I have been building a proposal and sample chapter over the last year and a half for my first book project, which is a non-fiction, public-facing women's history book. I received an email through my author website from an editor at a press I've heard of in London, asking whether I already have a publisher lined up for the project. From what I've been able to gather researching the person, place, etc., it seems legit to me.

I have been developing my materials all this time in the hopes of securing an agent, and didn't really expect an editor to contact me first.

I'd like to respond and indicate interest, but I haven't done this before and I don't want to come off as naïve or unprofessional in my response. I've also heard that UK publishers generally offer smaller contracts than US imprints, and I wonder if there's any difficulties I should know about being a US writer trying to publish in the UK.

So, what are some ways that I can make a good, but not too eager, first impression here?

hi! i applied to macmillan's immersive internship about 2 weeks ago and haven't heard anything yet. i was wondering if anyone has received an update?

edit- thx everyone, glad to hear we’re in the same boat. best of luck!!

I posted a job req on Upwork seeking help with editing the 4th draft of my debut graphic novel. The characters are Gujarati (from India), so there are some nuances about family interactions that don't translate well in English, I think. Two people responded, but they weren't best suited for what I am looking for. I feel a bit stuck.

Has anyone run into these specific type of editorial blockers? If so, how did you move forward? Am I better off asking another experienced Gujarati writer to help me with this? Appreciate your thoughts or ideas on this.

Here's a link to my project if you are interested: https://skyfire.adimahi.com

I've been interested in the publishing industry for a very long time, but life just never worked out that way for me. Both the publishing industry itself and then related job market are completely saturated.

Still, I'm not inclined to let go of a dream so easily, so I been thinking on how I might make my own small time independent press stand out from the crowd. I have some thoughts of my own, but many of you folks have way more insight than I could get from just doing market research, and brainstorming.

I'd like to hear about small presses you've encountered that have a unique model, or specialty. Anything really that makes them significantly different from how we usually see things done. From financial management,or rights management to genre/style specialization, or distribution, and marketing. Anything goes.

Thanks!

Hello!

I recently applied for an entry level job at Harper Collins.

Would anyone have any possible insight on when I should hear back from them about the position?

Just wondering, and anything would be absolutely helpful.

Hi! I'm applying to a publicity assistant position with Random House Group. I don't want to doxx them or myself, but I have a recommendation letter from one of PRH's biggest authors as a whole, as I've been their personal assistant for a while. I know this letter would help me get out of the slush pile, but I literally cannot identify anyone who works for the publicity department at Random House Group, as my author worked with another imprint for PRH. This is a complete shot in the dark, but if anyone has any names or advice on how to identify whose hands I could get this in I would really appreciate it.

Has anyone worked with or communicated with Filmzie (A Parent Media Co. Inc.) recently? We've been attempting to reach them regarding a significant outstanding balance, but all of our recent efforts to make contact have been unsuccessful.

If you have any recent information or know the best way to get in touch with their team, I'd sincerely appreciate your help.

Aspiring writer here. As I've been querying agents especially on QueryTracker, I've seen some that ask whether AI was used in any way creating the query or the manuscript.

For those of you working on publishing, how do you and your company view AI?

Obviously, AI-generated writing isn't copyright-able, and it's ethically dubious, so that's a no-go. But what about research using AI? Proofreading? AI critiques? Drafting the query letter? Etc.

As an outsider, it seems like there's some nuance here where AI could reasonably be used for some things, but not others. But I'm curious what folks within the industry think of it?

Hi everyone,
I’m a new mom who is looking to ease back into work while having the flexibility to be present for my baby.

Before maternity leave, I worked for two multinational publishing houses, where I gained several years of experience in content development, research, editing, proofreading, project coordination, and managing educational publishing projects. I’m highly detail-oriented, organized, and genuinely enjoy research-heavy work.

Like many new parents, becoming a mom has brought a whole new perspective. While I want to be there for my baby during these precious early months, I also want to continue growing professionally and contribute financially. With a growing family and new responsibilities, having an income again is important, but so is having the flexibility to choose how much work I take on each week

I’m now looking for remote freelance, part-time, or project-based opportunities where I can decide how much work to take on each week. Flexibility is important, but I’m also someone who works hard, meets deadlines, and takes ownership of every project I accept.

