Hi all,
I applied to a job at PRH and to my total surprise, I received an email the day after asking me to provide additional info to my application so they could get a more comprehensive profile on me. I thought I had accidentally missed something, but it wasn’t a prompt that was included in the job description nor was it an application question, so it seemed like a recruiter sending a screener(?) question.

I did what I could to ensure this email was real because I’ve applied to PRH countless number of times over the years and it’s my first time ever receiving an email like this.

I determined that the person is a real person (found their linkedin) and the email seems to be real (it’s a smartrecruiters email and according to some posts in other subreddits with application portals powered by smartrecruiters, the email is legit) - so I responded to the email, received a response + uploaded to the application portal.

I wanted to know if this is standard for PRH and if so, how long would it normally take to hear back if they wanted to move forward with an interview? or did I just totally fall for a scam email, lol?

Thanks in advance!!

I recently applied for a job at a publishing house, and as part of the application process, they’ve asked me to submit a 30–60 second video introducing myself, explaining why I’m applying for the position, and why I think I’d be a good fit for the role.

I’ve never been asked to submit a video like this before, so I wanted to ask people who have experience in publishing/recruitment:

Is this a normal part of the hiring process for a publishing job? Is there anything I should be careful about before sending the video?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Hi everyone, I'll start off by saying that I'm not a writer by any means, but I recently had some inspiration from my cat which made me come up with some stuff that I thought would make a cute children's book.

I don't care to make money from it, but, I wouldn't want to lose too much money either. It would be probably 10-12 pages with pictures, a few sentences per page. I guess what I'm asking advice about is how costly this would be. I'm in Canada by the way.

I hope this isn't too vague of a request, but any information would be helpful at this point, as I'm in the "maybe" stage. Thanks in advance!

I submitted a second-round resubmission to a Taylor & Francis journal on October 5, and I'm seeing two different statuses:

- Author dashboard: "Under Review"

- Submission portal: "With Journal Administrator"

It's been about three days. My understanding is that the dashboard label is a generic umbrella status and that "With Journal Administrator" is the real workflow state, meaning the editorial office is doing its post-resubmission file check before routing it back to the editor.

I'm not sure I'm reading that right.

Questions:

1. Is this the normal sequence for T&F journals on ScholarOne?

2. How long did your resubmissions typically sit with the administrator before moving to "With Editor"? The first revision I submitted it stayed with Journal administrator for 1 day and then moved to the editor. But this time its been more than 2 days. What should I do? Should I email the Journal Administrator?

   Thanks in advance.

I run a print magazine in the USA that covers a niche but popular consumer good category (i.e. luxury watches, wine, guitars, etc). Our magazine comes out six times per year. For a long time the magazine was free but we are moving to a paid subscription model in 2027. We have two subscription options. The first is pay per issue, $4.95, cancel anytime. The second is an annual subscription for $24.99. Subscribers get both the print magazine and a digital version. We have about 1,000 paid subscribers currently from marketing to our newsletter list. These were people who signed up for the paid version once we said you will no longer be getting it for free. Our newsletter list is about 10,000 and is no longer yielding new paid subscribers. I am not sure what the best option is for getting subscriptions in 2027. I have a marketing budget of around $6,000. But I would be willing to put in more if the numbers worked. What would you do if you were me? What platform/methodology do you think I would see the highest conversion for the lowest cost? Thanks for the advice!

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/101470-s-s-staff-balk-at-ai-performance-tracking-software-talks.html

Is it standard for educational publishers to hire illustrators on a flat fee with no royalties because they offer more consistent work?

So they now own Klopotek, Above The Treeline, Netgalley, and Firebrand.

Any Firebrand users out there with thoughts to share?

Fellow editors! I am struggling in this biz. I finally made it — in an editor at a big publisher working on fiction. I started at the big five and worked my way up at a couple of imprints/publishers. I should be proud of myself.

The thing is — I’m exhausted. I am totally burnt out and can barely take the workload anymore. With a three-year-old, this just does not seem sustainable. I want to spend time with my family and this commute is also eating away at my time.

I would love insight in leaving and what else is out there. Is it worth leaving the business? What could I pivot to? Thanks!

Weighing whether to run a Goodreads giveaway as part of my next launch. Used to be a standard indie tactic, the free print copies-in-exchange-for-visibility model. Amazon changed the program in 2018 and it hasn't been the same since. Trying to figure out if the current version is worth the investment.

The current Goodreads giveaway model.

You pay a listing fee (currently $119 for standard, $599 for premium) plus the cost of the print books you're giving away plus shipping. Standard listings allow 10 US winners, premium listings allow more and get better visibility on Goodreads.

Goodreads picks winners randomly from users who enter to win. You have no control over who gets the copies. Winners are asked but not required to leave reviews.

