Publishing Work Experience Master Post

I think a lot of people feel that it is almost impossible to get publishing work experience in the UK outside of London, but I’m here to tell you that’s not true! There are definitely more publishing houses located in London, but an opportunity to get experience in the publishing industry might be closer than you think.

I’ve decided to set myself a task; I’m going to try and provide an exhaustive list of publishing houses, and their work experience programs in the hope that more people will be able to find the experience they need near them! I am reluctantly including unpaid alongside the paid experience featured here, but I do not endorse unpaid work experience, especially if it’s over two weeks.

Firstly the pub interns Twitter needs to be listed here! They post entry-level roles, tips, and work experience opportunities from publishers some of which are only posted to Twitter. Social media is a fantastic resource when hunting down work experience, but Inspired Selection and Creative Access are also wonderful places to find more permanent roles within the industry. The Bookseller jobs board also has lots of opportunities pop up on their site.

Secondly, remember that dropping a local publisher an email cannot hurt, but be prepared for rejection! They may not have the money or the room for an intern but it’s always worth trying.

Thirdly, I wanted to add that before taking one of the unpaid opportunities below, please consider doing something admin related instead. The skills you’ll develop by working at a temp agency are so similar to what you’d need to enter the industry, and they’ll actually pay you for the work you do which is a big plus.

Last Updated: 17th of November 2022

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Work Experience Diaries:
Inside Story | Vintage | Seren | University Wales Press 
First Month Publishing Update | Three Month Publishing Update
Six Month Publishing Update | One Year Publishing Update 
When to Quit: Publishing Update | Two Years in Publishing 
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Publishing Skills | Dealing with Rejection
Remote Interviews | SYP Podcast ft. Me | Making a Sideways Move
Imposter Syndrome | Q&A video with Me
Work in Publishing Week: Fave Posts
Prioritizing in Publishing: Part one | One Year Working from Home

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Publishing Post: One year in my new role

Hi, hello, bore da, it’s been a while since I’ve written about my place in the whole publishing industry; but I thought since it’s been a whole year since I started working for a publishing house in Bristol I better let you know how I’ve been doing.

When I started looking for my new role I knew that I wanted to do something a bit different, I wanted to move away from a traditional publishing role and try something fresh, so when my current role popped up I had to take a chance on it! It took a long time for me to feel settled and like I had a handle on my responsibilities, but finally I feel like I have a grasp on the ever-changing world of academic publishing in Europe.

Review: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Goodreads: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Publisher: Chatto & Windus
Buy: Bookshop.org UK | US
Synopsis: On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Review: Picking up a book in an airport always feels dangerous. You’re rushed, the selection is mostly John Grisham thrillers, and the book needs to be worth carrying around in your already too heavy rucksack. Fortunately, this time, I get to say that the book was well worth the effort.

An update.

Well hello there, it’s been a while. I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus, if you couldn’t tell, and needed to step away and think about how I wanted to move forward with this whole blogging thing. Was I still enjoying it? Am I just wasting my time? These were just a few of the questions I was asking myself back in May, and I felt I was opening every update by telling you how unhappy I felt but making no changes to try and improve. So, I pressed pause instead of trying to muscle my way through the issue.

When I first started this blog it was to talk about the things I loved, and as I started to make my way into the publishing industry back in 2017, writing about my experience just felt right. During lockdown, way back in 2020, I was so excited about an industry that I finally felt comfortable in, I loved collating posts about upskilling and talking more in-depth about my role! I had so many fresh ideas I wanted to write about, and I wanted to help others open the door to working with books and the different ways you can do that.

Then I went too deep, and I started to become disillusioned with the industry. The cult-like energy of the ‘publishing hopeful’ that arrived while we were all trapped in lockdown, jarred me and made me question my contribution. I’ve watched publishers take advantage of junior staff, walk back their work from home promises, continue to resist calls for salary transparency, and publish books from some truly grim authors for profit. I felt like I was encouraging young people to enter an industry that would leave them burnt-out and underpaid, plus I wasn’t entirely sure I even wanted to work in publishing anymore.

Obviously, none of these issues have been fixed, at one point it felt like there was some momentum, but that seems to have vanished in a puff of smoke. I think people are tired, just like me, it’s hard to advocate for change while you’re just hanging on by a thread. I will say that there does seem to be movement in the industry again, employees of Bloomsbury and Penguin Random House have just started their own unions, so if you work at either company in the UK you should definitely join.

Personally, I’m feeling a little less like butter scraped over too much bread. I’ve settled into my new role in Bristol, I’ve done a whole heap of reading for pleasure instead of reviewing, and regular exercise has really helped with the entire mental health thing. So, I’m coming back to blogging; posts will be slow, and I probably won’t be talking about publishing as much as I used to, but I’m excited to be writing again!

