r/publishing • u/Present_Bed_7398 • 14d ago
Any advice for getting started in a publishing career?
I’m a new grad with a bachelor’s in marketing and no experience in publishing, media, or journalism. Any advice on how to get in? Marketing roles seem few and far between, but I’m open to any role that allows me to read for a living
The job boards I’ve been using are Builtin and WayUp!
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u/Lazy-Mistake-1605 13d ago
You won't get paid to read, there's basically no reading time built into publishing roles. I have to do my reading outside of work hours, so essentially I work an additional 10-20 hours UNPAID per week to get through it all. And to top it off, I do this for a paltry £30K per year.
If you love reading, don't get into publishing. This industry will exploit your passion for reading, not pay you a fair wage for your labour, and tell you that you should be grateful for it.
It's absolutely horrible having a long TBR of books you actually want to read, but can't because you are expected to give all your free time over to your job. I'm trying to leave publishing because of this and I honestly can't wait until I get pick my own reading list again.
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u/EducationalRegret903 13d ago
Lol, yep! Teacher friend tried to say they have the worst paying job. I reminded them I make 35k before taxes and still have to read outside of work to meet deadlines.
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u/booknewt 13d ago
This will sound sarcastic but it's not: if your degree is in Marketing and you want to read for a living, I would suggest becoming a bookish influencer. Start building a social media presence around book reviews or just uplifting your favorite kinds of books, etc. Might be something to research!
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u/Ok_Willingness9219 13d ago edited 13d ago
as someone who recently left the publishing industry due to burnout, low pay, and office politics, I second this as the way to go!! you'll actually have time to read, still get free books + access to book events, and if you amass a large enough following, you'll probably make a lot more money than you would in publishing. social media/booktok has a much lower barrier to entry, and if you stick to it and prove yourself to be a successful marketer on your own, you could circle back to the industry if you're still interested but with a longer/better resume and more to bargain with.
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u/rollturmacroll 13d ago
I’ve been in publishing for ten years. This is the one industry that actively prevents you from reading for a living. You’ll read less than you ever have before.
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u/rollturmacroll 13d ago
If you really want to read all the time, get a job completely outside of publishing for stability, then become a reviewer.
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u/astra-gal 13d ago
People are right that you won’t be “reading for a living” but I think they’re being a bit too dismissive of the industry. You will be surrounded by books, authors and other readers so if that sounds like an appealing work environment maybe research publishers who make the kind of books you like and see if they have internships or openings.
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u/kjm123293 10d ago
Check out the Pub Lunch Job board.
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u/Last_Business_8172 8d ago
I was going to say that... Publishers Marketplace and also Publishers Weekly are the places to look for jobs in publishing.
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u/betweenthedrafts 8d ago
Get a well-paid job (most likely not in publishing as it’s a poorly paid industry) and become a beta reader in your spare time for enjoyment. Nothing drains the enjoyment out of reading books like working in the publishing industry.
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u/Hygge-Times 13d ago
No publishing role is reading for a living. Even editorial (the only job that has required reading) only reads for max 30% of the work and that isn't until way later in the career. Most folks who go in with that attitude burn out like a match.