Work in Publishing Week

This week is ‘Work in Publishing Week’, so to celebrate, we wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to our wonderful team of editors and content specialists, as well as sharing some of our favourite things about working in the publishing industry.

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But before that, what do we do?

At Orso Publishing, we help educational and non-fiction publishers, EdTech companies, and other educators to create high-quality resources in STEM subjects. We do all of our editorial work and content creation in-house, and we’ll only work on subjects that we have a high level of understanding in ourselves, so that we know we can engage with exactly what’s needed to make the project a success.

All of our team have degree-level (or higher!) knowledge of at least one STEM subject, as well as plenty of experience working hands-on with editorial and content projects, and so we all love to get stuck into our clients’ projects and work closely with their in-house teams. That might involve in-depth editorial work, multi-media project management, hands-on digital content creation, such as videos and illustrations, or online lesson building (or all of the above!).

We asked some members of our team what it is they enjoy about working in educational publishing, and here’s what they said:

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Interviews with the team

Abi – Junior Content Specialist

How did you get into educational publishing?

After completing an internship in industrial scientific research, I decided that I wanted to explore alternative career pathways in which I could still use my chemistry degree. I realised that I had a knack for proofreading work for friends at university, and this made me really start to consider jobs in publishing. I was excited to find a role in STEM educational publishing in which I can use my scientific background every day to create learning resources to help students in their own science education.

What has surprised you most about publishing?

Publishing is a huge process and there are so many different steps that go into making books and other resources. This means it is a highly collaborative industry, so you get to work with lots of different people at each stage of a project. I have found that the stereotype of proofreading long manuscripts all day is not accurate, as projects can range from editing revision materials to producing animated videos. The work is a lot more creative than you might expect and I have learnt a lot of new skills, such as audio and video editing and digital illustration.

What advice would you give to anybody wanting to work in publishing?

You don’t need a humanities degree to get a job in publishing. As a science student, I wasn’t sure how to go about getting into publishing without a humanities degree, but there are many opportunities for people with a STEM background to start working in the field, such as educational publishing or in academic journals. As long as you have an eye for detail and enthusiasm for helping others learn, then you will be well suited for a role in educational publishing.

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Sharon – STEM Editorial Manager

How did you get into educational publishing?

After completing my PhD in molecular biology, I realised that laboratory work wasn’t for me. The parts of my doctoral studies that I had enjoyed were reading journals, attending seminars, and the processes of writing my own thesis and being involved in writing papers and submitting them for publication. So, I looked for roles in science communication. I worked for a government research-funding body for several years in events and external communications roles, before noticing an advert for people with science degrees at an educational publishing company – I felt like this fitted well with my skills and strengths, so I went for it, without any real knowledge of the industry. I think I can say it was indeed a good fit, since I have now been in the industry for almost two decades!

What has surprised you most about publishing?

I began my career in publishing working on textbooks for UK schools. Early on, the only digital components were CD-ROMs! Technologies in our industry have moved at an incredible pace since then. I was involved in the creation of one of the earliest educational digital platforms. It has been interesting to see how such platforms and applications have evolved over the last decade, including the exciting involvement of AI. We are at a time where we can start to create a learning journey that becomes completely customised to the individual student. I can’t wait to see where technology leads our sector next.

What advice would you give to anybody wanting to work in publishing?

There are a wide variety of jobs in publishing (as well as publishing types), beyond the obvious editorial ones. For example, project management, commissioning, marketing, sales, IT, etc. Really think about your own strengths and skills, but also what do you enjoy? You may need to work your way up to the position or role you ultimately want, but there are lots of good opportunities in the publishing sector for those with passion and commitment.

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Maya – Junior Content Specialist

How did you get into educational publishing?

I’d always been torn between studying English and Chemistry at university, and while my degree ended up being in Chemistry, I knew I wanted a career that combined my favourite elements of both. I worked in education during my degree and as soon as I saw the position come up at Orso Publishing and learned more about publishing, I knew that it was the career for me.

What has surprised you most about publishing?

