BFLA OPEN WEEK: Bookselling, from a Publishing Perspective

Written by Tabitha Topping

I was a bookseller from May 2018 to March 2020. The bookshop I worked in was a small branch of a well-known book retailer – which, for obvious reasons I am not going to name - but suffice to say my experience of bookselling was, and will be, very different from those who work in independent bookshops. Obviously, the aims of all booksellers are the same (to sell books) but the way this is done differs hugely depending on the bookshop you work in.

I want to say now that the reality of bookselling does not match the cosy image often portrayed in films and books. There is no time within the workday to sit and read and very rarely do your encounters with customers lead to a Notting Hill or You’ve Got Mail experience. But bookselling is invaluable experience for those who want to work in publishing.

Looking back from my current publishing vantage point, I can see the many ways in which my years as a bookseller equipped me for the role I do now. The most obvious being the constant close contact with customers. As a bookseller you see first-hand how customers interact with books; which ones they are drawn to, the ones they buy, the ones they don’t. You talk to them: you hear their likes and dislikes, the books they love, the books they hate. Frequently your opinion is sought – they want a recommendation for their seven-year-old grandson, their sister, their friend.

The nature of the job means that as a bookseller you are constantly surrounded by books – giving you an excellent knowledge of the current market. This sort of first-hand knowledge is invaluable if you want to work in publishing, no matter the department you might be considering.

Something I think that is also helpful if you want to take the leap from bookselling to publishing is the regular interactions you have with authors when working in a bookshop. Most bookshops hold frequent events with authors (whether that is part of a larger literary event or a simple talk or signing held within the bookshop itself) and authors often dropped in to check we had their books on the shelves. Not only do these events and interactions help dispel any common preconceptions about authors (it turns out that they are regular people after all!), but being able to navigate the slightly trickier situations that may come up (e.g. not having any of the author’s titles in stock and having to explain it to them) will prove extremely useful when working with authors within a publishing context – again, this applies to whichever area of publishing you end up working in.

Something that I was keenly aware of as a bookseller (and perhaps even more so now as I work in publishing) is the value of booksellers. Booksellers can make or break a title. Customers trust them. Back when I was a bookseller, we had regular customers who would buy books simply on the recommendation of a favoured bookseller. Even when it was something they would never have picked up before they would unhesitatingly hand over their card or cash if a bookseller loved a book enough. ‘Alright then,’ they would say. ‘I trust you.’

As a bookseller, we had a few glimpses into the publishing industry through the copy of  The Bookseller (the trade newspaper for the publishing world) that we received every Friday morning and the advance copies of upcoming books we were sent from book publicists. We were sent the latter in the hope that we would read the book, love the book, then sell lots of it to our customers.

We would also get occasional visits from the publishers’ sales reps. I enjoyed these visits as it meant we got a sense of what was coming up and what books the publishers were really excited about. Publishing can be very insular and those visits were (and are) an ideal opportunity for publishers to learn from booksellers and their expertise regarding what was (and is) actually selling in their bookshops. Recognising the knowledge booksellers have is valuable and worth using would contribute a great deal to the books we publish and the way we publish them.

The bookshop I worked in was in a small town in the North of England, so my experience likely differed to booksellers in London and other major metropolitan areas. I value my time as a bookseller immensely and would heartily recommend all those looking for a role in publishing to get some bookselling experience – I don’t think I would have got my job without it!

BFLA Open Week: My Life as an MA Publishing Student

Written by Finlay Charlesworth

There are many different roads into publishing: whether through bookselling like Tabitha, going straight in from an English literature degree, or crossing over from an entirely different career path, there is no one set path into your dream publishing job. I was in my final year of undergraduate studies, doing English Literature and Creative Writing in Leeds, when I decided to continue down the academic route and apply to study MA Publishing at University College London, as my first decisive step into industry.

My interest in publishing as a field had been kindled by my course, but not, as initially anticipated, from producing my own work as a writer: I realised what I really loved was having conversations with my peers about plans for their work in the future, how to develop their texts, work out who their audience is, and make the leap from the word document to the world. There were two main factors that pointed me towards the MA – first of all, a lack of understanding about the industry: the specific roles available, how publishers function as businesses, and what the norms and expectations are within the industry. The second factor was COVID – by the time I graduated in the summer of 2021, I had lost about eighteen months of being a student, and I wasn’t yet ready to relinquish the freedom to learn and explore.

