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for a Career in Publishing

A career in publishing is both challenging and rewarding. It combines a love of books with a keen sense of business and offers a variety of work environments in large or small presses, with literary, academic, children’s, educational or commercial interests.

Some things to know about working in publishing:

  • You will never get rich
  • It isn’t glamorous
  • You will work with committed, dedicated and interesting people
  • You will rarely be bored

A good way to learn about publishing is to attend a publishing course. These courses vary in length, admission requirements and program details but they all offer an opportunity to find out what area of publishing – editorial, publicity and marketing, production, design or sales – suit your abilities and temperament. Meeting people in the industry, developing appropriate skills for today’s publishing environment and positioning yourself for entry into a publishing company are some of the benefits these courses offer.

Attending related events in publishing often leads to contacts in the industry. Consider attending or volunteering at one of these literary festivals or reading series.

Get to know the industry by reading Quill & Quire or BC BookWorld.

Consider working in the related fields of bookselling, libraries, book sales representatives, or industry organizations to gain first-hand experience.