Publishing

The publishing sector involves creating, producing, and distributing content – including books, magazines, academic journals, and online media. This spans both print and digital formats, with career paths in editorial, design, production, marketing, sales, rights and more.

According to a Publishers Association report, the UK publishing industry supports over 80,000 jobs and is the biggest global exporter of books. This is a competitive field, so gaining relevant experience and building your network are key.

Explore job roles

Publishing roles span editorial, marketing, design, productions, rights, and more. You might be commissioning titles, proofreading text, coordinating book production, promoting new releases or negotiating licenses.

The Publishers Association groups publishing jobs into areas such as: Agenting, Audio, Audience and digital development, Marketing and Communications, Design, Editorial, Production, Publicity, Rights, and Sales.

Entry-level roles often involve administration and project support but provide valuable exposure to different departments. While editorial roles are highly competitive, there are careers in less well-known areas like rights, sales, and academic publishing.

While a postgraduate degree in publishing can demonstrate your commitment and give an understanding of the industry, this is not an essential requirement to get a role in publishing.

Use the job profiles below to find out about, skills, entry routes and experience

Tip: Use the information about skills in the profiles to help you build a tailored CV.

Getting in and getting experience

Employers often expect graduates to have some form of work experience. This could include internships and volunteering at publishing houses, getting involved with student media, working on blogs, or even helping at literary festivals. These opportunities give you insights into publishing processes and help you to build both transferable and sector-specific skills.

There are some graduate schemes and formal internships in publishing, mostly offered by larger publishing houses, but many people enter through entry or assistant-level roles.

Use the job profiles above to check which skills are normally needed for the roles you are interested in.

Gain relevant experience and skills while you study

  • Get involved with the Mancunion - the university campus newspaper
  • Volunteering is one way to build experience while you study. Volunteer at literature festivals like the Manchester Literature Festival. You could also volunteer to write/edit content for charities.
  • Join relevant organisations like the Society of Young Publishers (SYP) – who run events in Manchester and mentoring schemes. Their Press Forward blog also provides sector insights and interviews with key figures in publishing.
  • Freelance opportunities can also help you gain relevant experience. The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre Get Freelancing programme can help you launch freelancing journey with expert alumni support.
  • Use LinkedIn to build up your network. Connect with publishers and editors, engage with their content and join relevant groups.
  • Consider upskilling: Access LinkedIn Learning to use an extensive library of video courses. Find out more places to upskill with Publishers Association.

Finding and applying for jobs

The sector includes major publishing companies such as:

There are also other independent presses and academic publishers.

To find graduate opportunities, use specialist job boards and consider speculative applications and networking at events and online to access opportunities that may not be widely advertised.

Find vacancies

Further resources

Next steps

When planning your next steps you may have additional questions or want to explore certain aspects in more detail: