Commissioning editor : Employers and vacancy sources

The publishing industry is made up of different sectors including books, journals, newspapers, news agencies, magazines, business media, directories, databases, newsletters and reports. Publishers range in size from large companies to small independents.

The book publishing industry can be split into the following categories:

• consumer, general or trade (includes fiction, non-fiction and children’s) with some publishers specialising in different genres, e.g. crime, romance, science fiction or horror;
• academic;
• educational;
• STM (scientific, technical, medical), professional, journals;
• online, digital publishing and e-books.

Directory and database publishing is an active and growing sector. These providers publish commercial, scientific and professional information in print and electronic form. The information can then be used by firms to market their goods and services to businesses and the general public.

Sources of vacancies

• The Bookseller  
• BookCareers  
• Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies   
• Independent Publishers' Guild (IPG)  
• The Society of Young Publishers (SYP)  - need to be a member to view jobs.
• National press, particularly Guardian Jobs  
• DIPNET (Diversity in Publishing Network)  
• Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP)  
• Local press in areas where publishing companies are concentrated, e.g. Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Bristol.

Larger publishing companies tend to advertise vacancies on their websites, so it is worth checking these on a regular basis. There are a small number of specialist recruitment agencies, for example Inspired Selection  and JFL Search and Selection , though not all offer entry-level vacancies.

Use resources such as the Directory of Publishing: United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland and the Publishing Scotland Yearbook, available usually either within your university careers service or in your university library, to research types of publishers for work experience and employment opportunities.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.