I’ve been so surprised at how varied the work is! I’ve been at Orso over a year and no two days have been the same. In an afternoon I might go from finding pictures for a primary school book about worms, to editing chemistry resources for IB students.

As someone with dyspraxia I have also really enjoyed seeing how much thought and consideration goes into accessibility in all our projects. Whether that’s making sure our artworks are colour-blind friendly or writing alt texts for thousands of images, it’s been so inspiring creating resources I know many people will find invaluable.

What advice would you give to anybody wanting to work in publishing?

I would say that there are far more types of publishing than I ever imagined. I thought publishing was just about editing the next bestseller, but since learning about educational, trade, children’s and newspaper publishing, I’ve seen that it really is such a diverse and vibrant industry. If you’re keen to work in publishing, think what kind of things you enjoy reading and thinking about, and see who publishes them!

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Mia – STEM Content Specialist

How did you get into educational publishing?

Entering the world of work, I wanted to find a way to combine my creativity with my love for the sciences. Although I chose a very science/maths-focused academic path, I’ve always had a passion for writing and content creation, and it turned out that my favourite part of my degree was communicating the science. As such, the typical careers for a Physics graduate (finance or academic research) didn’t really appeal to me. So, finding a role in educational publishing that allowed me to use my technical STEM knowledge alongside content creation was something that couldn’t be turned down.

What has surprised you most about publishing?

Not everyone has a degree in English. I think it is a common misconception that to be involved in publishing, you need to have followed an academic career in the humanities. In my first role in educational publishing, I was convinced that I would be the only person with a science background, having not written an essay since school. However, this was not the case at all, and in fact, the English graduates were a minority. Of course, written communication skills are incredibly important but subject expertise is often also essential to creating successful resources for students. I think scientists tend to be detail-oriented with a lot of passion for their subject – two things that are essential for a role in educational publishing.

What advice would you give to anybody wanting to work in publishing?

Just go for it! It is an incredibly rewarding career as you are involved in turning ideas into physical resources that will help millions of students learn about the subject you love. Educational publishing spans a wide range of resources (from traditional textbooks to informational videos) for a wide range of ages, so the projects will be varied, keeping you engaged and allowing you to constantly learn new skills. I would tell anyone who is interested to not be put off if they don’t have industry experience. As long as you are detail-oriented and want to help other people love your subject, you can learn the rest. And if your subject is STEM, we’d love to hear from you!

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Matteo – Managing Director

How did you get into educational publishing?

I was applying for jobs in the final year of my Physics degree, looking for something that let me use my passion for content creation without letting my subject knowledge go to waste. I was also considering a career in education, but found the idea of teaching a bit daunting, so when I stumbled upon a graduate role at an educational publishing company, it felt like the perfect fit. The rest, as they say, is history (or, in my case, Maths and Science).

What has surprised you most about publishing?

At my first job, all of the editorial and content work was done by in-house editors, and so when I moved on to new roles in other companies, it surprised me to find that the vast majority of that type of work is usually outsourced. I found this a shame, as I’ve personally always loved getting my hands dirty and diving head-first into content, and so I found myself needing to outsource work that I’d much rather do myself. This frustration, combined with a difficulty in finding suppliers who specialised in STEM resources, was what eventually led me to setting up Orso Publishing.

What advice would you give to anybody wanting to work in publishing?

Passion for what you do is really important, and publishing can be great for a wide variety of people, including those with a very specific and very niche set of skills and interests, as well as those who just like a bit of variety. I find myself in the latter category, having always fit the ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ trope, and I think this has really helped find my own fit over the years. After spending the best part of a decade working out what I did and didn’t enjoy about working in-house at 3 different companies, the educational publishing industry eventually allowed me the freedom to create my own role entirely, initially through freelancing and then ultimately through setting up my own company – in which I can now be doing a bit of everything on any given day, and still working with all the great people I’ve met over the years.

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If you’ve enjoyed reading about what we do, love STEM, and think that educational publishing is the industry for you, please do get in touch here.

And, if you think that our team works on exactly the sort of projects that you/your company need support with, please do get in touch.