If you do choose to venture into Publishing for a job and career change then there are a huge variety of jobs on offer. Most companies will have teams or departments specialising in specific tasks and processes. As a result this gives individuals a wider variety of roles to choose from. For example legal teams are need to issue and review Contracts and legal rights which involve negotiating copyright licensing agreements between the writers of books and articles and the company broadcasting and publishing it. The Editorial teams would carry out tasks such as proofreading whilst the production and design teams are there to ensure the book or magazine is produced on time and within budget.

For graduates publishing is a great career to venture into. In the uk alone the industry produces information in the form of books, newspapers, databases, directories for individuals and businesses in the digital or printed format. In the general consumer book sector paperback books, fiction and non fiction books are produced in there billions. With changes in technology that have evolved over the last few decades the area has taken a hit with the biggest rival being the internet. However depending on the publisher and business some co-operations have been able to use this to their advantage and where some sectors of publishing have shown a decline others are showing growth.

The first ever outdoor event was launched in Kathmandu a few years ago which was set in order to launch the Nepali translation of John Wood’s book. The book itself details the journey of a Microsoft Executive who went on a trekking trip to the Himalayas and found himself creating a mission to help educate underprivileged children around the world. One of the greatest players in the life of John was Pashupathi Neupane joined John on stage at the launch. The book has sold over 20,000 copies and the publisher of the book Fine Print also donated 1m rupees to build a school.

Waterstone’s children’s department have seen sales double following the first week of launch, with the most popular sections being teen and gift books. Waterstone’s decided to trial children’s departments in Cambridge, Bath, Leeds and Newcastle in an attempt to increase children’s book sales from sixteen to twenty percent. The stores have allocated more space to the children’s department, moved the teenage sections outside of the children’s area, added a dedicated learning zone for children wanting to look at reference books, as well adding new furniture and other products to make the shopping experience more friendly. The new children’s department has been welcomed by book suppliers such as penguin. If the trials prove to be successful over the coming weeks then there will be plans to launch more children’s departments in more Waterstone stores.

Amazon has announced that it will be dictating the prices of its e-books and has vowed to make them the cheapest on the market. Amazon are launching a UK Kindle store in August. Amazon’s Kindle senior vice president, Steve Kessel, has predicted that Kindle book sales will surpass its paperback sales within the next twelve months. The store has taken about a year to launch because of the difficulty behind putting together a selection of over four hundred thousand titles. Amazon also reiterated that the launch of the new Kindle was not a response to the launch the Ipad. Amazon stated they are pleased with the launch of the Ipad as it means people will be able to shop online from anywhere in their home which ultimately should improve the number of online sales.

Bloomsbury have made a deal with the Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust and the Churchill Heritage Ltd to form an electronic one million page Churchill archive. The electronic archive will detail Churchill’s life from his childhood to his life in politics, his involvement in the second world war and cold war, and it will contain Churchill’s personal notes during this periods. The archive will be somewhat of a presidential library and is due to be launched in 2012 and is thought to become an important part of historical studies from the twentieth century. It is believed the archive will be the largest of any prime minister and will be very beneficial for schools, giving them instant access to the history of Churchill at a subscription cost.

EMI Music Publishing will be continuing to work with Alicia Keys after fourteen years which means they will continue represent the singer. President of EMI Music Publishing, Jon Platt, stated the company is honoured to work with Alicia Keys as she is one of the most successful songwriters in recent years. Alicia Keys has sold more than thirty million albums since she released her first album eight years ago. Her first three albums went to number one in charts and have lead to her winning twelve Grammy awards. Alicia Keys stated that she and EMI have built up a great relationship over the years and the company have supported her throughout her career.

ShotlistMedia, who offer free magazines Shortlist and Stylist in the major cities, have launched a subscription service which enables customers to receive their magazines at home. The service is £52.00 a year and will enable users to obtain previous issues if they have missed the handouts points. ShortlistMedia stated that they have received many requests from commuters who weren’t in work on the day of the handout, and from people who don’t commute to work, to be able to obtain the magazine. The aim is to be able to deliver the magazine to any geographical area and not just limiting their audience to the city workers. The cost of the service will cover the postal and packaging costs and ShotlistMedia are not looking to make any profit from this service.

Writing, to most people, is relaxing, enjoyable and sometimes therapeutic. But when it comes to getting published, the tone can suddenly change. Emotions can shift to those of frustration, anger, misery and despair.
No one ever said that getting published was easy. In fact, some authors are living proof that it is not, with many of them taking 20 years to get their first book in print.

But the key is to stay inspired. Be prepared to write in any style if it means you get published. Also, accept that you will be marketed and don’t try to fight this. It will help in your mission to becoming a successful published author. And that’s what we’re all looking for isn’t it?

All writers want to be the next J K Rowling but as all writers know, it’s easier said than done.

But if you can’t make your millions getting published through the publishing houses, then it may be worth considering self publishing.

Self publishing can cost thousands of pounds so if you are looking for a get rich scheme, then you may be barking up the wrong tree. Self publishing is ideal though, for people who write for a hobby and dream of seeing their book on the shelves at the high street book shop.

It’s very time consuming and can be expensive, but self publishing is the ideal first foot in the door for any budding writer.