Books
Book publishing is hugely influential in the social, cultural and political life of the country and an essential part of education system.
The UK industry is world leader in the number of titles published with over 200,000 titles recorded in 2005-06 (Source: UNESCO).
But it's not just about the latest J K Rowling or Jamie Oliver book. There are many different sub-sectors, including:
- Audio books
- Children's publishing: including picture books, fiction, non-fiction and reference
- Educational publishing including teaching and learning materials
- Fiction, poetry and non-fiction writing
- Illustrated and lifestyle publishing
- Specialist academic and professional publishing
- Travel guides
Although customers are accessing media increasingly via mobile phones, e-books, websites or social media, the book is still hugely popular and doesn't show signs of disappearing!
Just "loving books and literature" isn't enough to work in publishing. You need to demonstrate your passion is combined with an understanding of markets and profitability. An excellent command of written and spoken English is a must and if you can demonstrate an insight into how the industry works, through either work experience or informed research, you will have a better chance of standing out from the crowd.
For further information on the industry visit the following links:
Independent Publishers Guild - trade association for small, independent publishers, a good place to start for work experience.
London Book Fair - main trade fair for the UK industry, held at Earls Court in April.
The Publishers Association - trade association for book, journal and electronic publishers in the UK.
Publishing Training Centre - an educational charity that provides face to face and distance learning training for the industry. http://train4publishing.co.uk/
Other useful links in publishing can be found here - useful links in publishing