About Publishing
Publishing plays a unique and central part in the life of the nation, in economic, cultural, scientific, educational and social terms. In purely economic terms, publishing is the largest creative industry, employing more people and adding more to the UK’s bottom line than any other. In exports, UK publishing leads the world (even in non-Harry Potter years). The UK’s unique literary heritage and vibrant modern creative scene drives not only a thriving book trade but also seeds creativity in other sectors, like film, television and theatre.
Publishing is an industry at the cusp of what technology can offer. New and ever more sophisticated ways of getting content to readers emerge, and this means that modern publishers are among the most leading-edge businesses around. Whereas once the business of publishing focussed on the physical book, now it is a truly multi-media, multi-format business.
The value that publishers add – from the selection and editing of content, through the production and distribution process and marketing of the resultant product to ever more demanding consumers – is immense. In sectors like academic research, the brand value attached to particular journals not only speaks to the quality of the research published, but supports the career infrastructure of academics as well.
Read CEO Simon Juden's latest monthly column in PN entitled 'Publishing is itself a great story'
Browse the links on the left for some specific information on careers in publishing, how to get a book published and guidelines for publishers.