Episode 262 of bookcareers.com Live

What is it like starting out again? Everything in your world feels fantastic and then, BANG! Life throws a series of curveballs.

Lucy Melville talks to us about some of those curveballs, and how they led to her starting a brand new publishing imprint, The River Light Press, part of the Aurora Metro Group.

We also discuss with Lucy her views on the Publishing Jobs of the Future.

Lucy is currently reading English Pastoral : An Inheritance by James Rebanks*

From this episode:-
Lucy Melville on LinkedIn
The River Light Press
The Aurora Metro Group
Richard Charkin on Academic v Trade Publishing
Klopotek (ERP/Enterprise Resource Planner)

There is a simultaneous video of this episode, which you can watch here.

*Affiliate link

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Episode 261 of bookcareers.com Live

Frankfurter Buchmesse is coming up in October, (the dates are 15-19 October 2025) and in this episode of bookcareers Live, we speak to Erin Cox, the US publicist for the buchmesse about why everyone is talking about Frankfurt?

Whether you’re a seasoned Frankfurt visitor or someone who has never been, we discuss what the aims of the Buchmesse are, who goes and what it is like. You’ll learn what to look out for as well as how you can participate remotely.

We also continue our conversation about Publishing Jobs of the Future, and as Eric is also a course lecturer on two Publishing courses in the USA, she has her own views about how jobs within the industry are changing.

The book Erin is reading is My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones*

This is the first bookcareers Live episode to have a simultaneous YouTube edition. If you prefer video instead of audio you can watch here

Mentioned in this episode:-

*Affiliate links

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August is the birthday of Bookcareers.com.

It is now 26 years since our website went online and we’re celebrating by having a makeover. We’ve got a number of exciting projects coming too.

There’s a brief chat about a small part of the bookcareers history in this episode of bookcareers Live, our careers podcast.

What the episode doesn’t mention is the environment in which we launched. There was nothing – not a thing- encouraging people to look at book publishing as a career. The CEO of the Publishing Training Centre (the late Dag Smith) at the time told me ‘you’ve got your work cut out for you’. No publisher was interested in careers as ‘we already have far too many applicants’. How times have changed.

If you want to watch the video from our 20th birthday, you can find it here.
https://youtu.be/XaPnDuLBJIo

Most of all a HUGE BIG THANK YOU to each and every Trade Association, Organisation, Publisher, client and every individual one of you for your contribution and input to the success of bookcareers over the years.

THANK YOU.

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Episode 260 bookcareers.com Live – Starting a Micro Publisher

Have you ever thought about starting a micro publisher – a small but perfectly formed publishing house of your own? Katie Isbester PhD did just that when she started the award-winning publisher, Claret Press.

In this episode of bookcareers.com live, we speak to Katie about her inspiration for setting up Claret Press  and the one thing she wish she knew before starting up. We discuss how AI is being used in the day to day work of book publishing, what is changing in current roles, and what led her to writing her book Secrets of Micro Publishing . Altogether, it is an interesting conversation which will benefit publishers old and new.

Contact details:-

The books mentioned in this episode are:-

Secrets of Micro Publishing by Katie Isbester*

* = Affiliate Links

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Episode 259 bookcareers.com Live – Talking AI with Heloise Wood from The Bookseller

The Bookseller magazine recently conducted a survey to explore how AI is currently being used across the industry. So we invited Heloise Wood, Deputy News Editor at The Bookseller, to come and chat to us about the results.

Heloise shares the story behind how the AI survey came about, We discuss the key findings of the survey, looking into how publishers are currently adopting AI tools across various departments. Heloise also highlights some of the more surprising results, revealing unexpected trends and attitudes within the industry.

As part of our ongoing discussion about publishing jobs of the future, we also examine whether AI is likely to create new roles and which existing roles may be most at risk.

Heloise was reading Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie*

Heloise Wood can be found on LinkedIn

*Affiliate link

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Episode 258 bookcareers.com Live – Travelling for Work with Emma House

Emma House, one of the co-founders of Publishers Without Borders, is an International Publishing Consultant, who is forever travelling internationally for work.

In this episode of bookcareers.com Live we speak to Emma about the work she does and ask her for many tips about international travel, whether you’re a first-time traveller or a seasoned pro. We discuss the benefits of overseas travel for publishers and the difference a face to face meeting has over one that is online. How do you convince your employer to send you on an international trip? In addition, Emma gives sound advice for those who may be travelling internationally for work for the first time.

We also continue the conversation regarding the use of AI in publishing and how Emma sees roles changing and the jobs which may be at risk.

Emma is reading the International Booker Prize Winner Heart Lamp by Banu Mustaq and translated by Deepak Bhasthi*

You can find Emma House on LinkedIn.

*Affiliate Link

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Episode 257 bookcareers.com Live – Publishing Training with Chris Glennie

When we’re talking about skills training and development, who better to chat to than Chris Glennie, Chair of the Publishing Training Centre?

In this episode of bookcareers live we talk to Chris about his background, how he started in publishing as well as what the Publishing Training Centre is up to at the moment. We continue our ongoing discussions on ‘Publishing Jobs of the Future’ and look at the impact AI is having on jobs within publishing at present.

You can find Chris Glennie on LinkedIn. 

Other items mentioned in this episode.

*Affiliate link

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Episode 256 bookcareers.com Live – Careers in Design with Clare Baggaley 

An area of publishing which has always drawn attention, is design, Whether it be book cover design, interior design, layouts or graphics for marketing and social media posts.

In this episode of bookcareers Live, we speak to Clare Baggaley, Creative Director, Art Director, Book Designer and the person who designed the amazing cover for How to Job Search in Book Publishing:The Ultimate Insider’s Guide.  Clare talks about working in book design and discusses many topics such as the qualifications needed, getting experience without working for free, and the opportunities available.

Clare Baggaley can be found on LinkedIn and at Mischief of Magpies.

The book Clare is reading is The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan (Bloomsbury)*

*Affiliate links

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Episode 255 bookcareers.com Live AI in Editorial with Meru Gokhale from Editrix AI

We continue to look at how AI is influencing publishing roles. This week we speak to former Publisher at Penguin Random House, India, Meru Gokhale. Meru has created Editrix which helps support Editors and Writers in the developmental editing process.

In this episode of bookcareers Live, Meru talks about how AI is influencing publishing, what inspired her to develop Editrix and plans for the future. We look at how Editrix is changing the nature of Editorial roles and what it means for the industry.

Meru Gokhale can be found on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meru-gokhale/

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bookcareers Live – Episode 254 – Publishing Jobseekers Q & A

This episode of bookcareers.com Live is a live recording of the question and answer section of a recent bookcareers Job Club meeting.

In this Q&A Suzanne answers 29 questions from how do I stand out in publishing? Is there a place for Neurodiverse people in publishing? What is a recruiter looking for? Where should an entry level person network? and so much more.

During this episode the following organisations and items were mentioned:

How to Job Search in Book Publishing: The Ultimate Insider’s Guide

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