Bimonthly Book Haul

It’s time to take a look at all the books I’ve managed to get my grubby little hands on these past few months. It’s been a while, but I’ve been pretty good about not going overboard with my book purchases. I’ve actually now run out of room on my so I’m trying to be selective, and I’ve been reading pretty slowly lately so I don’t want to get to overwhelmed!

Bought

Alright, there are so many illumicrate editions in this particular haul. I went a little mad, picking up their gorgeous editions of The Love Hypothesis and The Atlas Six alongside my usual montly subscription. The standouts for me from this particulat haul were The Secret History for its incredible contense, and The Doloriad for its unhinged cover that looks even better in person.

*Left to right
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood | Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske | This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Madi | The Doloriad by Missouri Williams The Atlas Six by Missouri Williams | A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross | The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

eBooks

I actually didn’t buy that many eBooks this month! I ended up caving and buying House of Sky and Breath on release day, the hype on book twitter got to me and I couldn’t resist. The others I picked up while they were kindle deals…I’m a sucker for a good discount.

*Left to right
The Traitor’s Crown by Victoria Lee | The Stars and Everything In Between by Victoria Lee
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood | Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Lani Taylor
In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens | House of Breath and Sky by Sarah J. Maas

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No advanced reader copies this month! I’m on a self-imposed request ban until I write up some of the reviews I have notes for, so we’ll be staying away from netgalley for a little while.

March Wrap-up ’22

Back at it again with the wrap-up! March has felt exceptionally long, I managed to finally have my second brush with covid-19, got my offers rejected on two different properties, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got a serious case of burnout…

Life has been wild, hence the complete lack of posts in March. I’d love to say I had a valid excuse, but the only one I’ve got is that I’m a human in a perpetual state of exhaustion. Honestly, right now I’m cosplaying as a functional human and just praying no one notices!

What I read in March

In March I had my world broken and rebuilt by Donna Tartt and The Secret History. I won’t be writing a review because I think every thought I’ve had about this book has already been written, but if you’re wondering how much I loved this I went straight to Ao3 after finishing. The plot wasn’t quite what I expected from the blurb, but I couldn’t put The Secret History down. I also finished off two novellas based on the Feverwake duology and both were just fine.

February Wrap-up ’22

Well hello there we’re somehow in March, and I’m a little scared at how fast time is moving! My focus this month has been on improving my massive mental health dip in January, and it’s still a work in progress, but I’m feeling a lot more like myself and less like a bag of mulch pretending to be human. I’ve been leaving the house more often, even if it’s just to go and lift things at the gym, and it’s really helped me feel just a little better.

Blog-wise, I managed to actually post in February which was lovely. I posted less than I’d hoped, but I’m still pretty happy that I managed to post at all.

January Wrap-up | Best of 2021 | Review: The Love Hypothesis

What I read in February

Only three books in January! House of Sky and Breath was an unsurprising banger, and no spoilers, but I’m very excited to see where the next book goes. Iron Widow and A Lesson in Vengeance on the other hand just didn’t work for me; I’m still disappointed that a dark academia with lesbians, and mech fighting with a poly relationship didn’t work for me.

Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Goodreads: The Love Hypothesis
Publisher: Little Brown
Buy: Bookshop.org UK | US
Synopsis: As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive on her way to a happily ever after was always going to be tough, scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting woman, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when he agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire and Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support (and his unyielding abs), their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion.

Olive soon discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

Review: Finally, TikTok has given me a book I can really get behind! The Love Hypothesis is a wonderful take on fake dating and definitely reads like the best kind of fanfiction. The book’s just so cute, and with just enough drama to keep you hooked on the plot.

Best of 2021

I always do one of these lovely best of 2021 posts, and admittedly this one is more than a little late, but I’ve been struggling to pick the five books that took my breath away this year. It’s weird because, according to Goodreads which doesn’t include most of my school years, this is the most books I’ve ever read; and at the end of 2020 I felt like I knew exactly which five books were going to make my best of 2020 but that’s not the case this year. Anyway, onto the all-important list letting you know which books I loved the most in 2021!

