Many thanks to Sarah over at Archimedes Forgets for sharing this link with me—if you’ve ever wondered just how publishing works, try Moonrat’s Guide to Getting into Publishing. Unfortunately, it all begins with an unpaid internship or low-paying retail job, and as someone mentioned in the Shelf Talker comments, THAT has got to change because too many qualified applicants simply can’t afford to work for free and/or next to nothing…still, this is a great introduction to the field—check it out!
There are many, many aspects of publishing, so although people tend to think of either writing or editing, there are lots of more exciting and glamorous and well-paid jobs in other areas. Marketing and Sales notoriously pay the best, although publicists are often just as well paid. Publicists and Sales Managers get to travel the most. Foreign Rights and Subrights agents get to attend the most international conventions. Jobs in Publicity, Sales, and Marketing, in particular, translate really well to and from other industries.
Are you a reader or writer of Caribbean literature for children? If so, you definitely want to check out a new online journal called Anansesem. The editor is Summer K. Edward: “Her vision was to create a space to highlight the unique flavor of children’s writing and illustration by Caribbean people and to thereby recognize and stimulate the children’s publishing industry in the Caribbean.” Summer also keeps a separate blog that reminds us that the US is not the only source of great books for kids…
Lastly, if you’ve ever thought about writing for an online magazine, my fellow Canadian Donna Kakonge is looking for submissions…
This was very useful, thank you moonrat for posting it and Sarah for bringing it to our attention!
I think possible careers for me would be agent, marketing or publisher. I’m bookmarking the page🙂