Through my Masters, I’ve had the opportunity to explore so many areas and ideas within the field of publishing. Starting with the huge, macro-level lessons about the different sectors within publishing, understanding who the major players are and getting to grips with the history of publishing; then drilling down into different specialist areas and being able to investigate my own interests in incredible depth; the course has opened my eyes to so many possibilities and niches in publishing that I never knew existed.

A Publishing MA gives you a chance to start by looking at the industry from the widest possible view, and through your studies roam between different sectors, roles, historical contexts, geographical markets, external influences on publishing and more, and to pursue your own interests as they emerge to you, no matter how broad or esoteric. We are prepared for working in the industry by being asked constantly, ‘how are you going to change publishing?’ – to use our academic playground to work out how we can apply what we’ve learnt, to shake up the industry and write the next chapter in publishing history.

Though it varies from university to university, it is important to stress that the course isn’t entirely based on long, complex works of theory and long, serious academic essays – I’ve been able to try and develop a great number of practical skills too, like proofreading and book reviewing; I’ve produced marketing materials for made-up books, I’ve designed book covers, I’ve produced profit-loss statements for fictional publishing companies, I’ve even coded an eBook despite having no coding experience whatsoever. I’m now building up to my dissertation, a chance to really get my teeth stuck into an extended piece of original research, interrogating the relationship between authors, illustrators and readers, which I am incredibly excited for.

The main benefit from studying publishing at university is definitely the people – both the people who run the course, a brilliant group of field-leading academics, and the guests from the industry we have the chance to meet, but also – and perhaps more importantly – your fellow students, who are heading out into the publishing world alongside you. I’ve had the privilege to meet some of the most esteemed figures in publishing on the course – from Bloomsbury founder/CEO Nigel Newton to the Managing Director of the Booksellers’ Association Meryl Halls, to authors, editors, book collectors, archivists, salespeople, marketing executives and many more. What has delighted me most of all though in recent months is hearing how my friends and colleagues from the course have found their way into the industry since graduating. I’ve always found making connections, the dreaded ‘networking’, one of the scariest parts of publishing – fearing that if you aren’t the most popular person in the room, you will be left behind. Doing the course has provided me with a ready-made network, extending across many different areas of the industry – some of my brilliantly talented friends now work in editorial, marketing, bookselling, agenting and scouting, in both trade and academic publishing, across London and beyond. It’s really exciting to know that we started our publishing journeys together, and we’re continuing onwards and upwards, through the industry, together.

One factor that held me back, however, was the cost – further study, especially in London, isn’t cheap, and I quickly realised there was no way I would be able to afford it unless I took the course as a part-time student and worked alongside. While it did worry me a lot to start with though, I have found that studying part-time has actually been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Studying fewer modules has afforded me more time to reflect on each one and consider the application of what I have learned to the books I read, the shops I see, what I hear in the news and so much more, which has definitely benefited my studies.

Pursuing work as well as my studies has also been massively rewarding – almost every guest speaker we have ever had on the course has sung the praises of bookselling as an ideal way to understand what is actually happening in publishing: from what books actually sell (yes, English Literature graduates, commercial fiction is important!), to how they’re sold, and even though I was only working at Waterstones for a couple of months in the run-up to Christmas, it was a foundational experience. After that, I worked returned to working in the NHS, supporting people with complex mental health conditions, and soon after I was able to secure my first job in the publishing industry at Blake Friedmann – and the rest is history!

BFLA Open Week: What happens once you’ve signed with an agent?

Written by Sian Ellis-Martin

When you’re writing your first book, it can be difficult to see past the goal of finding representation with an agent. But what comes next?! Below is a non-exhaustive list of what you can expect from working with an agent, how your book is sold to a publisher, and what happens once you have a deal. Sometimes these things happen in a slightly different order – particularly once you have a publication deal and lots of things start happening simultaneously.

Edits from your agent

Although your agent already loves your book and writing (they’ve offered you representation after all!), it will usually take a few rounds of edits to get your manuscript ready for submission to publishers. Your agent will discuss those edits with you, and you’ll likely focus on the larger, structural edits first such as plot and narrative threads, character, pacing and general structure of the book. Once you’re both happy with the work you’ve done on a larger scale, your agent will usually do a line edit of the manuscript to check for any smaller issues to do with spelling and grammar.

