Speed-dating at Working in Publishing Day 2010

Two students write of their experiences at our Working in Publishing Day 2010. These are the companies which attended the event: Archant, Berg, Boardworks, Bookcareers, Bradt Travel Guides, Cambridge University Press, Casemate, David Fickling, Dazed & Confused, Dennis Publishing, Elsevier, Faber & Faber, Felicity Bryan, Hachette, HarperCollins, How To Books, IPC Media, Lightning Source, Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, National Gallery Publishing, National Magazine Company, New Internationalist, Osprey, Oxford University Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Penguin Press, Pluto Press, Princeton University Press, Random House, SYP, Taylor & Francis, Usborne Publishing, Wiley-Blackwell, Zed Books.

Polly Silk, MA Publishing student:

On Tuesday 9th March, students at the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies were treated to a highly exclusive event. Working in Publishing Day offered the unique opportunity to network with publishing companies in a ‘speed-dating’ scenario – for 15 minutes at a time, students were able to put individual publishers on the spot, finding out how they were developing their companies and getting invaluable first-hand advice on entering the industry. In total 36 publishers were in attendance – more than in any previous year – and there was a fantastic range, from large trade publishers to niche independents to publishers within NGOs, so we were able to gain a broad perspective on the industry.   It was particularly exciting (and reassuring!) to discover that so many representatives of these companies were Brookes Publishing alumni. It was fascinating to discuss our own journey into the industry with people who have previously been in the exact same position. Their enthusiasm about the course and its reputation within the industry demonstrated the great value of a qualification from the department. There were also opportunities to hear from a panel of former students and to meet recruitment consultants, as well as the chance to ‘hob-nob’ more informally with all the industry professionals over a glass of wine at the end of the day. Working in Publishing Day is the kind of event only Brookes can offer – the department’s connections within the industry are second to none and offer its students unrivalled networking opportunities. Many of us hope to be back in a few years’ time as publishers in the speed-dating hot-seat!

David Bailey, BA Publishing student:

The Working in Publishing Day 2010 was a fantastic opportunity to meet industry representatives and to gain an understanding of different sectors of the industry. I was lucky enough to meet representatives from many different areas of publishing, such as academic publishers OUP and Princeton University Press, along with the children’s publisher Usborne and the large trade publisher, Random House.

The day started with a Q & A session with ten Oxford Brookes alumni working in publishing, and this proved to be very useful as I was able to gain an understanding of how they forged a career in publishing, having done a publishing degree at Oxford Brookes.

The whole day was a real eye-opener not only in terms of the best way to start a career in publishing, but the potential careers available to us, as graduates of Oxford Brookes. Thanks must go to the industry representatives who were kind enough to pass on their experiences and advice.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 22 Mar 2010 around 9pm

Filed Under #Publishing