As recently as five to seven years ago, careers in the publishing industry were actually limited because of the small number of existing publishing houses, and the majority of those have been privately owned for generations and remain so today. However, many opportunities exist within the publishing industry because of the new innovative technology that has arisen out of the Internet.

Probably the most obvious job within the publishing sector is that of an author. The second most well known or recognized job outside of the publishing industry would be a literary agent, and the third is editor.

Authors write the material or text that is to be published. They submit their work to literary agents who liase with editors of publishing companies. Sometimes authors will forward their work directly onto the editor, foregoing the agent who will take a percentage cut of the author’s fee. If the author is really lucky, the editor may call him directly with a job.

A publisher is the person who owns the publishing company and prints the books, periodicals, newspapers, etc. This role has really opened up because of the innovations made in printing technology and how people choose to read. Print on demand technologies allows a book or magazine to be printed as it is ordered by the customer, instead of the traditional route of printing thousands of copies at once. Also, people are becoming more accustomed to reading using their computers. With the introduction of the Kindle, less and less actual print materials will be produced. College text books, for example, are moving to an online format because of the Kindle. Because of the low start-up costs of print on demand and online publishing, more and more individuals are starting their own publishing businesses.

There are other lesser known jobs in the industry other than author, agent, editor, and publisher. One of these lesser known roles is that of author publicist. The publicist takes the published book, the author, and puts together a public relations campaign that goes beyond simple marketing. If the author is a growing phenomenon, chances are that the publicist will stand beside the author during book tours.

Another less known job is that of a first reader. A first reader is not paid very much and normally does the work for the pure enjoyment of reading as opposed to the paycheck. In some ways, the first reader is much like an editor in that he or she plays a part in whether an unpublished text (normally a book or novel) is accepted by the publishing company. The first reader sloshes through what is known as the unsolicited manuscript pile, and if he or she discovers a story that they like, then they pass that text on to the editor.

Louise G is a prolific business author and marketing consultant. Louise has been involved in the development of successful marketing strategies for many leading internet businesses. Examples of Louises work can be found at http://publishingjobs1.co.uk/ for publishing jobs

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