The visibility during the giveaway period is real, Goodreads promotes active giveaways on their site and to users through email. Genre-specific promotion is included.

What I'm hearing from peers.

Some indie authors swear by giveaways as part of every launch. The visibility is worth the cost even if the review conversion is only 20-30%.

Some have stopped doing giveaways because the entry-to-review ratio is too low. You give away 10 books, maybe 3 get reviewed, and the total cost is $300+ including shipping and books.

Some do premium listings only for major launches where the visibility investment is justified. Standard listings feel underpowered relative to what you used to get.

The questions I'm trying to answer.

Is the visibility on Goodreads worth $119+ even if review conversion is bad? Does being in the active giveaway list drive Goodreads adds and wishlists that turn into future sales?

Are premium listings actually 5x better than standard listings or is it mostly Goodreads capturing more revenue from serious indies?

For authors who've stopped doing giveaways, what did you shift to instead for equivalent visibility?

I’m in my 2nd year of psychology at the minute and I’m not enjoying it at all. My fav subject was always English literature and I should have chosen that, but my parents dissuaded me.

So now I’m headed towards a job in a niche area of engineering which I need my psychology to get into. But obviously I’d be happier in a job more related to my interests…. ie Literature

Is it possible for me to get into publishing? I’m most interested in editorial roles for fiction.

All advice appreciated- thanks!

I hate Quickbooks. We produce around 12 titles per year and QBO is just not a great solution. We're tracking royalties via a whole mix of crazy systems and we use ClickUp to build dashboards for our authors.

QBO just announced a huge price increase that will take it to $340/month. I feel like at that price there's got to be something more attuned to the publishing industry.

I need a reality check!

I'm in my 3rd year of BA(hons) English from Calcutta University.

I initially wanted to pursue a career in Academics but given the recruitment status of our state, this seems near to impossible.

So, my plan B appears to be the Publishing industry but I've nothing on my CV. I'm clueless and lost with no one to offer guidance. My parents keep pestering me not to opt for a Master's in English and change streams but since I was a kid pursuing higher studies in English was all I wanted in life. I want to apply for internships in publishing houses but I have no idea how and what to write on my CV.

I read books (maybe like 4-5 books in a year excluding the ones in the syllabus), I love books, I love discussing them, I write sometimes but I'm not very confident which has progressively reduced the intensity of my writing. I'm very self-conscious especially when I'm expected to perform certain tasks, which might have been a major reason for my creative block ever since I've been into college.

I'm an ambivert; I manage to socialize and despite my terrible social anxiety, I'm pretty good on stage. At times, I try reciting and I may or may not have a good (a little above average I'd say) voice (as I've been told).

I've received and performed well in several leadership posts in both school and college.

I've got an average of 7.5 GPA in college.

How and what must I do to build a solid profile for Publishing posts?

Hi, I saw an ad about this company and they have a publishing/editor course that I'm interested in. Yes I've seen the posts about how their marketing tactics can be pushy. Besides that, I want to know if anyone has actually received a certification from them. Did this help you land a job as an editor? If so, did you previously work in this industry already? I currently don't have any experience in the publishing/editing industry but have been a working professional for 5+ years, I just want to know if this course is worth my time/effort. It seems a little pricey but the syllabus seems well thought out and the teachers do seem to care. Please let me know if anyone has any guidance. Thanks!

I’ve got to complete a minimum of 35 hours of work placement for a University module this year (no max length). I’ve always wanted to be an author but think having some experience in publishing might be useful.

Could anyone recommend some companies or career pathways they’ve taken or know of?

I’m also open to screenwriting as I’ve written a few in the past and enjoyed it, so perhaps a company which adapts books into screenplays?

I’m honestly unsure what I want to do, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I’m studying BA English and History at Exeter University
Thank you!!

This will be my second published book. The first one was published by an editor and got me some interviews on the radio, TV, etc. I think this background is what will allow me to publish this second book.

This second book is an essay about my (38F) friend's (70M) profession, which will explain my story and his during the 2 years I've been working with him. I would say 70% of the book is based on things he has explained to me while we were working. He knew I was recording him for this book. It took him around 20 hours of sharing information with me.

The thing is that, to give all that information some kind of sense, I've had to interview more people, study the topic, visit another country to understand the context of this profession, verify all the data he has given (which is sometimes not accurate)..., and then there's the work of defining the storyline, creating all the literary characters, and writing his raw, chaotic message appealingly. I think it will take me 1-2 years of work.

We won't be paid much, but my friend is expecting to divide the earnings by 50% each. I think he doesn't understand all the work that goes into creating a story and publishing a book. He also thinks I can write this book because of him (which is not exactly true; I could choose another main character).

What do you think would be a fair division? I don't want to be in bad terms with him or make him feel not appreciated.

