How to Start a Career in Publishing

Everybody knows the publishing industry is struggling, but that has never stopped passionate readers and writers from entering the field.

Today’s guest on the Morning Media Menu was Peter Ginna, publisher and editorial director at Bloomsbury Press. Ginna fielded questions from a listener about how to get a start in publishing during this difficult time for the media industry. The publisher also discussed his new blog, the hardcover pricing war, and the most important skills needed to work in 21st Century publishing.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview: “You have to recognize you are going into a very volatile industry. I think the most important thing for anybody going into the industry now is to really learn as much as you can, and, to the extent that you can, master social media. That’s going to be the most important channel that publishers have to sell books. It’s one of the areas we’ve been struggling with–so many of the traditional avenues that publishers have used to communicate with readers…are disappearing or dwindling or being transformed themselves. The great promise of the Internet for publishing is that it’s the most effective way we’ve ever had to get the word out about our books to potential readers.”

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.