Are publishers born or made? | Kingston University London

Kingston University will be hosting a one-day conference on 17 January 2012 addressing this question. The mentoring scheme often includes opportunities for students to undertake an internship, and the conference will discuss the nature of these placements and their value on cvs.

http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/activities/item.php?updatenum=1985

8th Annual Coaching and Mentoring Research Conference, Oxford Brookes University

Oxford Brookes University are hosting a one-day coaching/mentoring conference on 19 January 2012. The keynote speaker will be David Clutterbuck, who has written a number of authoritative books on mentoring. http://www.business.brookes.ac.uk/futures/events/

The project | Publishing Scotland

Publishing Scotland have initiated a 6 month scheme that encourages a number of selected Scottish publishers to sharpen their market research and commissioning strategies. It is encouraging them to rethink their approach to research and the books market, and be increasingly specific in their methodologies. Frances Sessford, of Stirling University's Centre for Publishing Studies, provided an overview of the first meeting.

Matching underway

Many thanks to all of the mentoring applicants. I am currently working my way through each student application, and will be in contact with everyone shortly.

2011 Mentoring Scheme | Deadline extended

The application closing date has been extended until Monday 18 July.

The 2011 SYP Mentoring Scheme

The 2011 SYP Mentoring Scheme is now open, and I encourage applications from members who have a specific career goal in mind which could be facilitated through 1 to 1 mentoring with an industry professional.

Please submit your application via the entry page -- http://www.thesyp.org.uk/mentoring/reg.php -- with 100 words on what your goal is, and how a mentor could assist you. Please be as specific as possible in terms of the area your interest/goal lies within e.g. STM, trade, children's.

Q&A | Getting into publishing

On Monday 4 July, between 1--4pm, there will be a live Q&A session via the Guardian Careers website centred around the routes into the publishing industry and the traditional career roles.

Further details: http://careers.guardian.co.uk/careers-blog/careers-in-publishing

Guidelines for employers | Internships

A regular feature of the SYP Mentoring Scheme is the opportunity for SYP students to partake in internships arranged by their mentors. The format of each internship varies by publishing house: some companies, for example, will have specific projects for interns to work on, will run them from a week to several months, and pay either travelling costs, lunch or a set amount per day.

Skillset have put together the following good practice guidelines for employers: recommendations which encompass learning outcomes to expenses to the maximum hours per week: http://www.skillset.org/companies/your_staff/placements/article_7670_1.asp

Mentors | Your skills needed

The 2010 mentoring scheme has now finished, and I have received the majority of feedback from participating mentors and students. My sincere thanks to them all. (I will be displaying the feedback in a separate posting to follow.)

And so on to 2011. The mentoring scheme will begin again in June. This is its third year, and I would encourage experienced publishing professionals from all areas (editorial, production, and especially marketing and sales) and across all sectors (STM to trade) to consider being a mentor. Please contact me for further information. Your efforts will never go unnoticed.

'The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%.' Andrew Carnegie

Skillset | National Occupational Standards for Publishing

The following SkillSet resource - http://www.skillset.org/standards/standards/publishing/ - is useful if you wish to understand the different, generic tasks and responsibilities of publishers at key stages.

It is also ideal for identifying gaps within your knowledge/skill base that mentoring might well address. If you are considering undertaking mentoring in 2011 and wish to make your goal more specific / measurable / achievable / realistic / timely, this link is recommended reading.

Recruitment processes in 2010

The following report, commissioned by Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies, may be of interest to mentors/students when thinking of strategies of applying for industry vacancies:

http://ah.brookes.ac.uk/resources/Recruitment-Research-finalReport2010.pdf

One quoted figure that stuck out for me: 69 people on average are applying for each position. I am involved in recruitment and selection, and for externally-advertised development editor/editorial assistant roles have never received such a high number of applicants as this (often in the 15 to 30 category). This can be discouraging for applicants, but it is worth remembering that the interview itself is good experience, and strong candidates are kept on file and in mind for future vacancies.

The increasing number of paid internships being offered by publishing companies is encouraging, and beneficial for both parties.

Meet the mentor | Richard Hart

Richard Hart established his own publishing company, Hart Publishing in Oxford, after a successful career as commissioning editor with OUP. Richard, Managing Director, has been mentoring a student whose aim is to establish their own publishing house providing academic and general interest books about Islam to the English-speaking Muslim community, as well as to the general interested reader. Richard has been advising the student on business start-up and establishing their publishing programme.

Richard has been of great support to the SYP in recent years: presenting a talk (on independent publishers competing with multinationals) at his offices; contributing to the annual careers conference; and now acting as a mentor. I have nothing but gratitude for his selfless contribution to publishing fellowship.

What makes a great publisher | Gordon Graham interview

Gordon Graham, to whom the SYP Mentoring Scheme is dedicated, has recently been interviewed on the subject of his career and what makes a great publisher.

http://thebibliofile.ca/legendary-gordon-graham-talks-about-his-career-and-what-makes-a-great-publisher

Happy New Year!

A belated Happy New Year to all SYP Mentors and Students.

As the 2010 Mentoring Scheme is now officially at an end, I will shortly be in touch with everybody involved to collect your feedback from the SYP Mentoring Scheme. Thank you all for your sterling input into the initiative.