Have you ever considered a career in publishing? Do you want to find out more about what working in the industry could look like?
Then come along to hear from publishing professionals working across the industry. Our panellists will offer insight into the many roles available within publishing, discuss what they love about the industry, and look back at their respective career journeys so far. We are delighted to be welcoming Serena Arthur (Editor at Trapeze Books, Hachette), Emma Topping (Founder & CEO of Viv Loves Film, a literary, development and production agency) and Emma Stephenson (Editorial Assistant at Bloomsbury Publishing, in the audio team).
Attendees can expect: candid advice from publishing professionals; the chance to put questions to the panel; a free Bloomsbury title; and takeaway materials which, we hope, will serve as an inspirational and practical resource when it comes to considering a career in one of the most varied and creative industries within the Arts, whatever your skill-set.
Join us at the Brighthelm Centre in Brighton on the evening of Wednesday 27th March to start your journey.
Schedule
Wednesday 27th March
6:20pm - Arrival
6:30pm - Event begins
7:30pm - Q&A begins
7:45pm - Event ends
Event exclusives
On top of the opportunity to hear from the publishing professionals on our panel, all attendees can expect to receive a Bloomsbury title and takeaway handout materials. Bloomsbury titles on the writing and publishing process will also be available to attendees at a discounted rate.
Meet our speakers below!
Serena Arthur is Editor at Trapeze Books, Orion (a division of Hachette UK), where she is editing and publishing across the list and seeking bold, memorable and zeitgeisty new books. She joined Orion in June 2022 after just under three years at another Hachette division – Headline – where she spent ten months as editorial trainee for the Headline Fiction team and two years as editorial assistant within the Wildfire Books team. She is also Books Lead for THRIVE (the Hachette UK network for diversity and inclusion) and an Hachette UK wellbeing ambassador.
She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford and as a student she was Deputy Editor and co-creator of Onyx, a magazine which platforms the work of students of African and Caribbean descent. Outside of work, she is a writer and performer of spoken word poetry.
Emma Topping is an Executive Producer (including of Sony’s PETER RABBIT feature franchise and Netflix’s adaptation of Brian Jacques REDWALL book series currently in development) and Founder & CEO of Viv Loves Film. Viv Loves Film is a literary, development and production agency that specialises in book to screen, stage and video games adaptations and creating world building media franchises. Viv Loves Film exclusively represents a variety of content creators including Redwall Abbey Company (the Estate of New York Times Bestselling Author Brian Jacques), 2019 – 2021 UK Comics Laureate Hannah Berry (whose graphic novel ADAMTINE was recently optioned by wiip studios in LA) and independent publishers Myriad Editions, NeWest Press, Cipher Press and Inkandescent. Viv Loves Film also has its own development and production slate with two projects in the early stages of development. Emma is also an Entertainment Lawyer with 25 years’ experience in the entertainment business including with industry leaders Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Really Useful Group, The Walt Disney Company, Macmillan Publishers and Penguin Random House. Emma is also a Fellow and lectures at Screen Film School Brighton (part of BIMM University), where she co-created and will be teaching a new BA (Hons) Film Business & Production Degree that launched in September 2022.
Emma Stephenson is an Editorial Assistant at Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, working in the audio team.
Originally from Nottingham, Emma graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2021 with a degree in English. After graduating she began working at Ulverscroft, a secondary rights large print and audio publisher based in Leicestershire. Emma worked in the digital team, learning about audio and ebook distribution on the library market. In January 2023, Emma joined the Bloomsbury Audio team and has been producing audiobooks ever since.
The Bloomsbury Institute runs a programme of events all over the UK, to provide insight into working in the publishing industry. We bring together publishing professionals from all corners of the industry to share their expertise and insight, and offer advice and support to those considering a career in books. Our focus is on reaching people from backgrounds and parts of the country currently underrepresented in publishing, to held create a more diverse and inclusive sector.
Visit our website, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up to date with the latest news and events.
Tickets for this event are £9, and include a Bloomsbury book and takeaway handout materials. Prices are inclusive of standard VAT.
This fee is payable in full online, though please note that payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on events@writersandartists.co.uk so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you.
Bookings can be made by clicking on the 'Book' buttons at the top and bottom of this page. If you're having trouble booking, please email events@writersandartists.co.uk and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
To view our event refund and cancellation policy, please click here.
The venue Centre is fully accessible to people with disabilities.
Joining instructions and full guidance will be circulated by W&A Admin in the days leading up to the date of the event.
Event materials will be made available to attendees at the discretion of The Bloomsbury Institute and those on the event panel.
There will be no recording of this event, so please be sure to bring a notebook or laptop to make the notes you need.
Please contact The Bloomsbury Institute on BloomsburyInstitute@bloomsbury.com with any queries and we'll come back to you as soon as possible.