Getting started in journalism and publishing

Journalists produce content for magazines, newspapers, radio, television, and, increasingly, online publications. As well as producing written content, journalists can be employed to produce other forms of content such as data-sets, images, videos, live blogs and so on. Competition for jobs within the industry is extremely high and enthusiasm and previous experience are highly prized by employers.

The UK has a strong publishing industry, the second largest in Europe. Roughly half of the industry is located in London and the South East. Freelancers make up around 15 per cent of the workforce. Similar stats apply to the journalism sector.

Publishing traditionally referred to the creation and distribution of books, newspapers, music and magazines. More recently, the creation and increased use of electronic media has widened the scope of publishing significantly. Now a huge volume of websites, emails, computer games, software and blogs are published each day around the world and this has increased the diversity of the industry and the roles within it.

Networking

Working in this sector is all about contacts, so it is a good idea to think about building up your network during your studies, to help you gain potential work experience opportunities and ultimately a graduate job. A key way to do this is through crafting a strong social media presence via sites such as LinkedIn, which allow you access to key players within the sector. Joining a relevant society, and attending events to network with industry professionals, are also great ways to gain insight of the sector, and to build contacts in the industry. Check out the following resources to help you to start increasing your network in this industry:

• How to Network
• Society of Young Publishers
• Jobs in Books
• London Book Fair
• The Literary Consultancy