Your book goes on submission

While you’re editing your manuscript, your agent will be doing all sorts of things in the background in preparation for submitting your work to publishers. Agents and the rights team will be pitching your book to editors when they can – at day-to-day meetings and at book fairs. Closer to submission time, your agent will draw up a list of editors that they plan to submit your work to and, once the manuscript is ready, they’ll send it out via email along with a submission letter.

As well as trying to secure a print deal, your agent will also be actively trying to sell other rights in your work, such as audio, radio, film and television (if these rights are covered by your agency agreement). If you write short stories, they may also be able to help you with submitting those stories to prizes and short story publications too. For more information on rights, see Roya’s piece from Open Week 2022.

Waiting

We often see news of overnight book deals, publishers pre-empting books for seven figures and hotly contested auctions with multiple publishers and massive advances. Sometimes books sell that way, and it’s really exciting when they do! But it’s not always the reality of the book selling and buying process, and sometimes you’ll wait a while before you hear that an editor is interested in acquiring your book. That’s completely normal – editors often have bigger reading piles than they have time to get to, and more hoops to jump through than your agent would have had when they signed you – but it can understandably be a frustrating and worrying time. Rest assured that your agent is on top of things, continuing to pitch your book, and will update you when they have news.

Agreeing a deal to sell the book

There are also multiple ways for an offer to come about. You might receive offers from multiple publishers, which means your book will be sold at auction. You might receive a pre-empt offer, which is where a publisher makes an offer but sets a deadline by which that offer will expire (this is usually an attempt to take the manuscript off the table and avoid an auction situation), or you might receive one offer.

There are also lots of variables within an offer itself, including how many books the publisher is offering for, advance level, royalties, bonuses and subsidiary rights splits. These main terms will be outlined at offer stage.

Your agent will be ready to handle any outcome of the selling process and will explain the ins and outs of each offer to you to ensure that you are equipped with all the knowledge you need to make the decision that feels best for you.

There’s always a chance that your book unfortunately does not sell, and your agent will be able to discuss a plan for next steps with you. You can read Isobel’s Open Week 2022 article here if you’d like to know more about how publishing is sometimes a long road to success.

Publisher contract

Once you’ve agreed a deal with your new publisher, your agent will negotiate the full contract with them. Contracts are usually based on a boilerplate – a template of agreed wording – between the agency and the publisher but if this is the first deal the agent has done with that publisher, they will need to negotiate the boilerplate first, which may take a little longer.

To find out more about the money side of your publishing deal, take a look at Juliet’s Demystifying Money piece from Open Week 2022.

Edits from your editor

While your agent is negotiating the contract, your editor will start to write up their editorial thoughts – yes, more edits! This will follow a similar pattern to the edits you undertook with your agent; first, the larger, structural edits, and then, once those edits are complete, your book will be passed on to the copyeditor and/or proof-reader who will check for any inconsistences, factual inaccuracies or spelling and grammar errors. You’ll be asked to check and approve the edited manuscript.

Proofs

Sometimes (but not always) a publisher will produce proofs of your book. Proofs are an early hard copy of your book – it may not have the final cover or be the very final text – which are sent out to early readers for review. This includes other authors, book bloggers and reviewers for newspapers, magazines and websites. It’s a good idea to have a think about whose hands you’d like to get the book into and to share that with your publisher when proof discussions are happening.

Choosing a cover

Alongside your edits, you’ll also engage in conversations about the book cover. Although a publisher usually makes the final decision on your book cover, they’re always happy to hear your thoughts and ideas too, and will usually seek your approval before they go ahead. This can be a really fun and exciting part of the publication process! Don’t forget to discuss the cover options with your agent who will have valuable insight too.

Marketing, publicity and promotion

Your editor will usually set up a meeting between you, your agent and the publishing team working on your book, including the marketing and publicity professionals tasked with looking after your book. In this meeting, they’ll outline their plans for promoting the book before, during and after publication. It’s also an opportunity for the publisher to outline what might be expected of you in the lead up to and around publication – this could include events, signings, social media posts or any other promotional activity.

Around this time and in the lead up to publication, your agent will ask the publisher about numbers: how many books have been ordered by the main retailers? What level are pre-orders at?

Publication

The big day has arrived! Your book will be in the bookstores (and possibly supermarkets) and available to buy online too.

After publication

In the weeks after publication, your publisher will update you and your agent on the sales of your book and any post-publication reviews that you might receive.

