How to Get a Job in Publishing

The publishing industry is notoriously mysterious and hard to break into. Here is my story of how I became an editor and my tips for how to get a job a publishing.

Hi authors, editors, and readers! I figured it was about time to share a little bit of my story about how I got into publishing. But rather than just ramble on about myself, I also wanted to give a little bit of advice of how you can get a job in publishing as well. And while this advice will be based around my journey, a lot of it can apply to any industry or dream job.

Tip 1: Don’t Pursue Your Goals in Secret

My first tip for anyone wanting to go into publishing is don’t pursue your goals in secret. The publishing industry is highly competitive, so the people who succeed in it are really, really passionate about what they do. It won’t happen on its own, so you have to put in the work by having relevant experience or education. 

I knew coming into college that I wanted to be an editor, so I picked somewhere with a program that I thought would benefit me in this career. I chose professional writing as my major because the classes were more aligned with the business aspect of writing and there was a required course on editing. I joined the literary magazine on campus my freshman year and became the editor-in-chief my senior year. I helped start up the English department newsletter my sophomore year and wrote, designed, and edited for that. And not only did I take those steps toward a publishing career, but because I was so outspoken in what I wanted, the people around me helped me get there. Every single time someone asked me, “So what are you going to do with an English degree?” I had an answer. And that really helped me achieve my goal in the end because the people around me supported me and gave me opportunities to help me get there. If you keep your goals a secret, then it’s much easier to quit when it gets hard to save yourself the embarrassment.

For example, during my internship at the publishing house I work at now, I was working in marketing, but everyone knew I really wanted to be in editorial. I met with editors over the summer and learned everything I could, so when a job opened up, they knew I would be interested. My old boss specifically reached out to me and sent me the application for the job I have now. And this actually brings me into tip number two. . .

Tip 2: Use Your Connections 

This is a huge one in any career field, but you need to use your connections. Get to know your professors and articulate your goals to them—they want to help you get there! Form relationships with people that you work with, go to school with, intern with. Of course, this includes the people who are higher up than you, but it also means your peers who are right there in it with you.

My very first editing job was actually for a fellow student of mine who was also in the English department and was an aspiring author. It was such an amazing opportunity to work with a really talented person, even though she wasn’t “higher up on the food chain” than I was and was just as new to it all. Shout out to Danielle Kneusel and her YA dystopian series, Eminence. The second book (the one I edited) just came out a couple months ago, and it is so amazing. Definitely check it out!

Here’s another example: When I was writing for the English department newsletter, I interviewed an alumna from my college who works for the company I work for now. She told me about the internships they do, so I contacted her when I applied and she vouched for me, which helped me get that internship. And then, when I applied for an opening they had in editorial, I already had a relationship with the company, which helped me land a full-time job.

It may feel a little bit unfair to have that advantage, but I promise you that all industries, this one especially, rely a LOT on who you know. So you shouldn’t feel guilty about using what you can to get your foot in the door. The people you know create the opportunity, and you prove you deserve it by taking it and doing your absolute best. 

And here’s one more example that ties both these two tips together. Another alumna from my school reached out to some professors in the English department looking for someone to do some assistant work for her. She was a freelance fiction editor, and because all my professors knew I was pursuing editing, they immediately thought of me and connected us. And she deserves a huge shoutout because she taught me so much in the year that I have worked for her. Her name is Susan Barnes, and now she mainly focuses on book coaching and online courses for authors, so if you are interested definitely check her out.

Tip 3: Learn on Your Own Time

And I’ll give you once last piece of advice before you go, to learn on your own time. This is probably the most actionable, applicable piece. Publishing is kind of a mysterious industry. It’s hard to know what goes on behind the scenes unless you’re in it. But doing whatever you can to learn about your future job and your role in the publishing process can really help you stand out in interviews.

In my experience, most interviewers don’t expect you to know much about publishing as an entry-level, recent college grad, so impress them and prove you have done your research by asking specific questions and knowing just a bit about it beforehand. One super easy way to do that is by consuming content like this blog, YouTube videos, TikTokers, and LinkedIn courses. There are several good ones out there, so take some time to follow your favorites so that you can passively learn every day. 

Another way to do learn is by diversifying your skills. For example, I took a lot of graphic design courses in college, even though I didn’t really care much about graphic design and it wasn’t required for me. But in those classes I designed my logo and my website from scratch, both things that I use now. And I learned the Adobe programs that I use and interact with every day in my job. Knowing even the basics of InDesign really set me up to succeed in my job now and gave my business a great foundation of professionalism right from the start. 

So that was just a little snippet of my journey to becoming a professional editor working at a publishing house. You can see a lot of it was based on luck and opportunities that were given to me. It wasn’t an easy process by any means, but those three tips are things that directly correlated to my success and may help you in your journey as well. 

If you have any questions about my story or publishing, editing, or writing, leave a comment below. I’d love to make more content on the publishing industry to help de-mystify the process, so give me some good ideas!

Do you have any questions about publishing or writing? Leave a comment below! Want to hear more of my opinions on all things writing, reading, and publishing? Follow me on Instagram @wisecracksandpaperbacks or subscribe to my YouTube channel @wpediting.