How To Get into the Publishing Industry from An Entry-Level Perspective

By Dara Kushner

The publishing industry is evolving, like many other industries, and getting your foot in the door can be challenging. By using a strategy of research, networking and effort, there are endless opportunities available.  

A lot of different types of talented people are needed in publishing for many different roles, including publicity and promotion, editing, marketing, finance, sales, art and design, production, information technology, audio and more.  So where do you start? Keep reading to find out!

Ways to Get into the Publishing Industry

Research

Research is an essential first step for getting into the publishing industry. Publishing careers typically encompass a wide variety of skills such as editing, copywriting and media relations; explore all areas of publishing to understand the requirements of various positions and be flexible about what department might suit you. 

With the digital nature of publishing changing by the day, it is imperative to do your research to become familiar with all of the different publishers. This technique will help you determine which companies fit with your goals and interests most, and decide what area you are most passionate about.

Take it a step further and research what is on the New York Times’ best-seller lists and familiarize yourself with industry trends. In addition to LinkedIn, you can also visit sites that cater to the publishing industry such as Publisher’s Lunch, Mediabistro and Bookjobs.com to check out ideas on jobs and companies that might be expanding. 

Conducting research is a crucial first step when trying to get into publishing.

Networking

Just like the entertainment industry, the publishing industry is all about who you know, and networking is key to getting a job in the publishing industry and will greatly increase your chances of success. This includes connecting via LinkedIn or Twitter, and targeting the types of professionals you want to connect with, where you want to make contacts and knowing what questions you want to ask them. 

As with in-person networking, LinkedIn networking involves etiquette as well. Your networking efforts should be focused on people who are currently in roles that may be of interest to you, and who can provide insight and help you learn more about the company or the position’s dynamics.

Do not send requests to everyone at a company. Furthermore, when sending an invitation to connect, be polite and try to stand out. Instead of using the generic “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” message, personalize your request by sharing some nice words about the person or their company, and keep it targeted with purpose.

Informational Interviews

Try to connect with the right people in your desired roles to get informational interviews (informal conversations you can have with individuals working in the area that interests you). These will provide you with real-life experience information to find out more about the job and to find out if it suits your personality and interests.

To get an informational interview, be resourceful and identify potential contacts to reach out to with an introductory email or by phone explaining your background and career goals and what you hope to gain from having a brief meeting. If they agree to an interview, define the meeting agenda and craft questions beforehand, by researching your interviewer, their company and the role you are interested in. The more prepared you are for the interview, the more information you are likely to gain. 

Informational interviews can give you firsthand information about the realities of working in a particular field/position, help uncover new job opportunities you did not know existed, give you insider knowledge and tips about landing that position and expand your professional network in your targeted field which might lead to mentorship and other networking and career opportunities in the future.

Use Social Media

In 2021 one of the most valuable tools is following publishers you want to work with.  Many publishers have social media accounts where you can see what projects they are working on, and you can try connecting on LinkedIn (having a catchy profile headline might help you stand out and attract more connections or land a job with them).

Publishing jobs often get filled based on referrals, so networking is invaluable.

Join Publishing Groups

Consider joining organizations such as Women’s National Book Association and Young to Publishing Group, just to name a few, as well as online groups and networking in person as much as you can (as Covid restrictions lift). 

Attend Conferences

Attending conferences is another option. Editors, writers and agents get together at conferences around the globe and these can be incredible opportunities to connect with people in the field right now. Remember, one of the best things you can do to get your foot in the publishing door is to get involved and make connections.   

Internships & Education

Consider internships if you are still in college or early in your career. Internships allow you to network, get hands-on experience in the industry and add more achievements and real-life experience to your resume. Bookjobs.com lists internships, general industry information and additional publishing programs.

Additionally, it might be helpful to consider taking advanced courses within the area of publishing you are interested in pursuing. Massive open online classes (MOOCs) offered by Coursera and Udacity are another option for learning some new skills or polishing up on already acquired ones. 

There are also major summer publishing programs such as New York University’s Summer Publishing Institute, Columbia University’s Publishing Course and the Denver Publishing Institute.  All of these offer intensive programs to acquire training for the publishing industry. 

A publishing internship offers hands on experience and an opportunity to network.

Skills and Freelancing 

Freelancing and temp work are also good options for both networking and gaining experience. Keep honing your skills and be able to demonstrate your excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as computer and social networking skills.

Having relevant transferable skills is golden and is the best way to figure out what those are is to try out several areas and see what suits you best. Freelancing, even as a side hustle, solves the dilemma that you can’t get a job without experience, but you can’t get experience without a job. Often in publishing even ‘entry-level’ means you need at least some experience, so freelance work could be the key to opening that publishing door.

How to Get Freelance Work

You can find freelance work on both LinkedIn and all of the other major job boards, as well as websites that cater to freelance work such as Upwork, Fiverr, All Freelance Writing and Freelancer. Clients are actively looking for freelancers on these sites, as well as smaller, niche freelancing sites for each industry, so they are often the easiest places to start. 

There are a lot of freelancers competing for projects, so you need to stand out from the crowd. Some things to remember are to pick your freelance areas (i.e. editing, proofreading or writing), and pick your niche (ideally something in the area of publishing you would like to work in, whether that is nonfiction, fiction, magazines, or newspapers).  Being a generalist and taking on any project is an option too, but it is often in your favor to specialize in certain genres. 

To win projects, you need a “pitch” (a short application that demonstrates your skills and passion for the project).  Just like the aforementioned resume, do not send a generic pitch and be sure to tailor it for every individual project. Try not to just focus solely on your skills and experience--- explain why the project interests you. Sometimes personality and passion win over skills and experience.

Freelance work can also be found through networking, social media, and word of mouth.

Taking on some freelance projects adds to your experience and improves transferable skills.

Your Resume

Keep in mind that every role in publishing requires excellent editing skills and keen attention to detail, so make sure that your resume is completely error-free. 

Speaking of your resume, highlight only your most relevant work history for the position to which you are applying. It is ideal to narrow down your resume to the kind of work that will catch the eye of the specific employer and position you are seeking. Try to include solid facts and figures (i.e., you wrote 10 newsletters last year that averaged 1000+ views each). 

If you have material from previous projects, provide links to your published work.  Prospective employers in the publishing industry usually look online and if they can’t find any of your work, as far as they are concerned you are irrelevant. Don’t just say you have published work out there: SHOW them. An online portfolio helps showcase your work and gives you credibility.

Keep an open mind

Be flexible and keep an open mind about other areas of publishing. While editorial might be the most sought-after area, there are vast opportunities within design, marketing, audio, rights, and sales as well. Digital technology is constantly changing the publishing landscape. Stay on top of the latest industry trends and don’t hesitate to pursue different roles or companies entirely.

Be open to relocation since publishing hubs such as New York City might offer more in-person openings, but be aware that many roles that might not have been previously available to someone outside New York City can now be done remotely or hybrid due to the post-Covid landscape.

While they might not be what you had originally planned, apply for any jobs you can find, even if they are basic administrative roles because the upside is twofold; these jobs will allow you to gain practical workplace skills, as well as get your foot in the door, to open bigger doors to the jobs you had in mind.   

In Conclusion

Be flexible and embrace your passion for publishing. With the right research, networking, skills and resume building along with the vast array of publishing roles that exist for entry-level job seekers, the opportunities are endless.