Books. We love them. Gone are the days when books were associated with grand cobweb-ridden libraries in haunted house movies or even dull trips to the library. Books, like dogs, are for life.聽
Publishing is a multi-million-pound industry. Publishers in the UK sold an astonishing and currently employ well over 40,000 staff across the UK.
It鈥檚 also not all about books either. Publishers are also responsible for magazines and newspapers.
If you love the printed word and can鈥檛 think of anything else besides holding a freshly printed magazine or beautifully bound book in your hands - a career in publishing is for you. How? Through an internship! Publishing internships are the best way to get the experience you need to become employee number 40,001.
Read on to find out how and where you can get involved.
How do I get experience in publishing?
Ngl, Publishing is a HARD nut to crack.
You might be the most decorated candidate with educational qualifications seeping from your pores, but without the experience - it鈥檒l be difficult to start the first chapter of your career.
You鈥檙e probably wondering why. It鈥檚 mainly because there are far more applicants than vacancies. However, once you鈥檙e in - you鈥檒l have a job for life. So it鈥檚 worth the effort. With that in mind, getting an edge over the competition is essential.
The best way that you can (and should) do this is with a publishing internship. An internship in publishing will give you the experience employers crave.
The different types of publishing
You might think of book publishing when you hear publishing, and you鈥檙e almost right. Three types of publishing exist for you to stick your nose into. And the great news is you鈥檒l find publishing internships for each of them.
Consumer/Trade publishing
This widely known form of publishing includes everything from fiction and non-fiction books to magazines.
Education publishing
Textbooks, online teaching resources and school revision guides can be found in this sector.聽
Academic and professional publishing聽
JSTOR fans, stand up! This publishing section is where academic journals, texts, STM (scientific, technical, medical), and monographs are found.
For the most part, publishing internships will fall under the traditional publishing route. You鈥檒l find that their books take up a high percentage of the shelves in a bookstore. Traditional publishers pay an author an advance to buy the full rights to distribute, publish and sell their book. Also known as the 鈥�Big-5鈥�, the biggest traditional publishers are:
Hachette
HarperCollins
Macmillan
Penguin Random House
Simon & Schuster.
Outside of that, there are many other massive publishing houses, including鈥�
Grove Atlantic
Hay House
McGraw-Hill
Sterling
Wiley.
What does a publishing intern do?
Publishing is very fast-paced, so an intern will be involved in several tasks from day one. So don鈥檛 expect to be stuck making teas or doing coffee runs.
As an intern, you鈥檒l learn everything there is to know about the publishing world and gain first-hand experience working for a publishing house. Some tasks will include:
Administration tasks: arranging meetings, booking travel logistics, delivery admin, etc
Events assisting
Researching potential clients and partnerships
Creating promotional assets
Attending editorial meetings and taking minutes
Fact-checking, proof-reading, and some editing
Liaising with the press, PR, celebrities and more.
"鈥淚 have learned more than I could have imagined and will take into my next job. Also, the skills have helped me develop as a person.鈥�" Publishing Intern, The Walt Disney Company
Applying for publishing internships
Applying for an internship is very similar to applying for a graduate role.
You鈥檒l need to ensure your CV and cover letter are in great shape, and then you鈥檒l fill in an online application.
Publishing internships are competitive, so you need to make sure your application pops. Your CV and cover letter should tell the story of why you're passionate about this industry. You should also include things you鈥檝e done. This can include;
Written blog posts
Written for the school/uni newspaper
Your love for creative writing
Favourite authors, etc
Show yourself off. It all helps!
Depending on the role you鈥檝e applied for, they might ask for more before you get to the interview stage.
For example, if you鈥檝e applied for a more creative role like an illustrator. You鈥檒l need to get a portfolio together. Or, if you鈥檝e applied for a role in audio - a portfolio of your editing work and sound design is a good idea. This can also include projects you鈥檝e done outside of university.
If an employer is impressed, they鈥檒l get in touch and invite you to an interview. Some internship and work experience application processes also involve assessment centres where you鈥檒l have a face-to-face interview and take part in group tasks.
Want to know more about what it鈥檚 like to do a publishing internship? Have a read of our 西瓜视频-written reviews.
Browse publishing ReviewsWhere can I get experience in publishing?
Fun fact, there are 904 publishers in the UK. Most of which are looking for some eager future talent (like yourself) to join them.
There are large, medium-sized and small-sized publishers to work for. Publishing internships will last anywhere between one to six months, and it鈥檚 your job to make sure you make the most out of that time at the company you鈥檒l feel most at home.
If you want to get the heavy hitters of publishing on your CV, look towards the big and medium-sized publishing houses. Or if working as part of a close-knit team interests you, a small publishing house would be on the books.
Here are some publishers who offer internships鈥�
Penguin Random House
It鈥檚 an absolute powerhouse of a publisher with 250 divisions, over 10,000 employees worldwide and 183 years of publishing dominance. Plus, it鈥檚 published some of the world鈥檚 best-selling books, including Prince Harry鈥檚 Spare.
