Seeking mentorship and building your network

Creative Access is dedicated to supporting people from under-represented communities (including BAME candidates and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds) to access creative careers. This includes matching Creative Access interns and alumni with mentors from across the creative industries.

Find out more about Creative Access mentoring here.

Creative Access and Penguin Random House have partnered to launch a new virtual mentoring programme, designed to reach early career talent from communities currently under-represented in publishing.

150 mentors, from Penguin Random House’s leadership and senior management teams, have signed up to support and nurture the next generation of talent who want to explore, or begin, their journey towards their first or next opportunity in publishing.

Find out more about the programme here.

The Society of Young Publishers (SYP) is open to anyone, of any age, interested in publishing or related trade – or who is hoping to be soon. It’s run by a team of volunteers around the UK and Ireland, themselves in, or working alongside, the publishing industry who assist, inform and encourage anyone trying to break into the industry or progress within it.

SYPinto Mentorship Scheme

SYPinto is aimed at helping individuals not yet working in publishing to learn more about the industry and establish their future career path.

Find out more about the SYPinto Mentorship Scheme here.

SYPlaunch Mentorship Scheme

SYP have launched a new scheme for 2020, SYPlaunch! Publishing is extremely competitive but everchanging, so while traditional routes in the industry are constantly highlighted and encouraged, there are many other roles available outside the traditional publishing houses. With SYPlaunch, they offer an alternative route in the industry by encouraging mentees to cultivate and improve their current skills, while learning new ones to find their own unique path – providing them with guidance and opportunities to learn about the publishing as a business for freelancers, entrepreneurs and those who want to use and foster transferable key skills, and make connections with professionals from all parts of the industry.

Find out more about the SYPlaunch Mentorship Scheme here.

The CIEP’s mentoring scheme offers supervised, practical training in proofreading and copyediting to anyone who wants to round off their training by working one-to-one on real projects with an experienced mentor for around six months. The scheme is available to both members and non-members.

Find out more about the scheme here.

Launched in 2016, the programme sets out to pair successful applicants with their very own publicity expert, to whom they can turn for independent, trusted advice.

Find out more about the mentorship scheme here.

SYPahead is dedicated to junior professionals already employed in a publishing role and wanting to progress in their careers. So, if you are working towards a promotion, are considering a move into a different sector of the industry, or would just like some help with expanding your skillset, SYPahead will be for you!

Find out more about the SYPahead Mentorship Scheme here.

BookMachine is a community for publishing professionals, and the team often host free events for non-members too.

Check out the listings here.

The Borough Book Bash is a free networking event for the publishing community in London for those working and looking to work in publishing. They are a not for profit group run by volunteers.

Follow Borough Book Bash on Twitter to find out about upcoming events.

A great way to meet people who are also trying to get into the publishing industry is through this Facebook group, run by Christina Storey and Emma Ronan. This group is exclusively for people hoping to work in the UK publishing industry one day.

Find out more about the group here.

The SYP organise some great events throughout the year, across their six regional branches.

Follow SYP on Twitter and checkout their events page for details on upcoming events.