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Publishers are responsible for the content, style, sales and profitability of the publications produced by their organisation. They work in a number of areas, including books, newspapers, magazines, journals, directories and electronic media newspaper and magazine publishing, book publishing and online publishing.

We focus primarily here on book publishers. There are many thousands of books published each year, a small percentage of which are mass-market titles, while others include educational textbooks, academic research works or STM (scientific, technical and medical) publications. Publishers work as a team in selecting or commissioning new books, revising existing titles, in design, marketing and sales to ensure that each publication makes maximum impact in its particular market, reaching as many readers as possible and recouping the initial investment made in it.

The work includes the following roles:

• Commissioning editors decide whether to accept manuscripts submitted by literary agents or authors or whether to use their specialist knowledge of a particular market to commission specific books and projects. All manuscripts passing through their hands need to be read and given an initial assessment, often by readers employed for the purpose; a number then need a second opinion, perhaps from a specialist. Editors weigh up the opinions of readers, plus, in many cases, sales and marketing colleagues, before making a commitment to proceed.
• Contractual staff draw up the initial contract between publisher and author, and the handling of subsidiary rights, such as translation, book club and serial rights.
• Copy editors concentrate on preparing accepted manuscripts for the printers. They check details such as repetition, contradiction, spelling mistakes, punctuation and grammar, and would have to discuss and agree all changes with the author. They might also discuss details of printing and presentation with the production, design and marketing departments.

Entry level

While there are no standard entry requirements, most publishers have a degree and sometimes a postgraduate qualification. You could be successful without formal qualifications if you can demonstrate sufficient technical ability, commitment, enthusiasm and commercial awareness. Even with a degree, the actual subject is often unimportant.

For entry to a degree course, you would usually need a minimum of two A levels/three H grades, and five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3), or the equivalent. For postgraduate courses, you would usually need a good first degree.

Making the grade

Most training is carried out on the job, but usually only after some form of academic study. Some large publishing houses run in-house training schemes or send new recruits on short courses run by specialist agencies but there are no universally recognised approaches to training and qualification.

Experience is essential for promotion. Commissioning editors can become editorial managers or directors, or move into specialist areas. Overseas employment is possible, notably in the Far East and some Arab countries, where publishing is a developing industry.

Personal qualities

As a publisher, you should understand your target audience, have a good command of English, and combine an eye for detail with imaginative flair.

In all areas of publishing, good IT skills are essential. You must have a fascination for words and the mechanics of written language. You must also appreciate the commercial aspects of the publishing business.