Holly W.
About me
| Holly W. | |
| English and Related Literature | |
| English | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Langwith | |
| 2017 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Editor | |
| HarperCollins | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Journalism and publishing |
Like this profile?
Add this profile to your favourites so you can return to it later from your account.
A day in the life of a Editor in the United Kingdom
I'm really passionate about helping people who don't have connections to the industry, or who might not know much about publishing but have an interest in it.
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
I work for HarperCollins Publishers, in their education imprint, Collins. HarperCollins is one of the 'Big 5' publishers in the UK, publishing books for adults and children, in lots of countries around the world. Collins publishes education and reference books for both primary and secondary, for the UK and internationally, and for use in schools and at home.
What do you do?
My day-to-day role is largely commissioning and project management. I manage a number of different projects, across a range of subjects to get them from commissioning the authors to publishing the books. I manage budgets and schedules to make sure that everything goes to plan, and work with various different freelancers to produce the books, including editors, typesetters, illustrators, researchers, authors and designers. I make sure that all of these people are working correctly, and to schedule, and manage problems as they arise.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
After graduating, I did a summer internship at a university press, working in their editorial team, and following the internship I freelanced for them. Alongside this freelance work, I did various customer service roles, before getting my internship in my current team, where I've been ever since, in various roles.
The summer internship was definitely pivotal in giving me real life experience in publishing, and a chance to understand how it works and what a role there would be like. It was also a good insight into education publishing, which can be quite different to trade publishing.
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
I initially thought I'd go into newspaper editing, but the generally sector is pretty similar to what I expected I'd end up doing.
Describe your most memorable day at work
One of my most memorable (and challenging) days was finding out that a project that I thought I had a 12 month schedule for, was now due in 1 month's time. I needed to really quickly think on my feet, involve my team, and figure out how we'd make that work. It's an extreme example, but schedules are often really tight, and we're often adapting to changes as they happen. It's challenging, but really motivating.
Are there any challenges associated with your job?
So much of my job involves working with different people, and figuring out the way to work with them that creates the best results. The main challenge is constantly adapting how you approach people and work with them, and learning how to manage expectations, and have difficult discussions about things like budgets and contracts.
What’s your work environment and culture like?
We have a hybrid working environment, so everyone works two days minimum in the office - we structure these so that teams are in on the same days, so that we can have meetings in person as much as possible. It's quite an informal environment - there's no particular dress code.
It's a really supportive atmosphere, with everyone being really willing to share knowledge and expertise, and pitch in to help when someone needs support.
Having a healthy work/life balance is something I think people do struggle with - the workload can be quite high, and with quite tight schedules there's often a sense of urgency. However, it's not impossible to manage.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
I edited for Nouse while at university, which was the key bit of experience for me in terms of knowing what I wanted to do, and being able to demonstrate those skills in job applications. I got practical editorial skills, but also the soft skills like working in a team, working to tight deadlines and delegating work that are essential for any career.
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
Definitely don't expect to immediately get your dream role, or a job in your dream sector - I did a few different things after graduating, all of which were useful in the long run and gave me a chance to really think about what I wanted to do. Also, stay open to various opportunities, even if they aren't exactly what you want to do - give things a go, and see how they fit.
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
I'm happy to answer questions about:
- my role
- the publishing industry in general
- applications for jobs and internships
- advice on getting experience/the sort of experience required for my role
I'm really passionate about helping people who don't have connections to the industry, or who might not know much about publishing but have an interest in it.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Holly’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Holly a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Holly to be your mentor.