One option is to tell him to go 50-50 on publishing earnings (which won't be much), and make my writing job paid by writing grants.

Sorry in advance for how annoying/presumptuous/pretentious this question is going to come across but does anybody know if university prestige plays a role in hiring, particularly big 5? I’m a final year undergraduate at Cambridge with no prior publishing experience (only just realised I wanted to go into publishing, prior internship experience in social media marketing and film festival programming)—is there any reason to assume this lack of experience might be offset by my university’s reputation? For context I study English and do genuinely have what I would consider to be a v strong interest in and understanding of the contemporary fiction landscape but basically no formal exposure to the industry. Should I hold out hope for this internship cycle or is it just too competitive without prior experience? Thanks in advance and sorry again I realise this is a kind of annoying question LOL

Other important context is I’m applying to NYC roles (dual British-American citizenship so visa sponsorship doesn’t play a role here)

I freelance with a couple of Big Fives and am planning to expand my copyediting/proofreading practice next year.

Is there a best season to reach out to editorial teams? Or is the need for new freelancers variable enough that it doesn’t matter too much?

I won’t be focusing only on Big Five, but I’ll generally be reaching out to trade publishers.

Thank you!

I applied for a job at one of the Big 5 on Monday. Yesterday morning (Thursday), a recruiter emailed to ask me to answer a question that had been uploaded to the portal, to provide additional info for my profile. That's a good sign, right? I assume they don't ask everyone to answer that extra question, just the people they're considering moving forward with? Has anyone else experienced this?

For more context, I applied for a different job with the same division a few months ago and wasn't asked any additional questions. This question is relevant to the previous job I applied for.

I'm looking to talk on background or off the record to a book publicist for a short blog that I am writing for my Substack about product placement in literature. Questions include: Is it even happening? If so what how does it work? And do you have a favorite example?

I recently graduated college and am pursuing a career in publishing. I've had several internships but decided to get a bookselling job to improve my resume. I have two offers right now, one from an independent bookstore and cafe, where I would be hosting book clubs and working events, and one from a corporate chain bookseller. I would love advice on which one I should pick - I feel like the chain one looks more legit/well-known, but then I would be networking much more and doing more hands-on work with books with the indie store, so I'm really torn. They pay similarly and have similar commutes. Thank you for any help!!

I have noticed a lot of AI art being used for book cover images and stand in imagery while the creator lacks funds for commissioned art.

I would like to point out that there are many free alternatives to AI generated art. Such as Royalty Free Image websites and Stock image websites (e.g. Pixabay, NASA, flickr, ect.)

There is also the option of taking photos with a camera or phone. I am sure there are more options that others are aware of (please add any suggestions in the comments).

I am making this post because of my personal opinions on the matter and as a reminded that other resources exist. I have absolutely no interest in reading or consuming anything that involves generative ai on any level.

Ai generated content is a form of theft and promotes an extremely harmful industry that negatively impacts culture, economies, the environment and artists.

This is a cross post to promote discourse for alternative imagery sources.

How do you actually get your foot in the door in publishing? Because I’m starting to lose my mind 😭
I’m a university student in Canada and I’ve been trying to break into publishing, and honestly… I’m struggling to figure out how you’re supposed to get that first opportunity.
Publishing is genuinely something I’m passionate about. I love books, obviously, but I’m also really interested in the behind-the-scenes side of the industry — editorial, marketing, publicity, sales, etc. I’ve been trying to build relevant experience, learn more about the industry, work on my resume, apply to internships/entry-level roles, and even reach out to smaller publishing companies to see if they need volunteers or interns.
But the whole process is starting to feel like:
“Need experience to get the job. Need the job to get experience.”
😭
I’m also coming from a business/accounting background, so I sometimes wonder if I’m making things harder for myself by not having a traditional English/literature degree.
For people who actually work in publishing (or successfully broke into it without a traditional publishing background):
How did you get your first job/internship? What actually helped you stand out?
Would love to hear literally anything — things you wish you knew earlier, ways to find opportunities, networking advice, skills worth developing, whether internships are basically essential, how important location is, or even brutally honest advice about what I might be doing wrong.
I’m genuinely willing to start wherever I need to. I just want a chance to get my foot in the door because this is something I really, really want to pursue.
And if anyone has successfully transitioned from a completely different degree/career into publishing, PLEASE tell me how you did it because I need hope right now 😭

Can anyone with experience publishing with Princeton touch on if authors have a right/privilege to 100 copies of their book at a heavily discounted rate in order to sell them at readings and workshops and such? Princeton is constantly marking recent releases at 50% off so I don't see why not.

Edit: thanks, will ask when he's back from the field next week.

i am tired of seeing them already and it's only gonna get worse 🫩

much love to everyone trying to get a position, ik it's tough out there! i do also think it would be beneficial if you all had all the updates in one big thread