Publishing: Overview

Publishing includes a range of industries concerned with the production and distribution of information including newspapers, magazines, books, journals and directories.

It is a rapidly changing sector. Developments in online publishing and digital technologies are changing the landscape of the industry. While there has been a slight decline in employment generally within the last three years, some areas have seen a much greater decline. Employment in newspaper publishing, for example, has fallen by about one quarter.

However, new technology has led to potential opportunities for people with skills and interest in areas such as digital publishing and multimedia production. For graduates, training, industry knowledge and work experience are key to finding employment in the publishing industry.

What kind of work can I do?

Within publishing houses separate departments are usually responsible for different stages in the publication process. Work can include:

• administration - customer services, IT support, financial, personnel and accountancy roles;
• contracts and rights (legal) - negotiating and drawing up contracts; selling rights to publications to film or TV companies, merchandising companies, or other publishers; and legal work including advising on intellectual property rights and dealing with disputes;
• production and design - designers are responsible for planning the overall look and feel of a publication; production involves management of the practical aspects of typesetting, printing and binding;
• distribution and sales - warehousing, logistics, sales and account management;
• editorial - commissioning work or buying manuscripts and then liaising with authors, design and production to see the work through to publication;
• marketing and publicity - planning advertising campaigns and events, and developing advertising and marketing material.

In addition, newspaper and magazine publishing will tend to have roles in:

• advertising - a crucial source of revenue;
• circulation and subscriptions;
• journalism - many magazines and newspapers will employ writers and journalists directly, although some will be freelance.

What's it like working in this industry?

• Working conditions are normally good with larger companies offering a range of benefits.
• Working culture is generally sociable and relaxed though the environment can become pressurised around publishing deadlines.
• The sector is well represented in terms of women and disabled employees. However, there is lower than average representation from ethnic minorities.
• Hours can be long, although there are opportunities for flexible working in most parts of the sector, with freelance staff used by almost half of all publishing companies.
• Entry to the industry is competitive and a high level of commitment is expected for what can be a relatively low salary.
• Salaries vary between different sectors of the industry. Trade publishing and educational publishing tend to attract lower salaries, with scientific, technical and medical publishing attracting higher salaries. In these roles you will often be expected to combine editorial skills with subject knowledge.
• The industry is undergoing rapid changes and can provide a dynamic, exciting and challenging work environment for those determined to succeed.

How big is this industry?

• There are approximately 194,650 people working in the UK publishing industry.
• It is estimated that there are over 11,000 publishing businesses in the UK.
• The industry generates over £10billion GVA (Gross Value Added).
• The UK publishing industry is a world leader in the export sales of books, journal subscriptions and intellectual property rights.
• Most publishing companies are small and have fewer than ten employees. However, there are a low number of very large companies who employ a high proportion of the publishing workforce.
• Employment in the sector is concentrated in the subsectors of book, newspaper, journal and periodical and other publishing. Smaller numbers of people are employed in directories, news agencies and other information services.

Where can I work?

Over a third of publishing jobs are based in London and half are based in London or the South East of England. Outside London there are clusters of publishing jobs in Cambridge, Oxford, Bristol, Bath, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and smaller concentrations of jobs in the South West and East of England.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland account for 10% of jobs overall. There are many small publishers in these areas.

Freelance work is relatively common with almost half of publishers employing freelancers. It is more common in book publishing than in other parts of the industry.

For jobs available worldwide, see opportunities abroad.

Statistics from Skillset: The Sector Skills Council for Creative Media, 2011.