Manchester Writing School co-hosts Publishing Conference 2021 with Comma Press

Early-career publishers heard from industry experts at the two-day online conference

Aspiring publishing professionals had the opportunity to hear from industry experts at the Publishing Conference 2021, hosted by Manchester Writing School in partnership with Comma Press.

The two-day online conference, which took place on April 24 – 25, was attended by early-career publishers who are looking to build a career in the industry.  

The Publishing Conference 2021 was designed to make publishing more transparent and to increase accessibility to the sector, particularly for those in the North of England where the conference would usually take place.

The conference kicked off with the first of two free events ‘An introduction to publishing’ where agent and publisher James Spackman gave an insightful introduction to the publishing industry.

The second free event ‘How to break into the industry’ was chaired by SYP North and saw Anne Ashworth, Head of Employee Apprenticeships at Pearson Plc, Suzy Astbury, Managing Director of Inspired Selection, Raakhi Vadera, HR Manager at Pan Macmillan discussing the routes into the industry as well as offering advice on how to apply for opportunities.

More than 300 people viewed both of these panel events during the weekend, which can be watched again on Comma Press’ YouTube channel. 

It's been a joy to move this event online and design an accessible weekend conference at a time when so many aspiring publishers across the country are looking for ways to get their foot in the door or the industry

A wide range of ticketed events also took place which included presentations from industry professionals in the areas of editorial, production, sales, publicity, rights, marketing, audio and starting your own press.

The conference concluded with a CV and interview skills workshop delivered by Debbie Williams, Lecturer in MA Publishing at Manchester Metropolitan.

Zoe Turner, Manchester Metropolitan graduate and Publicist and Editorial Assistant at Manchester-based independent publisher Comma Press, who organised The Publishing Conference 2021 said: “It's been a joy to move this event online and design an accessible weekend conference at a time when so many aspiring publishers across the country are looking for ways to get their foot in the door or the industry, and I'm grateful to our partners at Manchester Metropolitan and all of our guest speakers who have agreed to share their knowledge.”

The Publishing Conference 2021 is the latest example of the ongoing partnership between Manchester Writing School and Comma Press.

Comma Press are a not-for-profit publisher specialising in short story and fiction in translation. They have worked closely with Manchester Writing School to co-design a new MA in Publishing course, which welcomed its first cohort of students last September.

Working with Comma has been one of the highlights of the MA in Publishing at Manchester Metropolitan - they have brought decades of experience and industry expertise, as well as a wide range of contacts, to help our students on their career paths in publishing.

Delivered in partnership with Comma Press, the course equips students with the knowledge and skills for a variety of careers in publishing. With strong links to the Northern Fiction Alliance alongside visits from publishers Hachette and Harper Collins, students hear from experts from across the publishing industry.

This collaboration follows on from Manchester Writing School and Comma Press partnering over the past six years to deliver the annual National Creative Writing Industry Day, which gives aspiring writers an introduction to the publishing industry.

Dr Olivia Michael, Programme Leader of MA in Publishing, said: “The Publishing Conference organised by leading independent Comma Press in association with Manchester Metropolitan was a great success, introducing early career and aspiring publishers to speakers from all aspects of the industry, helping them to plan their CVs and take their specialist interests further.

“Working with Comma has been one of the highlights of the MA in Publishing at Manchester Metropolitan - they have brought decades of experience and industry expertise, as well as a wide range of contacts, to help our students on their career paths in publishing.”

Sarah Cleave, Publishing Manager at Comma Press, said: 'We loved having the opportunity to host a jam-packed weekend of talks and events on careers in publishing and showcase some of the fantastic work being done by people across the industry.

“The event celebrated the many different routes into publishing, giving insight into the different roles and how publishing houses of different sizes and specialisms operate. We hope The Publishing Conference galvanised those who might have previously felt that a career in publishing was out of their reach, and helped them to plan their next steps.”