Its include an internship scheme that runs between July and August, where you鈥檒l be in charge of a project.
Penguin Random House also offers two weeks paid work experience that you can do at any time throughout the year.
Meet Cameron, a marketing intern at Penguin Random House. Watch to find out more about her experience.
Harper Collins Publishers
Founded in 1817, Harper Collins is the second-largest publishing house in the world and has published some of the most-revered authors, including C. S. Lewis, Agatha Christie and J. R. R. Tolkien.
Harper Collins offers three paid throughout the year. A summer internship and an autumn/spring internship.
The summer internship runs between June and August and lasts 10 weeks. During this time, interns will learn about publishing and will include presentations from the industry鈥檚 finest. There鈥檚 also an icebreaker bowling trip to look forward to.
Autumn and spring internships also last 10 weeks and are open to undergraduates.
CGP Books
Remember those GCSE workbooks with super cheesy jokes? Well, CGP Books are the people behind them, and it offers .
CGP Books accepts CVs and cover letters anytime and keeps your details on file until an opening becomes available. Its graduate internship scheme runs for six months, and you鈥檒l be based in the stunning Lake District (imagine the lunchtime walks). CGP Books are looking for interns who鈥�
Have a degree
A quick learner with a curious mind
Flexible and keen to muck in with the team
Happy working with technology and unfamiliar software
A confident communicator
Methodical, meticulous and a brilliant problem-solver.
The CGP office is quite rural, so it鈥檒l be a massive plus if you can drive. You鈥檒l also get paid 拢22,000 pro rata. There鈥檚 also the possibility of free accommodation for two weeks while you find a place to stay.
"鈥淭he experience was invaluable for gaining a career in publishing as I was able to complete tasks that might not have been possible in a larger company. For instance, assisting with editing manuscripts and providing ideas for upcoming book publications.鈥�" Publishing Work Experience, Michael O鈥橫ara Books
Choosing the right company is SO important.聽
Our Best Student Employers table ranks employers eating up the competition and offering 西瓜视频s world-class work experience opportunities in the UK. The best part? They鈥檙e made up of thousands of reviews written by 西瓜视频s just like you.
View Best Student EmployersHow much do publishing interns make?
Your salary depends on various factors, so it鈥檚 hard to pin down.
Internships usually last anywhere between a few weeks to six months. So any salary you do earn will be a pro rata of the full-time salary.
However, as a benchmark, publishing interns can expect to earn anywhere between 拢19,000 to 拢23,000 pro rata. Some schemes might also cover travel and lunch expenses.
If your internship is London-based, you鈥檒l earn a little more to reflect the , which is currently 拢11.95 per hour.
There are loads of big and small publishers looking for young talent to join their ranks. However, not all of them are paid - especially with smaller publishers.聽
It鈥檚 doubly important to do your research and see what鈥檚 on offer, especially before accepting any unpaid work. It might seem tempting to embark on an unpaid internship, especially if it鈥檚 about getting experience. However, unpaid internships can be the Sauron of the working world, and you might not get the experience you deserve.
Hear from our very own, Louise, on why she regrets her unpaid internship in publishing.
At , we will always only advertise paid work experience opportunities.
What can I do after a publishing internship?
During your publishing internship, you鈥檒l become a jack of all trades and learn everything there is to know about the publishing world.
During your internship, you鈥檒l find that there are some aspects of publishing that you gravitate to. So you鈥檒l be pleased to know that once you鈥檙e finished - there鈥檚 an opportunity to specialise and get a job in a specific part of publishing.
There are generally 10 sections to the publisher career. These are鈥�
Agenting
Audio
Audience and digital development
Design
Editorial
Marketing and communications
Production
Publicity
Rights
Sales
Some roles you can specialise in can range from being a literary agent to an art director or even an illustrator. Here are some roles you can do after a publishing internship鈥�
Literary agent assistant
You鈥檒l be a literary agent鈥檚 right-hand person. The life of a literary agent is busy, and you鈥檒l take on loads of responsibilities, including assisting the agent in finding and nurturing new talent. Tasks include writing copy to reading manuscripts, setting schedules and daily queries.
Audio assistant
You鈥檒l help to manage recordings by preparing and supplying scripts. You鈥檒l even get the chance to book actors who record audiobooks. (Ekin-Su reading an edition of Charlotte鈥檚 Web is a great idea, by the way.) There鈥檚 lots of admin that you鈥檒l get into, which includes managing various systems and handling recording equipment.
Publicist assistant
Publishing is a bustling industry, and this has to be one of the most exciting aspects. As a publicist assistant, you鈥檒l help the team to develop book campaigns. Tasks can include working alongside PR agents, creating social media posts, and sending books to celebs and influencers alike.
There鈥檚 more where that came from. The has a full breakdown of the varied roles within the publishing industry.
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