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Careers in Publishing Roadshows

In 2024 New Writing North teamed up with Hachette UK to deliver Careers in Publishing Roadshows to schools in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland. Over 1200 students attended a live Careers in Publishing event at their school.

Hachette publishing staff and Hachette author Daniel Tawse travelled to each school for a live event about careers in writing and publishing. Participating schools also received a digital masterclass with Hachette, where editors, publicists, designers and rights executives provided students with insight into a day in the life of their specific role. 23 Hachette UK employees volunteered their time to take part in a live or digital event, showcasing the range of career paths within Hachette and the wider publishing industry. Each school also received a selection of Hachette books and accompanying resources as part of New Writing North’s Balance the Books scheme.

Why we did it?

Research from major UK publishers has shown that people from the North East are extremely underrepresented in publishing. In 2021 Hachette UK opened five new national offices in Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Newcastle. The aim was to create a gateway to a new and diverse pool of publishing professionals and authors from across the UK. For young people in the region, whether their aspirations were to move away or stay in the North East, a career in publishing was now attainable.

With this project, we wanted to introduce the idea of publishing as a viable career path to students as young as 11 from across the North East. The Careers in Publishing roadshows focussed on the breadth of jobs within publishing as well as the skills you need to realise these ambitions. By bringing the industry to students in their own classrooms and assembly halls, we are showing young people that publishing is for everyone.

Supported by

  • North East Combined Authority

  • Hachette UK

  • All Together Network