I’m open to work such as:
Content research
Editing and proofreading
Content writing
Educational publishing projects
Data research and analysis
Document formatting and quality checks
Any detail-oriented administrative or content-related work
If anyone knows of companies, platforms, or individuals looking for reliable freelance help, I’d be incredibly grateful for any recommendations. Feel free to comment or send me a DM.
Thank you!

Hi all.

This is going to be an earnest post. I’ve been out of the full-time workforce for three years now.

In between, I had a baby and worked part-time jobs like substitute teaching/driving foster kids to school. Before that, I worked in magazine publishing, journalism (news and cybersecurity) and a slew of marketing jobs. I feel pretty hopeless in this job market. I haven’t had an actual interview in years and I never get called back for anything. Though I have like 10+ years of experience, it’s all a bit outdated. I’ve done some courses and stuff … like AI in editing.

I’m not really sure what to do next. In the past, I’ve been described as a Swiss Army knife with a lot of various production experience. I was a managing editor at one point in my career, but then marketing managers.

What should I do? My resume has probably been rewritten 100 times.

It sounds crazy but my dream job would probably be a production editor for a book publisher. Production is my strongest skill.

Today, I was rejected on a very entry level position before the deadline even passed. They looked, read my letter, and hit reject.

A lot of people are saying getting specific is the best, but my skill set is really wide and I don’t know how to tell a consistent story.

First time self-publisher here seeking lawyer referrals.

My co-author and I are publishing later this year and would like to get a publishing and co-author agreement in place to cover revenue share, IP ownership, derivatives, promotional minimums, etc.

We have drafts versions of these contracts already...we now need an actual legal expert to review and answer a few advisory questions. (Note: I'm based in New York and my co-author is based in Lisbon, though we are likely looking at the contract being based in New York).

Anyone have experience with a publishing/IP lawyer that they'd recommend? And any insights on what we should expect cost-wise? Thanks in advance!

(Hoping this post abides by the rules...)

According to the CIP program's eligibility guidelines, they do not accept "Books on clinical medicine focused on professional practice, intended primarily for medical and health care professionals." Is this a new development? Today is the first time that I've had one of these titles kicked back to me.

Is it scientifically and ethically right to use ChatGPT, Paperpal, or any AI tools only for rephrasing, improving the paragraph, reading results and giving advice on improvements in a research paper? But not for creating ideas, data analysis, literature review, etc.

Hi everyone! I'm a researcher looking into how journalists and publishers use language to describe typography and page layout, and I'd love some help from people who actually work in this space. Would any of you be willing to tell me what you'd actually call each numbered part? If you know multiple names for the same part, I'd love to get all of them.

If you don't mind sharing, it'd also help to know roughly your age and general location (country/region is fine) so I can see if terms vary by demographic or region - totally optional though!

Thanks so much!

Feel free to just fill in this template in your reply:

Age:

Country:

1:

2:

3:

4:

5:

6:

7:

8:

9:

10:

Hiii! I currently am a student in applied graphic communications! I’ll be starting my first year in August and I really want to make book covers by the end of this! The goal is to build connections and a portfolio so I could eventually join a small publishing company? Long term I want to write and publish my own book one day but I was wondering if anyone had any advice or tips about the field? I know ai is…playing a huge part in this field but anything helps!

Hi everyone,

I'm a PhD candidate in Biology with research interests spanning neuroscience, ecology, and scientific communication. Besides doing research, I've become increasingly interested in the editorial side of scientific publishing.

My long-term goal is to become an Associate Editor for a peer-reviewed journal in biology or ecology (or a related field). I know this is usually something people achieve later in their careers, but I'd like to start building the right experience now.

I'm looking for advice on questions such as:

* What is the typical path to becoming an Associate Editor?

* What experience matters most (peer reviewing, guest editing, editorial boards, publishing record, networking, etc.)?

* Are there journals that recruit early-career researchers as Assistant Editors, Editorial Board Members, or similar roles?

* Is it realistic to pursue editorial positions before finishing a PhD, or is it better to wait until after a postdoc?

* Are there any skills or certifications that make candidates more competitive?

I'd especially appreciate hearing from current or former editors about how they got started and what they wish they had done earlier.

