In this second of a series of blog posts about Diverse Career Paths in the publishing industry for researchers, Kristian Kerr narrates the story of her journey into a career in publishing. Look out for the surprise connection between Kristian’s research and her move into marketing (what could be surprise connections in your research and diverse careers?). A few other thoughts:
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- Narrative approaches to understanding our careers help us to integrate the varied strands of our lives into a meaningful and holistic story of ourselves. After reading Kristian’s story, why not try writing your own?
- ‘Planned Happenstance’ is a career theory that encourages finding opportunities in unplanned events – what examples of planned happenstance can you find?
- I have highlighted parts of Kristian’s narrative will useful to reflect on what they mean for you no matter what industries you might be considering: networking, transferable skills, work environment, routes, progression, and even further career transitions.
- Current role: Marketing Manager, Publicity and Partnerships, Edinburgh University Press
- Education BA (Hons) Classics and English, University College, Oxford University (2003); PhD University of Chicago, English Language and Literature (2016)
Publishing, like humanities academia, is an industry that it is challenging to break into, with an over-supply of well qualified and talented individuals seeking to work in a small number of jobs, especially in mainstream trade publishing. I started working in publishing during the final year of my PhD. Through connections I made doing freelance work on a cultural heritage project, I was well-placed to jump at the opportunity to take a job in a publishing firm when it was advertised. It was a full-time role and I had to finish my dissertation alongside learning the ropes in a small team with a heavy workload. While it was high-pressure, the impetus provided by the job helped with completing the dissertation.
My doctoral research was into the rise of the novel, literary bestsellers and 18-19th century review culture. So, to work in the midst of contemporary literary production is really to work in the industry that applies my research. Even more specifically, my primary activity over 10 years in publishing has been to secure press coverage and reviews for new books. Researchers in literature in cultural studies may be drawn to editorial, but I encourage you to also consider marketing as a pathway into publishing. I was once asked (in a job interview) why I hadn’t pursued an editorial path: my answer is that I am interested in the point at which books meet readers and that I thrive on making connections. If you like putting ideas out into the world (lots of them all at once) and connecting with people through ideas, then a marketing role in publishing may be for you.
This first role in publishing was as a ‘Publicity Officer’ – a junior, non-management role with a lot of responsibility – in a well-established independent Scottish publishing firm. I handled PR campaigns (all print, broadcast and digital media) for about 75 new books per year. There is a lot of variety in this kind of role: I worked across fiction, non-fiction, academic history, poetry, sports and some children’s titles.
My skills were immediately transferable. Being able to read quickly and assimilate complex and unfamiliar information and/or arguments meant that I was able to master the material quickly. Preparing a press release or pitching to journalists isn’t unlike writing a lit review or opening a panel discussion. The breadth of knowledge and authority with which I was able to speak was invaluable when pitching, especially to print journalists and literary editors. Age helped here, too (I was in my 30s, having done my PhD at a US university) but being a specialist in literature and culture and being able to contextualise themes and trends in art, society and politics was more important.
Being able to write clearly and effectively was a must. The best writers know who their reader is and can adjust accordingly but it did take some months to switch out of the academic register in which I had trained for so long. In trade publishing marketing you’re writing for the general reader, so academic jargon needs to be minimised and well-explained and contextualised when used. If you enjoy writing this is a great career path. I prepare extracts and author articles for newspapers, prep producers for radio shows and write a lot of advertising and promotional copy.
This first role was in what I would describe as a medium-sized company: 20 people round the table at Christmas dinner counts as medium-sized in an industry where small can mean only one or two people. In an environment where the pace is fast and the team is small, you have to deliver work and make decisions quickly.
After six years in trade publishing, I moved to Edinburgh University Press, an academic press and a company of about twice the size,. I was definitely hired into my role because of my combination of academic and trade experience and really enjoyed the change of pace and perspective that came from working in a bigger company, in a bigger team, and targeting a specialist academic audience once again . As a marketing manager, your responsibilities diversify to oversee all marketing activities (author care, arranging events, email campaigns, budgeting) and you become more distanced from the content of the books you’re marketing. That said, you begin to advise on strategy and get involved with the early stages of the publishing process – reading and commenting on proposals.
In a part time role, I have also pursued freelance marketing work for a variety of organisations. This work has brought further opportunities. I am about to leave publishing to take up a role as Head of Marketing and Communications in a financial services firm, where I am overseeing PR, client engagement, events, and branding. As I move out of the world of books and literary culture for the first time, I’ll be leveraging the writing, research and analytical skills I developed during my PhD on a different knowledge base, which I will also have to assimilate quickly. At the same time, it’s all just targeted, tailored communication. While I started my professional journey close to my field of research, I am struck by the breadth of opportunity working in communications and marketing has brought.
* This activity has been developed by The Institute for Academic Development to improve the University of Edinburgh research cultures as part of the University’s research cultures action plan.