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This book here was the only one I knew was making this list, and it was the first book I read in 2021! Mexican Gothic will probably be the only slow-burn thriller I’ll ever allow into my heart. This book is so atmospheric and tension-filled that it didn’t feel like a slow burn at all, and I think I’ve recommended it to everyone I know. This book will make your skin crawl and your heartbeat a little faster, it’s a truly gorgeous gothic horror.
Goodreads | My Review

The Fever King by Victoria Lee

I read The Fever King webtoon before I picked this duology up, so we’ll count this as a webtoon book crossover edition. I couldn’t put this series down and I fell completely in love with the complexity of the characters, alongside the exploration of trauma and identity within this book. Reading The Fever King and The Electric Heir reminded me of devouring a book at 2am knowing full well I’d have to get up for school in the morning, it’s angsty and I couldn’t put it down for a second.
Goodreads

Vox Machina Origins

This bad boy made the list because how could I not love a prequel about a podcast that took me two-ish years to finish. I recommend listening to season one of Critical Role, or at least watch the Amazon series, to get some context before reading this graphic novel!
Goodreads

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

Vampires are back baby! This book is unbelievably chunky, filled with gratuitous violence, and so fantastic. Empire of the Vampire gripped me tight with two different timelines and its vivid world-building, plus the beautiful art from Bon Orthwick made it even better. This book is melodramatic but personally, I feel like this should go hand in hand with vampires and I cannot wait for the sequel to come my way.
Goodreads

Klara and The Sun by Kazou Ishiguro

I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into too many details, but this book has such a melancholy sweetness to it. There’s so much nuance within these pages while Ishiguro explores the highs and lows of love through the eyes of an android, it pushed me to think about big philosophical questions through its gentle simplicity. Basically, Klara and The Sun made me cry my heart out.
Goodreads

Well, there you have it! A few honourable mentions go out to Vicious, The Devil Makes Three, and Threadneedle. I read a whole heap of books, many of them were kind of iffy, but here’s to reading way more in 2022.

January Wrap-up

I had so many grand plans for January. I was planning a whole heap of posts, then instead I decided to not leave my house or talk to anyone for a month; I was barely managing to wake up for work so blogging was not even on my radar. Instead I’ll be publishing those posts this month, we’ll call it a January in February situation, and then I’ll be back on track with this whole book blogging thing.

Anyway, let’s get back into books and talk about what I’m going to be reading this month!

What I read in January

I finally finished The Green Bone Saga and what an epic tale it was. I haven’t read a book with such vivid world building in a while, and it really blew me away even if I did get a little confused by the amount of characters running around. Everything else I read as a bit of palate cleanser with some hits and some misses. The Love Hypothesis really lived up to the TikTok hype for me, but sadly I think I’m outside of the age demographic for XOXO.

Left to right*
Jade City, Jade War, and Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee | XOXO by Axie Oh
Hawkey by Fraction, Aja, and Hollingsworth | The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

2021 Wrap-up

This year, as a 2022 treat, I decided to take the first week of January off and delay my usual deluge of wrap-up posts, but we’re back and so you’ll get to look forward to all those lovely best of and most anticipated posts.

It’s been a rather rough year but for once I’m (attempting) to not dwell on the negatives and instead look forwards and toward the future. I’m finally starting to settle into my new role that started in December (a month before Christmas is a bad time to start a new role, btw), but it feels like I at least have an idea of what I need to be doing now. My team are lovely, and the company being based in Bristol has meant that I’ve actually seen my colleagues in person. It’s been more than strange not working with my old team at OUP, and I do miss them terribly, but this new role is definitely making me feel excited about working again.

On the topic of Bristol, I’ll hopefully be buying a place there in the next couple of months, living with my parents for the entire pandemic really did pay off. Back in 2019 buying any sort of property seemed completely impossible on a publishing salary, but saving money is a lot easier without the pressure of paying £700-£800 a month in bills. So here’s to finally, permanently, moving out of my parent’s house!

When it comes to 2022 plans for the blog…there are none. Settling into this new job will likely mean less publishing-related content, as that’s what takes me the longest to write, and instead, I’ll be trying to post more frequent book reviews! I’ve loved writing in-depth about my career the past few years but it can be a little exhausting, I’m not feeling overwhelmingly positive about the publishing industry right now, and I’m trying to not let my anger seep out into my content but it’s chipping away at my soul. Expect more books and more costume breakdowns for 2022 instead, with a sprinkling of publishing talk mixed in. As always, if you have any questions about the industry that you think I can answer, the best way to get hold of me is via Twitter or via my email!

Instead of my usual here’s what I posted in December, I’ve picked a few of my favourite posts from 2021.

Review: A Touch of Darkness* | Review: Mexican Gothic
Prioritising in a Publishing: Trade, Impact, and Monograph
Webtoon has taken over my life | Career Changes: Publishing Post
One Year Working from Home: Publishing Edition
Review: Blackheart Knights | Review: The Other Black Girl

*Hilariously Google loves this post and it’s beaten The Publishing Masterpost in views this year. I’m quite grumpy about it tbh.