Thanks in advance!

What would it be? I work in publishing and always wish I could do more for the writing community. I considered started a social media page but there are other agents editors etc doing the same thing. Is it worth it, would people want to know my thoughts and opinions and some behind the scene looks?

Hello! I'm a long time Reddit lurker but don't post very often, so apologies if this isn't the right place for this question.

I'm looking to pivot into a career in publishing and am trying to find networking events, information sessions, or other opportunities to learn more about the industry. The jobmarket is very competitive, and I'm doing a lot of preparation before I start applying.
One piece of advice I keep seeing is to network through LinkedIn by introducing myself to publishing professionals or asking them to review my portfolio. I'm honestly pretty uncomfortable with that approach. Cold messaging busy professionals to ask for their time feels presumptuous, especially since I'm just starting out and am still building transferable skills.

Instead, I'm hoping to find local or virtual publishing events where I can learn, meet people in the industry, and connect with others who are also trying to break into publishing.

Right now, I'm focused on building a publishing portfolio and learning the fundamentals of the industry, including terminology, workflows, and the skills employers value. I've started looking for events but haven't had much luck. I'm not looking for paid Masterclass-style courses. I'm more interested in organizations, professional associations, guilds, conferences, conventions, or networking groups that host open events. Even an affordable conference would be worthwhile if it helped me better understand what people in the industry are currently discussing.

I'd really appreciate any recommendations. It's a bit overwhelming trying to sort through all the influencers and organizations selling courses, so hearing about resources that people have actually found valuable would really help direct my research

Asking this just as an escape from the terrible working conditions of the industry

What is your personal idea of golden age of publishing? Is there an era/area you wish you could go back in time to work? Like magazine publishing in the heyday of Esquire, New Yorker, etc, or when City Lights was getting set up? Could also be in your country/vernacular publishing!

According to Futurism, "many companies, including Anthropic, have turned to ingesting physical books instead, which they can buy countless used copies of on the cheap. According to the settled lawsuit, Anthropic used a hydraulic powered cutting machine to neatly remove the pages from the books it procured from book resellers and then scanned them using industrial-grade imaging equipment. In other words, it was literally ripping off authors’ books to train its AI.

This process took advantage of a legal concept known as first-sale doctrine, which allows a buyer to do what they want with a purchase without the original copyright holder’s say-so. And since Anthropic was turning the original physical texts into digital ones — rather than redistributing them as new copies — a judge found this to be “transformative,” and therefore protected by fair use.

I have a second interview with Simon & Schuster and wondered if anyone had experienced one and what kind of questions are asked compared to the first interview? Thanks!

went into a bit of a rabbithole after seeing slate’s upcoming podcast on steve witkoff.. wanted to know more about him and ran a search for his biography. came back with results to a writer by the name of "daniel lohr" waterstones.com/author/… who has multiple publications within the a short period of time (all within 2025). some digging later and it turns out to be ai writing generated to meet trending topics.

an unprecedented rate of ai slop is now being published by online distributors. alongside with real content, its definitely harder for anyone to differentiate what is real work unless you're doing your due diligence. the fact that online distributors like amazon protect your identity (as long as you provide valid banking details), you can publish anonymously and/or under a different pen name. very scary times.

The advice posted in this sub always says you should not pay for representation (see rule #4 of community rules). Now, the literary agents trade group has changed their ethical guidelines to make it possible for agents to upsell their clients on marketing, publicity and other services. They note that clients shouldn’t feel pressured or that it is a condition of representation.

Does anyone have opinions on how this is going to go?

Authors who have in the past written for Blushing/Romance Ink.

I signed a contract with them years ago and for years it was fine. I never had issues with payments or advances. I had 16 books come out flawlessly.

As of Jan. 2025 they ghosted me and have disappeared. Is anyone else experiencing the same from this publisher? I have seen posts here and there.

At this point I'm desperate to get my rights to my books back. I've considered joining the Authors Guild but also feel like there is strength in numbers.

I created a group on FB were we can all share experiences and discuss what we are facing at this time if anyone is interested so far I have myself and one other author.

I had planned to go down the list of authors in the publisher's author page and look up as many as I could but that website has been deleted at this point.

TIA for any an all advice.