How I Got Into Publishing - Part 1

I'm taking a little break from reviewing books to share my journey of getting into publishing, for anyone who is on the same journey, or those hoping to be soon.

As most of those in this boat will know, getting into publishing is notoriously difficult, and I found it immensely useful to read other people's tips on it while working at it myself - there is no such thing as too much advice, and you can always filter out what you need. So here's the truth and nothing but the truth; hopefully, fresh graduates, career changers and anyone wanting to work with books will find this useful. Read part two here and part three here.

When I finished university, I had no idea what I really wanted to do, but despite having studied journalism and creative writing, I genuinely never considered that there was such a thing as 'working with books' (unless you mean being a bookseller in Waterstones, but that didn't seem relevant). So first things first: if you love books, YOU CAN work in publishing and help make books happen. Probs the most important lesson of all.

But I didn’t know and I wanted to get stuck in, so I applied for pretty much anything that came my way that involved writing. All the while, someone out there was publishing the books I bought every week, to be consumed in one or two sittings...

The first time it finally occurred to me that I could work in publishing, I was on my third job - all different things, from bid writing to editing a magazine, but all involving some sort of copy editing and writing. So finally, in March 2018, I decided that I would get into publishing. Easy, right?

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Stage one: Scattergun

I attacked this challenge just like my previous jobs: I looked for job postings, sent my box-standard CV and my cover letter, waited to be snatched up. It was a good letter, mind you; it had landed me employment every time before. But the difference was, this time I had a set aim. I wasn't just firing into the air, but was hoping that something would come back that I actually wanted. The letter covered all my skills - charm, wit, language skills, the lot - but it wasn't relevant. And when a month passed without any result, I knew I had to change tack.

So now, I started firing out unsolicited letters to publishers. I purchased the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, and emailed any and all publishers based in London - still using a standard cover email though. In the meantime, I subscribed to The Bookseller - the single most important resource when you're trying to break into publishing. It's a literal literary goldmine. 

A month passed, and I'd had one rejection email (from an actual publishing giant, but still a rejection), and a one-liner saying I should check back in September. This from about 30 emails - I'm not exaggerating.

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Stage two: When you're living on your knees you... wise up

It's important to know that while I was chasing my dream job, I was stuck in a nightmare: in a degrading, toxic environment, desperate to break out and struggling increasingly not to leave. It made it all the harder to endure every rejection - although to be honest, I was happy if someone even bothered to tell me I didn't get the job.

March turned into May and I continued to apply for everything. What I understood now though was that there was going to be no workaround. I genuinely had to start from scratch for each application, and do my research, and tailor my letter to suit the publisher. So the scattergun approach turned into one application at a time, spending an hour or so collating notes on the publisher and then writing lots of drafts before I had a half-decent letter.

The secret I cracked here was this: use case studies in your cover letter. This was THE most vital lesson and once I understood it, it landed me my first interview after four months. Use specific examples – that time you led a focus group, that success you achieved, that campaign you devised, even that meeting you took minutes for. Specific. Examples. Always. Demonstrate your skill.

I also purchased The Professionals' Guide to Publishing by Gill Davies. It’s a good base text and I learned a lot about how those already in publishing see the business. It introduces the main parts of a company, how they interact, some case studies and the main elements of each role too. It’s definitely worth reading something like this to help clarify your goals.

Case study: Connecting

Publishing is truly about who you know. I'm not very good at networking though - it genuinely terrifies me. So here's what I tried: having found a publisher I liked in the W&A Yearbook, I looked up the staff. I picked someone who had an intriguing background, sort of similar to mine - it's called professional stalking and it's the good kind - and after a bit of digging, I found their direct email.

I emailed them, apologising for coming out of the blue, but telling them about my situation in a short paragraph and asking for any advice. And reader, they responded. Was it helpful? 

"Publishing is tight-knit and often about who you know so the best thing I can recommend is that you meet people by going to publishing and literary events, self-promoting and applying to whatever is available in hopes of catching a break."

So yeah, nothing I didn't already know - sadly, it's the truth. But hey, people in publishing are genuinely nice and they know all too well how hard it is to get into. (And, let's face it, they're mostly lovely ladies.) So don't be afraid. What's the worst that can happen? This person I hunted down on the dark web (LinkedIn and Google) didn't seem to mind too much, and we're still in touch. ↤

Following the above advice, I also decided to get out there and attend any and all literary events. You actually never know who you will meet, and if it's only people like you there, you will still have met a supportive community that's in the exact same boat as you. 

My crazy hunt for publishing professionals took me to the most random events, including:

• A tiny event in North London with Zadie Smith herself - publicised absolutely nowhere
• The Feminist Book Society's first ever event
• A talk with my favourite author, James Smythe, in the FT building (plus free wine!)
• The Edinburgh Book Festival, where I may or may not have fallen in love with Guy Gunaratne a little

Beforehand I would always look through Twitter to see who was going. 

The most important event of all though, the mothership that anyone young-ish trying to get into publishing should attend, is the Society of Young Publishers' publishing speed dating event. I believe they stage one every year and you have to be absolutely on the ball to get a ticket - it sells out pretty fast - but it was the most eye-opening event I went to, and it was immensely helpful. Basically, a bunch of industry professionals from all segments of the business - editorial, marketing, production and more - endure hours of questioning from starry-eyed youngsters. But this is your chance to find out everything you ever wanted to know, and also to consider which part of publishing you would be best fitted to. I couldn't recommend this event enough.

After this, my job-hunting horizon expanded significantly. We reached the merry month of June at this point though, and I still had no real progress to speak of.

To be continued...