So You Want to Work in Publishing?

Editor with books

You love books. You dream of a life surrounded by them. You picture yourself in a charmingly cluttered office, sipping artisanal coffee while discussing the finer points of literary genius.

Publishing: a world of books, book fairs, tote bags, and people who can write an 80,000-word novel but still don’t know how to use Track Changes. It’s glamorous in theory, chaotic in practice, and completely reliant on an army of overworked, underpaid professionals who make sure the books actually get made, printed, and sold.

If you’ve ever wondered who does what in a publishing house, let me introduce you to the entire cast of characters, from the boardroom to the warehouse.

Let me introduce you to publishing reality.

Publishing is a wonderful, maddening, ideas-fuelled industry where deadlines are lies, everyone is overworked, and nobody knows what’s actually selling. It’s a place where the intern has a master’s degree, editors are drowning in submissions, and entire careers are built around guessing what readers might like two years from now.

Still here? Good. Here’s who you’ll meet in a publishing house - and what they really do.

The People Who Run the Show (Sort Of)

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

The big, big boss. The visionary. The one who talks about ‘exciting new directions’ while everyone else panics about budget cuts. Gets name-checked in press releases, probably hasn’t read an actual manuscript in years. Sometimes the position can be shared - into a CEO partnership, shared responsibilities - the sort of George and Mildred arrangement.

Publisher

The high priest of taste and commercial viability. Decides what gets published, works closely with editors, and somehow balances literary credibility with making money. Often seen nodding gravely in meetings.

Publishing Managing Director (MD)

The person actually running the publishing business while the CEO does interviews about ‘the future of books’. Juggles budgets, board meetings, and ensuring the company doesn’t go bankrupt.

Finance Director / Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

The one who says no. Keeps the work money flowing (or not). Knows exactly how much that full-colour, die-cut, foil-embossed special edition is going to cost and will absolutely fight you on it.

The People Who Find and Shape the Books

Editorial Director

Oversees the editors. Decides what books are worth investing in and publishing, which means reading a terrifying number of proposals. Smiles politely when someone says, "I’ve written a book. It’s a cross between Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code - it's a new genre: Cozy Murdermance"

Commissioning Editor / Acquisitions Editor

The gatekeepers. Decide which books get signed. Spend their days soothing authors, reading submissions, and dodging enthusiastic would-be novelists at book fairs.

Development Editor

The book whisperer. Takes a raw manuscript and turns it into something readable. Has mastered the art of gently telling authors their work is a mess without making them cry.

Copy Editor

The grammar ninja. Catches every misplaced comma, factual inconsistency, and the fact that the protagonist’s eyes were green in Chapter 1 and blue in Chapter 7.

Proofreader

The last line of defence. If a book goes to print with a typo, guess who gets blamed, may not be a job and replaced by AI?

Managing Editor

The publishing project manager. Keeps everything running on schedule. Or at least tries to. Has a permanent tension headache.

The People Who Make Books Look Good

Creative Director

Has big, beautiful ideas and a Pinterest board full of inspiration. Thinks in typography, colour palettes, and “visual storytelling”. Also the one who has to explain why that stunning cover design isn’t going to work in a 2cm Amazon thumbnail.

Art Director

Oversees book covers, interiors, and marketing materials. Spends their days wrangling illustrators and explaining to editors that good design takes time and no, they can’t just ‘Photoshop it quickly’.

Illustrator

Creates the artwork that makes children’s books magical and history books engaging. Often found working at 3 AM, fuelled by over whelming enthusiasm and sheer artistic stubbornness.

Graphic Designer

Takes all the ideas and actually makes them work. Knows more fonts than you knew existed.

The People Who Get the Books Printed and Shipped

Production Director

Ensures books actually exist in physical form. Works with printers, negotiates with suppliers, and battles ever-changing paper costs. Often muttering about delays.

Operations Manager

The supply chain mastermind. Ensures books reach bookshops, warehouses, and customers without vanishing into a logistical black hole.

Production Controller

Makes sure every book is printed on time, on budget, and without the text somehow printing upside down.

The People Who Make Sure Books Sell

Sales Director

Convinces bookshops, supermarkets, and online retailers that this book is the one they should stock. Juggles sales figures, industry trends, and the latest crisis at Waterstones.

Key Account Manager

Manages relationships with big retailers like Amazon, WHSmith, and Tesco. Knows which books are getting prime placement and which are destined for the bottom shelf.

Publicity Director / PR Manager

Secures media coverage, interviews, and book reviews. If an author is on TV promoting their book, this is the person who made it happen. "Swooped in to scoop", "in a six-figure deal", "epic stand party",“upbeat, particularly from commercial fiction publishers”, “Romantasy is still very much in favour".

Marketing Director

Creates buzz. Runs social media campaigns, plans book launches, and somehow convinces people that books are exciting in a world full of Netflix and TikTok.

Social Media Manager

Runs the publisher’s Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Tries to make books go viral. Occasionally regrets career choices.

Events Coordinator

Plans book tours, launches, and literary festivals. Always stressed. Can often be heard saying, “But where will we get 500 signed copies by tomorrow?”

The People Who Sell Rights and Handle the Legal Bits

Rights Director

Sells international and subsidiary rights. Negotiates foreign editions, film deals, and that dream adaptation on Netflix.

Subsidiary Rights Manager

Finds ways to monetise books beyond direct sales, including licensing, book clubs, and serialisation.

Contracts Manager

The legal guru who ensures authors get paid (eventually) and that everything is airtight in case of lawsuits.

The People Who Keep the Office Running

HR Director

Hires people, fires people, and tries to keep workplace morale above “mild despair”, has an employment lawyer on speed dial.

Personal Assistant (PA) / Executive Assistant

Keeps the CEO and senior execs from forgetting everything important. Knows where the bodies are buried.

Legal Counsel

Advises on contracts, copyright issues, and why publishing that unauthorised biography might not be a great idea.

The Forgotten but Essential People

The Intern

The most overqualified, underpaid person in the building. Knows how to use the publisher’s ancient software better than the IT Guy.

Might be hired at the end of the internship (but probably not).

The Receptionist

The frontline defence against uninvited visitors, lost couriers, and authors who “just popped by.”

Knows exactly who’s in the office, who’s avoiding calls, and where the good biscuits are hidden.

The Cleaners

The only reason the office doesn’t look like a landfill.

Completely invisible until they move someone’s coffee mug, at which point all hell breaks loose.

The Warehouse Manager

The person who actually knows where the books are.

Absolutely does not care about your last-minute delivery.

The IT Guy

Nobody knows what they do until something breaks.

Disappears for months, then magically reappears when a server crashes.

The ISBN Expert

Knows more about ISBNs than should be humanly possible.

Never gets the credit they deserve.

So, Where Do You Fit In?

If you’re wondering where you belong in publishing, ask yourself:

Do you love books but hate people? → Editorial or Design.

Do you love books and enjoy talking? → Sales or Publicity.

Do you want to make books happen? → Production or Operations.

Do you want to own the whole circus? → Start your own publishing house.

(May the gods help you.)

Publishing is chaotic, underpaid, and utterly addictive. If you’re still here, you might just belong.

Remind myself not to start another publishing company.

(Probably going to start one anyway.)

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