The Publishing World

On Monday, 6 June 2022, the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies are joining forces with The Essex Book Festival to bring you The Publishing World Day, and you’re invited!

If you’re interested in the world of publishing, this collaboration between the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, and Essex Book Festival is an event you won’t want to miss. Attending this event will give you an incredible opportunity to gain real industry insights into how to get published, and will open your eyes to the huge range of jobs available in the world of publishing right now, whilst also having a unique opportunity to meet with publishing professionals.

While a love of books and a belief in their importance are indispensable, an understanding of broader society and publishing as a business is also essential. What makes a ‘good’ book? How do you sell it? How do you maintain relationships with authors and publishers? These are all skills that will be essential for graduates hoping to stand out.

Our guests

Maja Antoine-Onikoyi is a recent University of Essex graduate. Maja set up her own company, Maja’s Education Project, whilst studying for her degree in Film and Creative Writing. She is on the Essex Book Festival Advisory Board as Youth and Diversity Adviser, and currently works as a Diversity and Inclusion Consultant for the Tandem Collective, a digital marketing agency.

Katie Packer is Senior Commissioning Editor at Headline Publishing Group. She studied English Literature at the University of Birmingham, and has worked her way quickly through the ranks since starting as an intern at Hachette Book Group after she graduated in 2017. Katie commissions books in a wide range of genres including memoir, pop culture, TV tie-in, humour, history and polemic. Recently she published the Sunday Times bestselling titles Love in Colour and Keep the Receipts.

Rukhsana Yasmin is an Associate Literary Agent at The Good Literary Agency. She has a degree in physics and has worked at award-winning publishers Saqi Books, Profile Books and Jacaranda. She has been awarded The Kim Scott Walwyn Prize for Women in Publishing and is a Bookseller Rising Star.

The event takes place at Essex Business School and includes a panel discussion and a Q and A with our guest speakers, who will share their stories of finding work after university, and what their jobs actually involve.

This will be followed by a series of workshops with each specialist, giving you a flavour of the nature of their work and how you can turn the skills you’re acquiring on your degree to specific responsibilities in their jobs. This might include pitching books to publishers, commissioning books, negotiating rights, project management, copy writing and product marketing using social media tools. Each workshop will involve a specific activity and you will gain professional and peer feedback.

View the full schedule for the day (.docx). 

A delicious free lunch will be provided.  Please let us know of any accessibility or dietary requirements when you email. In addition, all participants will receive two complimentary tickets to Carole Angier's Speak Silence: In Search of W.G. Sebald at the Lakeside Theatre on 28th June. 

How to book

Please email ros@essexbookfestival.org.uk to reserve your space.