I’ve struggled to find work experience in the publishing industry for a few years now.
There aren’t many opportunities in the North, with publishing houses being “too small to facilitate any experience” (an actual response I once got), and London being too expensive for someone who spent all their savings on simply surviving at university.
UCLan Publishing was the first publishing house to offer me a productive and universal experience in the world of publishing.
I gained skills in editorial to marketing, sales to publicity.
I spent a lot of time in editorial, as the team wanted to encourage my interest in this area. My main responsibilities were reading through manuscripts, writing reader reports, coming up with blurbs, and looking at sensitivity reports. I gained an insight into the current market of both middle-grade and young adult fiction, learning what types of stories would be successful. My favourite part of the placement was getting to read through all the manuscripts; it’s amazing to see how stories transform from drafts to fully published novels.
On top of this, I researched and wrote content for their e-newsletter, wrote a press release, organised their social media schedule, and helped package and distribute books to key contacts. I learnt it all!
I’m really happy with my placement here at UCLan Publishing. I gained invaluable experience and skills in all areas of publishing, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of this brilliant team!
