Behind the Books Bi-Weekly Update 29 September 2025

Hello! This is my bi-weekly update on publishing. I hope you haven’t missed me too much, but here I am again with another catch-up for all you wonderful people who are dying to get into the industry just as much as I am. So, without further ado, here’s another segment of the blind leading the blind!

I got rejected from another job application, right at the earliest stage, and two thoughts hit me straight away. First: thank goodness I actually heard back. I mean, it’s the bare minimum, but these days it feels like gold dust. At least I didn’t spend months waiting, only to eventually assume it was a quiet “no.”

Secondly, and this is something I’m struggling with more than ever, if you’re lucky enough to get a clear rejection, the reason often doesn’t make sense. The main feedback tends to be: unfortunately, you don’t have the most relevant experience. But here’s the contradiction: the job ad itself not only frames the role as entry-level, it often reassures applicants with lines like “No prior publishing experience necessary.” And yet, clearly, it is. It sometimes feels like passion and persistence only take you so far. Those who get shortlisted usually have more direct experience, and of course they deserve to, but it highlights how tough it is for newcomers to actually get that first break.

Sometimes I wonder if “entry-level” has taken on a different meaning. These roles often appear to require little or no prior experience, yet in practice the expectations can be much higher. It can feel disheartening: you begin with hope, only to realise that breaking into the very first stage of the industry is far more difficult than you can begin to imagine. Unfortunately, that’s the reality of publishing right now.

After all, in this economy things are tough, everyone’s struggling, and landing a job feels like nothing but stress and a battle. It feels like everyone is forced to take roles below their skill set, and by the time it trickles down to the bottom, “entry level” no longer means what it did five or ten years ago. I don’t know, it’s just confusing. I need experience to get recognised, and while I have skills in literature and admin, it seems what really matters is direct publishing experience. But how do you get that without already having a job in publishing? I wouldn’t be applying if I did. So I keep chasing experience that edges closer to the industry without quite being there, and the cycle continues. Ah well. Better luck next time.

And to all my lost bookworms,

Stay Steadfast x