Beyond the book
The little-explored publishing world that exists beyond the paperback and hardcover
Letter from the Publisher
May I welcome you to the third issue of The Stationer.
October has been a challenging month for our industry. While global events such as the Israel-Hamas war have compelled constant — often disturbing — content, they’ve also served to highlight a concerning trend in our communication: the rise of misinformation.
Is this an issue of convenience compromising accuracy? In this world of push notifications, do we precipitate to precede? Or is it that we can never truly corroborate what we can’t see? For want of a better phrase, are we doing the best with what we’ve got? Is that good enough?
Troubling questions for troubling times. I leave them with you, reader. We’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
At The Stationer, we curate each issue with care and a passion for authenticity. This month’s feature is a testament to this, as author Gurdeep Mattu explores the publishing world that exists beyond the coveted printed book through a reverberating personal anecdote.
We hope you enjoy it as much as we do — and don’t forget to check out our top industry takeaways and trade opportunities, carefully curated for your convenience.
If you are interested in contributing to The Stationer, wish to share a job opportunity, or simply fancy having a chat, feel free to drop me a line at robert.wilding96@gmail.com.
Rob Wilding, Publisher of The Stationer. He posts @robwilding96.
Life beyond trade publishing
A FEW years ago, after sending an Order Paper to press in the Palace of Westminster, I took a brief pause and wondered how on earth I got into the position I was, a Procedural Publisher for the House of Commons. Eerily quiet and gloomy, Parliament during the pandemic was not like the buzzy publishing offices I had worked in.
But there was something special here, an interesting life beyond the world of trade publishing I had worked in before. A life worth exploring.
The humble book is an object that lures so many young minds into publishing. But there is so much more to the industry than the paperback and hardcover: there is serial and journal publishing, online publishing operations, and the huge — yet not often touted — B2B sector.
There is so much more to the industry than the paperback and hardcover
Confession: I have always loved books. As a little boy, I devoured them. It made sense for me to go into publishing, armed with a degree in English, a thirst for the written word and the foamy stuff that comes out of casks.Â
After university, I set about applying for jobs in the trade, and… in came the rejection letters. I read somewhere that with the hundreds of applicants for each job, getting into publishing is as hard, if not harder, than getting into an elite university such as Cambridge or Oxford. I can believe it.
Eventually, something went my way and I got a job working at a publisher that specialised in westerns and crime thrillers. Finally! I had arrived. Only, it did not fill me with joy. It wasn’t exactly glamorous and the routes to progression were non-existent.Â
The company employed older staff who had already been there forever and weren’t going anywhere, and there did not seem to be any growth opportunities in the type of publishing they were doing.
The academic sector was a powerhouse and cultural force, yet seemingly below the radar
I soon grew restless and also discovered a bigger world of publishing through the Society of Young Publishers. This new world was bigger than the literary trade fiction that I had imagined made up the sector.Â
In fact, the academic sector was a powerhouse and cultural force, yet seemingly below the radar. After several interviews, I somehow chanced upon an advert for an independent, family-owned academic publisher that had strong credentials. It offered a good salary, benefits and had a great social scene.
So, I made the move. I was now an Assistant Editor in Media and Communication and Education, working in a trendy part of London with a disposable income. Days were spent wrestling with complex topics, distilling into blurbs. Nights were spent drinking and talking about current affairs.
It was brilliant because this was a richly diverse corporate culture where, with the correct attitude, you could soak up so much knowledge. I sat in on publishing meetings, spoke at length to experienced editors and learned from my friends in production and cover design how publishing worked.Â
It was in the joy (and pain) of owning my own list that I also began to see beyond just editorial
Journals publishing came as a revelation. It is a huge ecosystem that is not touted to young, want-to-be publishers. My eyes had been opened to a life beyond trade publishing.Â
I then moved to a hybrid academic trade publisher, Continuum (now a part of Bloomsbury). I stayed with books — only these were chunky textbooks that were decades in development. It was a dynamic and varied publisher where I further cut my teeth and commissioned some of the key books in my acquisitions career.Â
It was in the joy (and pain) of owning my own list that I also began to see beyond just editorial. How did the books get printed and get to market? How did they get sold and what manner of things happened downstairs in HR and Finance?Â
This curiosity meant that when the opportunity presented itself, I could join the House of Commons as a ‘Procedural Publisher’. Bliss for the kid who grew up loving books.
Gurdeep Mattu is now Editorial Project Manager at the British Standards Institute. Follow him on LinkedIn.
Industry takeaways
All major book publishers have entered into new streaming deals with Spotify, as the Swedish tech giant moves to enhance its audiobook offer and compete with dominant rival Amazon-owned Audible. The Bookseller reports.
The formal sale process for Telegraph Media Group and The Spectator began on October 20. Several well-known media figures have expressed interest in buying the news brands, including the owners of the Daily Mail, National World and Axel Springer. Press Gazette breaks down the latest runners and riders.
Three major European publishing trade bodies have urged the European Union to ‘act now’ and ‘ensure the transparency’ of generative artificial intelligence, The Guardian reports. It comes after The Atlantic broke the news that the pirated works of authors such as Zadie Smith and Stephen King had been used to train AI tools.
The Refill Coalition has launched a pilot at Aldi in its Solihull store, featuring a reusable bulk vessel to deliver refills at scale. The initiative aims to reduce single-use plastic packaging by letting retailers sell refill products at a cheaper price than their packaged equivalents. Packaging News has more.
Channel 4 has introduced QR codes for select commodities used on screen by the stars of reality series Made in Chelsea in a first-of-its-kind product placement. Philips products will be available to buy through codes to those watching live and on-demand, Campaign magazine reports.
Opportunities board
Are you the next comic book creative rising star? David Fickling Books is looking for the very best in up-and-coming creative talent to inspire short comic ideas for The Phoenix comic, the weekly children’s anthology comic for 7 to 14-year-olds. If you have a hilarious design concept and script, apply by November 12.
Creative Access has teamed up with McLaren Racing for the third year running to provide a career development bursary. Aimed at individuals from communities under-represented in the creative economy, successful applicants can receive any amount up to £1,000 to help them get to the next stage of their career. Deadline is November 8.
Several year-long placements in NBC’s digital media department are on offer for people who are still at university or have just graduated. Apply by November 6.
Grand Plan is a charity awarding £1,000 grants to people of colour based in the UK who want to bring a new creative project to life, including: poetry, paintings, fashion, zines, and photographs. Deadline is November 9.
Spend 12 weeks learning about financial journalism on the Bloomberg London Winter News Internship. Deadline is December 1.
A frightfully fantastic Young Stationers Annual Dinner
Drinks in flow, the Stationers’ Hall aglow and dazzling outfits on show, the Halloween-themed Young Stationers Annual Dinner on Friday 27 October was a frightfully fantastic event! Here are some snaps from the evening…
5 minutes with… Bill Bowkett
With every edition of The Stationer, we speak to a young professional working in the Communications and Content industries. This week, Emily Dexter sat down with Bill Bowkett, Editor of The Stationer and a news editor at the Daily Mail.
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview…
The Stationer is edited by Bill Bowkett. Please send thoughts, feedback and corrections to bill.bowkett@btinternet.com. Follow the Young Stationers on Facebook, X and Instagram. For more information, visit www.stationers.org/company/young-stationers.