Eoin Purcell
Random thoughts sometimes spark notions
I have been asked to speak to the students of the NUIG Masters of Literature & Publishing again this year (I chatted with a class last year too and really enjoyed it).
It got me thinking about how committed to publishing Irish people are when they first look for jobs in the industry.
For instance, I was more than willing to move to the UK and (had I the right to) the US for work in a publishing firm. When I finished my history masters I interviewed at a number of large multinationals in the Cambridge and Oxford. I was lucky enough to be offered a job with one of them. Had it not been for the intervention of happy fate, I would probably still be working in UK or multinational firms instead of Mercier Press.
I wonder how many grads are actually willing to make such long moves? Maybe I am unfairly judging, I do know that many people travel for their careers. I get a sense however that if everyone who expressed a desire to work in publishing did work in the UK publishing industry, no English, Scots or Welsh would!
All of this is as a prelude to my real point, which is that if there are any children’s books editors who have the right to live and work in the US this may just be the best job I have seen going for a while. The money line for me:
Provide editorial support for Narnia publishing program
As a tiny resource for those who do want to travel but have no clue where to start, try these:
The Macmillan Graduate Scheme: Does what it says on the tin really. One of the largest publishers gives graduates a chance to shine (or fail rapidly, but at least you’ll know)
Inspired Selection: To my mind THE recruitment agency to deal with in the UK, especially for starter positions in publishing. I found them lovely in the past, always willing to help.
If you don’t know anything about the UK industry, The Bookseller is a source of info that you should not ignore.
Read Snowblog for a small independent publishers perspective.
Oh and check out the Guardian Jobs site too.
If you qualify, you’d be mad not to want the job, and mad not to be willing to travel for it too, that’s all I’m sayin!
Eoin
PS Liking Niamh Sharkey’s blog very much indeed.
Eoin Purcell's Blog 
Yargh, stop telling everyone! 😛
Took me some active Googling to work all that out for myself.
Though as long as we’re being nice people who share information with the internets, http://www.publishingireland.com are always handy for finding out if there are actually any jobs in the Irish market, via la Careers section.
Also, if people do relocate to the UK, it’s VERY worth joining the Society of Young Publishers. I did when I first moved to London, and volunteered to run their jobs database (ta da!) and got a great job out of it. They have over 400 members now, and it’s a great way to network and make friends in the industry – particularly if you’re new in town. They have branches in London, Oxford, and I think they just started one in Edinburgh.
I’ve maintained my membership since coming home to Dublin, and though I miss out on events, it’s still helpful towards keeping an eye on developments, career moves etc.
http://www.thesyp.org.uk