Case studies: Commissioning editor: Luke Block

Luke has a degree in English with creative writing from the University of Greenwich and works as a commissioning editor for Learning Matters.

I decided pretty early on that I wanted to get into publishing. It sounds obvious and a bit of a cliché, but I love books and writing so it felt a natural progression. I applied for work experience at various publishing houses in my summer holidays and was lucky enough to get a few weeks at Picador, Nature Magazine and then Bloomsbury - all in editorial departments. It was while deep in the slush pile at A&C Black in the summer of my final year that I realised I wanted to be an editor and that book publishing was for me. You get the really mundane jobs as a ‘workie’, so if you can cope with endless photocopying, proofreading, tea making and picture research and still want to be an editor at the end of it, you know you've made the right choice.

My first job was as an editorial assistant before progressing up through various roles until I became a junior commissioning editor and then commissioning editor at Learning Matters . It varies by company, but be prepared to put in a good few years as a desk or development editor before taking the step into a commissioning role. As your career progresses, the editing role becomes less hands-on as the commissioning job demands you become acquainted with different bits of the publishing machine: from finance, marketing strategy and jacket design to production, publicity, author counselling...the list goes on. It's a very different and diverse role from the one you started out in.

My job is a diverse and nuanced one - I travel a lot, going into university campuses to meet with lecturers who I hope to turn into bestselling authors. There are strategy meetings and chances to meet with colleagues to talk about the financial and marketing aspects of our lists. I may be briefing cover designers one day, working through author queries and seeking permissions the next and then meeting with the marketing team to work out how to achieve better sales. Underpinning it all, though, are the books, and I still get a kick from seeing my projects realised in print.

Publishing is a very competitive profession and you will need more than a degree to take that first step on the ladder. If I had to give one piece of advice, it's get relevant work experience. Go through the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook  and write to big publishers, small publishers, literary agents and anyone who will give you a flavour of the work publishers do. If you get lucky and find some work experience, always leave with a couple of contacts you can email before or after you graduate. I badgered an editor at A&C Black after I left my internship and when an eight-month paid contract came up she called to see if I'd be interested. That was my foot on the ladder and I haven't looked back since. Good luck and don't give up!