The View from the (Highbrow) Bottom: The Life of the NYC Lit Assistant

In What's the Buzz by Helen Gregg

By Helen Gregg I had to look up what Moscots were before I got very far in Kat Stoeffel’s much-forwarded article about “highbrow bottom-feeders,” or, New York publishing assistants. Moscots, it turns out, are glasses, and, combined with a belted sweater dress, are the uniform of Ms. Stoeffel’s stereotype – an East-Coast-educated, hyper-literate, employer-idolizing, cliquish, either hardworking or pretty girl …

Who Really Benefits from the Growth in MFAs?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Today’s lead story discusses the creation of Quilliant.com — a new online writing community in the UK — and asks if such communities could replace creative writing programs. In 1990, there were perhaps a few dozen creative writing programs in the United States. Today, there are more than 300 such programs granting Masters of Fine Arts degrees. …

What Are the Hot Publishing Jobs of the Future?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Today’s lead story recounts three stores from publishing professionals who were fired during the ongoing economic recession. All three have subsequently found jobs, but only two of them in publishing. Judging by the number of names and jobs titles that have been changed in my own contact list/address book, I would guess the number of people employed …

Fired & Hired: Three Professionals on Working in the New Publishing Economy

In English Language by Daniel Kalder

Interviews by Daniel Kalder The 2008 financial meltdown cut a swath of destruction through many industries, and publishing was no exception. Today, Publishing Perspectives talks to three publishing professionals who were victims of the crash to find out how they coped, what they’re doing now, and how their experience changed their attitude to the world of books. Liz Scheier Until …

What are Your “Best Practices” for Publishing Career Development?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead story, Andrew  R. Malkin, VP of Book Content for Zinio, discusses the stages of his publishing career to date and offers five pieces of advice on how to navigate the choppy seas of the publishing world. There have been plenty of individuals in publishing around the world forced to reinvent themselves in the last year, …

Career Reinvention for Publishing Professionals

In Guest Contributors by Guest Contributor

By Andrew R. Malkin NEW YORK CITY: Fifteen years ago, after I already had spent ten years in trade book publishing with three major houses, I thought I had figured out my dream destination: a marketing manager spot under the tutelage of Carl Lennertz, at Knopf.  I had held two field sales positions for the Knopf Publishing Group in what …

Booksellers to Shed Clothes to Save Jobs

In German Buch News by Siobhan O'Leary

By Siobhan O’Leary Fewer Germans are landing training jobs at bookstores, says the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. As reported in buchreport, just 578 people completed apprenticeships in bookselling in 2009, that’s some 26.6% fewer than in 2008.  This may not come as a huge surprise given that both the Hugendubel and Mayersche book chains announced last …