Alumni

Attending the University of Stirling to earn my degree in Publishing Studies was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. The broad range of courses taught throughout the year provide excellent support for work in any area of the publishing field, and the courses help students to identify the area that suits them best. I firmly believe that I would not be where I am today without the experience I gained from my time at Stirling, and from the internship I held as I studied. As courses in publishing are few and far between here in the United States, I count myself incredibly lucky to have had a chance to explore a new country while learning the ins-and-outs of an industry that I love.

One of the things that really drew me to the MLitt in Publishing Studies course was how practical the modules were. The classes and lecturers offered a myriad of practical skills through the publishing project, dissertation, and through the way the course was taught. Right from the start we were given group exercises, like making pitches as international companies at rights fairs, and creating marketing materials in a team in a short space of time and presenting them to the class. We were also encouraged to keep on top of what was happening in the publishing world outside of our classroom. All of this also gave me lots to talk about in interviews. We were also exposed to many different aspects of publishing, which was invaluable. When I began the course I was set on becoming an editor but I found myself becoming increasingly interested in marketing as well.

Now I am working as a Sales and Marketing Assistant with McGraw-Hill Education, a thoroughly enjoyable role where I can utilize the software, marketing, communication and design skills that Stirling gave me. It has also really helped in my understanding of how publishing in general works, and my role within the company in particular, and especially in choosing where I wanted to go. The course helped me get the job by giving me the needed skills, allowing me to articulate them in interviews and detail my professional development, and enabling me to prepare the interview tasks, but it also puts me at ease in my work. I can’t recommend it enough.

Around this time last year the 2012 MLitt in Publishing Studies class enjoyed a fascinating talk from David Martin of Martin the Printers. Earlier this month I had the pleasure of meeting him again – this time in my office of my new job. As a soon to be graduate of the course I am very pleased to have been offered a job at Oxford University Press as a Production Assistant in the English Language Teaching division. I have been at my job for about two months now and I can see the clear benefits of the course. For example when editors send me corrections in titles, I already know the mark up signs from the editorial classes. It’s one less thing that has to be explained and taught to me while learning the job. Having a good general knowledge of the overall publishing industry has definitely stood me in good stead. What I find fascinating about English Language Teaching publishing is how local economies, politics and culture can play a big role in shaping market trends.

I love my job so much I look forward to Mondays – apparently that’s strange but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks M. Litt in Publishing Studies, couldn’t have done it without you!

Aileen-Elizabeth Taylor

MLitt, Publishing Studies, 2011-2012

Having spent four years in Stirling completing my bachelor’s degree, the decision to continue my education with the MLitt in Publishing Studies course seemed like the natural next step. I loved the diversity in subjects that were taught and the range of aspects, of publishing, that were covered. The course gave me the opportunity to not only expand on my publishing knowledge, but provided me with invaluable work experience through internships and the classes themselves. The Stirling course adapted itself to suit the changes occurring in the publishing industry at present, and the insight into digital publishing gave me the knowledge I needed in order to find my current job.

Although it took me nearly four months, I now work as Publishing Assistant for the Library Reference department at Cengage Learning EMEA in Hampshire, England. I have recently passed my probation and am constantly building upon the knowledge and experience from the MLitt course, which provided me with a firm base and the understanding I needed in order to get to where I am now.

I worked as an English teacher in Asia for six years before I joined the University of Stirling. I enjoyed my life, but I knew it was time for me to do something different, to get a “proper job”. I’d done some freelance editing and copywriting here and there, but never had the opportunity to go into it full time. So, I did a bit of research online and found about Stirling’s publishing course, which has an excellent reputation and seemed to be a great way to get a foot in the door of the publishing industry. I then visited the department and was really impressed by the curriculum and the enthusiasm of the staff.

Going back to university after having worked for a few years was quite scary – I wasn’t sure if my brain had turned to mush since last time I wrote an essay or took an exam. Luckily it hadn’t: I also realised I was more motivated than I ever was as an undergraduate, and found my work experience to be valuable in several ways. The dissertation was the thing that terrified me the most, but in the end it is the thing I most enjoyed. I was really pleased to get the dissertation prize at the end of the year, and I’m now working on publishing one chapter of my dissertation as a stand-alone article.

I learned a lot during my time at Stirling – of course, there’s a lot you can only learn about the industry by going out and getting a job, but the course gave me a great foundation and a definite advantage in the job market. (I’m sure I wouldn’t have got as many interviews if it wasn’t for the MLitt.)

My time at Stirling went by so quickly, and I can hardly believe it’s been a year now since I handed in my dissertation. Since then, I’ve come back to Malaysia and I’m now working for a small publisher here. But, I’ve got my eye on Singapore or Hong Kong and hope to make a move sometime soon – Singapore in particular is home to the Asia Pacific offices of many multinational publishers, and with so much growth and development in Asia at the moment, I think the already-established publishing industry there will offer many opportunities in the near future – I recommend publishing graduates check it out – it’s as much of a rat race as London, but at least you race the race in the sun!