb-ridden libraries in haunted house movies or even dull trips to the library. Books, like dogs, are for life.聽
Publishing is a multi-million-pound industry. Publishers in the UK sold an astonishing and currently employ well over 40,000 staff across the UK.
It鈥檚 also not all about books either. Publishers are also responsible for magazines and newspapers.
If you love the printed word and can鈥檛 think of anything else besides holding a freshly printed magazine or beautifully bound book in your hands - a career in publishing is for you. How? Through an internship! Publishing internships are the best way to get the experience you need to become employee number 40,001.
Read on to find out how and where you can get involved.
How do I get experience in publishing?
Ngl, Publishing is a HARD nut to crack.
You might be the most decorated candidate with educational qualifications seeping from your pores, but without the experience - it鈥檒l be difficult to start the first chapter of your career.
You鈥檙e probably wondering why. It鈥檚 mainly because there are far more applicants than vacancies. However, once you鈥檙e in - you鈥檒l have a job for life. So it鈥檚 worth the effort. With that in mind, getting an edge over the competition is essential.
The best way that you can (and should) do this is with a publishing internship. An internship in publishing will give you the experience employers crave.
The different types of publishing
You might think of book publishing when you hear publishing, and you鈥檙e almost right. Three types of publishing exist for you to stick your nose into. And the great news is you鈥檒l find publishing internships for each of them.
Consumer/Trade publishing
This widely known form of publishing includes everything from fiction and non-fiction books to magazines.
Education publishing
Textbooks, online teaching resources and school revision guides can be found in this sector.聽
Academic and professional publishing聽
JSTOR fans, stand up! This publishing section is where academic journals, texts, STM (scientific, technical, medical), and monographs are found.
For the most part, publishing internships will fall under the traditional publishing route. You鈥檒l find that their books take up a high percentage of the shelves in a bookstore. Traditional publishers pay an author an advance to buy the full rights to distribute, publish and sell their book. Also known as the 鈥�Big-5鈥�, the biggest traditional publishers are:
Hachette
HarperCollins
Macmillan
Penguin Random House
Simon & Schuster.
Outside of that, there are many other massive publishing houses, including鈥�
Grove Atlantic
Hay House
McGraw-Hill
Sterling
Wiley.
What does a publishing intern do?
Publishing is very fast-paced, so an intern will be involved in several tasks from day one. So don鈥檛 expect to be stuck making teas or doing coffee runs.
As an intern, you鈥檒l learn everything there is to know about the publishing world and gain first-hand experience working for a publishing house. Some tasks will include:
Administration tasks: arranging meetings, booking travel logistics, delivery admin, etc
Events assisting
Researching potential clients and partnerships
Creating promotional assets
Attending editorial meetings and taking minutes
Fact-checking, proof-reading, and some editing
Liaising with the press, PR, celebrities and more.
"鈥淚 have learned more than I could have imagined and will take into my next job. Also, the skills have helped me develop as a person.鈥�" Publishing Intern, The Walt Disney Company
Applying for publishing internships
Applying for an internship is very similar to applying for a graduate role.
You鈥檒l need to ensure your CV and cover letter are in great shape, and then you鈥檒l fill in an online application.
Publishing internships are competitive, so you need to make sure your application pops. Your CV and cover letter should tell the story of why you're passionate about this industry. You should also include things you鈥檝e done. This can include;
Written blog posts
Written for the school/uni newspaper
Your love for creative writing
Favourite authors, etc
Show yourself off. It all helps!
Depending on the role you鈥檝e applied for, they might ask for more before you get to the interview stage.
For example, if you鈥檝e applied for a more creative role like an illustrator. You鈥檒l need to get a portfolio together. Or, if you鈥檝e applied for a role in audio - a portfolio of your editing work and sound design is a good idea. This can also include projects you鈥檝e done outside of university.
If an employer is impressed, they鈥檒l get in touch and invite you to an interview. Some internship and work experience application processes also involve assessment centres where you鈥檒l have a face-to-face interview and take part in group tasks.
Want to know more about what it鈥檚 like to do a publishing internship? Have a read of our student-written reviews.
Browse publishing ReviewsWhere can I get experience in publishing?
Fun fact, there are 904 publishers in the UK. Most of which are looking for some eager future talent (like yourself) to join them.
There are large, medium-sized and small-sized publishers to work for. Publishing internships will last anywhere between one to six months, and it鈥檚 your job to make sure you make the most out of that time at the company you鈥檒l feel most at home.