How do we prepare the next generation of publishing industry leaders?

Let’s talk about mentoring

When was the last time you heard someone talk about mentoring in publishing? I talk about it all the time. When I started in the book trade in 1990, I was taken under the wing of our Sales & Marketing Director. For the first four years of my career, he shared his immense knowledge. He took me to book fairs to meet booksellers, he included me in meetings with library and educational suppliers. He taught me the importance of customer service and how to get distribution right for all my channel partners. When the company was sold, I was lucky to be led by two extraordinary women – the Managing Director and the General Manager. Together with the Business Manager, they taught me about leadership, communication, management, and how publishers operate as a business. I’m forever grateful to all those who spent their time giving me the best industry education possible. And, over the years, I’ve shared that experience with others.

Mentoring insights

To me, mentoring is about sharing knowledge and offering insights to help mentees grow. It’s also about skills development and using those for career advancement. And it’s about networking. When I was younger and heard the word “networking”, I was filled with dread. While I am naturally an extrovert, I thought networking meant small talk at parties and going to business events to “sell your wares”. But in this industry, having an extensive network is a wonderful way to increase your knowledge and expertise. It’s not something to fear – it’s something to grow. It’s also about confidence. And it’s about learning – discovering who’s who in the industry, and unearthing trends and opportunities. And learning from your mistakes!

Industry observations

A major concern for me in the past decade is people’s lack of knowledge about key players or sales channels. They don’t know the who’s who, they don’t know the what’s what. They have worked in publishing for many years but have not been encouraged to look outside their role or the company they work for – and this disturbs me. We are living in a time when the industry creates events to discuss the latest trends or issues but not everyone can attend, or the entry price is too high for smaller publishers. And then when people do attend, how do they share this knowledge with others?

Training and induction

I’ve heard horror stories about inductions at publishing companies. There was a time when a lot of thought was put into it – weeks of getting to know colleagues and what roles they performed. Months of learning about systems and how everything works. And longer for truly understanding the philosophy of a publishing company. Trust me, there is one. I worked for some years with David Cully at Baker & Taylor, and he once told me that “every publisher has its own story and once you knew what it was, you could find a way to work with them”. Staff may get a presentation from someone in HR which includes a slogan or mission statement that “represents” the organisation, but it takes a long time for that to take meaning. And some staff will never experience that. When it comes to workflows, responsibilities and decision making, there is often not enough documented, so you’re considered lucky if you get a proper hand-over with your predecessor. These days it’s a case of “hit the ground running” and that means some tasks fall between the cracks.

Let’s piece it altogether

Nowadays, I see many publishers failing to give their staff a thorough understanding of the industry as a whole. And not just in their region, but worldwide. People should know the organisations that play a part in how we operate globally. How does metadata work? How does the supply chain work? Who are the major e-book and audiobook players? Who provides content to libraries? What’s happening with textbooks? What are sales rights? How do authors get paid? How can we help our authors succeed? How does social media work? What genres are trending up and down – and why? I could come up with 100 questions that I expect publishing staff to know, regardless of their role.

Why mentoring is important

Everyone has a part to play and sharing knowledge is important. Having a mentoring programme – informal or formal – shows leadership and a commitment to the professional development of staff. Not only does it support their career development, it helps to attract top talent to your organisation. And from my own experience – whether mentor or mentee – it helps with personal development too. And it’s been highly rewarding.

I read somewhere that mentors can influence and shape the future of their industry. It can prepare the next generation of leaders. I’m more than happy to share my knowledge over the 34 years I’ve been in the industry. Are you?