If you agreed a multi-book deal, you’ll probably already be writing your next book but if not, you and your agent will have a plan for selling the next one!

BFLA Open Week: Getting into the publishing industry

Written by Tabitha Topping

I don’t think that I had the typical experience most publishing hopefuls have when trying to get into the publishing industry.

I had had a couple of unsuccessful job applications in the past, but I had submitted those when I was pretty much straight out of school and lacked the skills and experiences for any sort of job, let alone one in an industry as competitive as publishing.  

Instead of labouring away at fruitless applications, I spent time working in both the retail and customer service industries before landing myself the often-romanticised role of bookseller at my local Waterstones branch. Though I’d argue that all my jobs have helped me develop skills needed in the publishing industry, it was this role as a bookseller that proved most beneficial. I saw what went through the tills; I spoke to customers about what they were excited about – and often, in the small Northern town I worked in, it was very different to the books I saw being reviewed in the newspapers. In short, I learned a lot.

Though I loved my job and the people I worked with, I still hankered after a role in publishing. I resolved to keep an eye out for any opportunities and happened to see a tweet about the Blake Friedmann Open Doors Project. I thought that I might as well apply – what did I have to lose? Apply I did and no one was more surprised when I succeeded. (You can read more about my time as an intern here.)

After my experience I was fortunate enough to be offered some freelance work by the agency, which I carried out alongside my university studies. Then, in the August of 2021, the role of Book Department Assistant came up. I applied and was ultimately successful, starting in my role a mere fortnight later. It was all very straightforward and felt quite surreal - aside from the pandemic postponing my initial internship, there had been no bumps in the road.

However, I know that getting into the industry can be really difficult for some, so here at the agency we have compiled some tips on the best way to do that:

• Follow publishers and literary agencies on social media to keep updated on what is going on in the publishing industry. If you want to be an editor follow editors, if you want to be a literary agent follow agents.

• Spend time in libraries and bookshops. What are people buying? What are people reading? It may surprise you. When I was a bookseller, I was constantly surprised by what we sold and what we didn’t. Having a good knowledge of the current market is indispensable in this industry.

• Read The Bookseller. This is our trade magazine and in addition to just general publishing news has a lot of job vacancies advertised there. 

• Get experience! This is easier said than done, I know. However, most roles within publishing rely upon so called ‘transferrable’ skills that can be acquired in any industry. Just make sure you make it clear in your applications how this experience matches the job description.

• When applying for jobs, make sure you read the job description carefully. Tailor your cover letter to each job you apply for, highlighting your relevant experience.

• Read! This is especially relevant if you want to work in editorial or agenting, but as I said before, having a good knowledge of the books currently selling is essential to succeeding in this industry.

• Be open to the departments you apply for, as some departments are a lot more competitive than others. Working in any department will give you valuable knowledge and experience that you could then use to get a role in your dream department, whether that is editorial or sales. It’s all about getting a foot in the door, after all!  

• Check publisher websites regularly for recruitment initiatives and job opportunities. Lots of publishers and agencies regularly run schemes designed to help people get into the industry – our Carole Blake Open Doors Project is a good example of this.

• Don’t get disheartened! A lot of the time it comes down to luck and timing – there are only so many publishing jobs, after all! Not getting a role in no way reflects your value as a human being, and its important to remember that!

Some Useful resources

Book Trade Charity: www.btbs.org

The Spare Room Project: www.thespareroomproject.co.uk

The Society of Young Publishers: www.thesyp.org.uk

Book Careers: https://www.bookcareers.com/

Twitter accounts to follow

@PublishProfile  

@SpareRoomProj

@bookcareers

@SYP_UK

@_CreativeAccess

@Inspiredjobs

@_indie_insider

@popublishinguk

@publishing_post

@pubinterns blog

@jobsinbooks

@_TheFlip

@bookcareers

@jobsatharper

@hachettecareers

@prhcareersuk

YouTube accounts:

Ain Chiara (https://www.youtube.com/c/AinChiara)

Eleanor Marie Rose https://www.youtube.com/c/EleanorMarieRose

Leena Norms has a great playlist on her experience in publishing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tvhRRZ-P9c&list=PLb1-lu-abhnXgFekR6TdCYb3Eq3WC0N2n

Booksandquills has another great playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlZzKd2u4d4&list=PLaGhIHM9WMtY-_mASFeld4CwCxTTT7E7h