What sorts of jobs can you hope to find? As publishing is a bit
of an umbrella term, then the jobs are equally varied. In
smaller publishers it is common for more than one role to be
combined.
Working in the editorial department will involve a different set
of tasks and skills from those demanded in the production
department where a more technical knowledge is required.
The marketing department demands imagination, persistence and
networking skills. There are also the lesser-known jobs (but no
less interesting) such as selling rights or being a sales rep for a
company.
Skills in planning, analysis and basic finance are useful and
valued in most areas.
Typical job titles/roles include:
- Editorial assistant | Editor | Managing Editor | Commissioning
Editor | Publisher
- Marketing | Publicity | Socia Media
- Designer | Art Director | Production
- Sales | International Sales | Rights Sales
- Big companies will also have support staff such as HR | Finance
| Legal | Customer Service | IT
The National Occupational Standards for Book and
Journal Publishing provide very detailed descriptions
of and standards for various publishing skills and job functions
from understanding your publishing organisation and its market to
defining technical and project specifications for digital markets.
See the NOS website (SKS PUB1 to SKS PUB27).