PUBLISHING INDUSTRY ADVICE

Before you dive head-first into your job or internship search, take the requisite time to understand the many components of the publishing industry. Do you understand the distinction between a publishing house and a literary agency? Do you know the different departments within each type of company? See below for some key things to consider when finding your niche in the industry. 

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Literary Agencies vs. Publishers: 

Literary agents are typically the first publishing professionals to lay eyes on a book, and they are the primary gatekeepers in the traditional publishing process. Once they decide a manuscript has enough potential to sell to a publisher, they will sign a contract with its writer that specifies that they will represent their business interests in the publishing industry. Agents will advise on a manuscript's development and, once it's ready, agents will spearhead submissions to traditional publishers. They will subsequently negotiate on behalf of authors and advise on their future projects. 

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Publishers (traditionally) acquire manuscripts from literary agencies, after which they spearhead the process of producing and publishing said book. Prominent publishers include the "Big 5" houses: Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, Harper Collins, and Simon & Schuster. In addition to the Big 5, there are a host of independent publishers (or "indies"), some of which will acquire books that aren't represented by literary agents. Publishers will contain a series of "imprints," a brand name or trade name that a publisher uses to release a specific category or line of books. For instance, Orbit is an imprint of Hachette Book Group. 

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THE "BIG 5" PUBLISHERS

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Publishing Divisions: 

There are MANY subdivisions within a publishing house. Below are just a few key departments you may want to explore when figuring out where you fit within the industry. 

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CENTRAL PUBLISHING DEPARTMENTS

• Subsidiary Rights (Sub Rights): They oversee the acquisition and sales of the rights to make adaptions of the book, the right to translate the book to foreign languages, the right to grant others permission to publish excerpts from the book, the right to publish audio books, the right to produce films based on the book, among others. 

• Managing Editorial (Man. Ed.):  They handle all elements of a book after it has been accepted by editorial (copyediting, proofreading, indexing, and manage quality control of book interiors, jackets, original artwork, reprints, and ancillary materials). They also ensure accuracy and consistency of text for covers and jackets for all of our books. We serve as the main hub of communications between production, editorial, authors, and freelancers. 

• Finance: The Finance Department is responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and timely reporting of the Company's financial results to management, our parent company, and regulatory authorities.

• Sales: The functions of the sales department are organized around the following triad: Retail Sales, Sales Strategy & Operations (SSO), and International, Canada & Special Markets (ICS).

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Other central departments include Administrative Services, Human Resources, Fulfillment, Legal & Contracts, IT, Distribution, and more. 

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CREATIVE PUBLISHING SUBGROUPS:

• Editorial: The most notorious & competitive division to break into, editorial spearheads a publisher's acquisition and subsequent development of a book. They work closely with the author to make sure the story is ready to hit shelves, providing robust editorial feedback to improve the manuscript. 

• Design: Oversees the design of the covers and interiors for all books. 

• Marketing: Marketing teams typically spearhead paid coverage, including sponsorships, influencer partnerships, advertisements, etc.

• Publicity: The publicity team develops the media strategy for a book. We will reach out to the appropriate media outlets to secure reviews for a book and interviews (TV, radio, podcasts, print, online), and we will explore opportunities for placing excerpts or other related writing in major publications. A publicist will also investigate opportunities for events and book tours and help authors prepare for various public appearances.​

 

Other publishing divisions include Digital Marketing, Marketing Design, Creative Operations, Licensing, and more.