THE TEAM WORKING FOR YOU


Carol Biss  –  Managing Director
Having been in publishing all her life, both as an agent and an editor, Carol joined Book Guild Publishing in 1988 and has been MD for over fifteen years. She bought the company in 2004 and is totally committed to its continuing success.


MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION AND OFFICE MANAGEMENT

Lyn Parr  –  Publishing Manager
Lyn first worked for Book Guild fifteen years ago before leaving to have her family. She has a background in marketing and production. She qualified as an Editor in 2006 and re-joined Book Guild to project manage titles as they move through editorial and production. She is responsible for the smooth running of the office and is the first point of contact for authors or press.



EDITORIAL

Joanna Bentley  –  Managing Editor
Joanna has been with Book Guild for eleven years, guiding authors through manuscripts, and is the resident grammar expert. She has worked in general publishing at Sidgwick&Jackson, children’s educational at Wayland, and illustrated craft books at Aness publishing. As a freelance editor she has worked on fiction and non-fiction for clients, including Bloomsbury, Element and Hodder.

Jo manages a large team of freelance editors who are experts in their subject areas.


PRODUCTION

Janet Wrench  –  Production Director
Janet has worked with Book Guild for over fifteen years, honing her skills in producing beautiful books that stand the test of time. Before her time with Book Guild she worked as a Production Manager for a printer, as well as a variety of trade and academic publishers including Cambridge University Press, Academic Press and Unwin Hyman.

Janet manages an experienced team of freelance typesetters and proofreaders, and is always looking for the highest quality print for the best price. She manages a team of jacket designers.

Adrian Murrell  –  Production Controller and Book Designer
Adrian has worked with Book Guild for eighteen years, and is responsible for all things graphic and print based. Prior to Book Guild he was a Studio Manager for a printer, then a final film planner for a Reprographic company.


PUBLICITY AND MARKETING

Laura Lockington  –  Head of Publicity
Laura started her career in TV and has had many years of arts based PR experience, on a national and international level. She is the author of two highly successful novels published by Random House, and co-writes plays for BBC Radio 4. Her third book is due out this year published by Book Guild.

For Book Guild titles, Laura has secured publicity with Richard & Judy, Woman’s Hour, BBC2’s Working Lunch, The Times, The Telegraph and The Mail on Sunday amongst others: go to Press Coverage for more details.

Kerry Herbert  –  Head of Marketing
Kerry grew up in book publishing and has been employed in the business for the last fifteen years. Trained in all aspects of publishing at HarperCollins, she went on to work in the marketing departments of academic publishers, Taylor & Francis and Wiley. As Marketing Manager of the Professional Psychology list at Routledge, Kerry developed an in-depth knowledge of the global books market and promoted her titles at both national and international conferences. She manages Book Guild’s marketing, emarketing and a team of reps.


ACCOUNTING AND ROYALTIES

Tony Belkin  –  Company Accountant
Tony is responsible for handling all author royalty statements, as well as all other financial aspects of Book Guild.


Please see Our Distributors for details of our SALES TEAM.


INTERN

It can be hard to get into publishing, and expensive to get the appropriate training. Book Guild Publishing enjoys sharing our knowledge through an internship programme. This is an unpaid part-time position: the intern gets valuable experience for their CV, and we get an extra pair of hands for our ever-busy office.

We offer one day a week for six months in the Marketing and Publicity department. Though our intern position is currently filled, we are happy to receive a letter with CV for future vacancies. Please contact Laura or Kerry for further details on 01273 720900.


See what our recent intern says about us:

After deciding that I wanted to go into book publishing, I soon realised that I was unlikely to get my foot in the door of this competitive industry without some kind of relevant experience. Clutching my CV, I nervously called in at the Book Guild in the hope that they might take me on as an intern, general dogsbody, maker-of-tea, anything. I needn’t have worried: Book Guild had a space already set up for an intern in Marketing & Publicity, and I started there in January 2008.

Everyone in the office was immediately welcoming and friendly. I was given a desk to work at, with a computer no less, and a cup of tea. Brilliant. Kerry and Laura really took the time to explain what needed doing, and how, and why; I learned a lot about the world of publishing and they never minded answering my many, many questions. Right from my first day, I was given real publishing experience: coming up with marketing ideas for specific titles, writing to potential readers about new releases, creating Advance Information sheets, press releases and flyers. I even went to some schmoozy book launches and the London Book Fair. My internship day fast became the highlight of my week.

Book Guild have a flexible approach to the internship; they make every effort to give you the experience you need to pursue your particular interests. For me, this was an interest in working on the editorial side of book publishing. After a few months of extremely valuable experience in Marketing & Publicity, I was moved to Editorial, where I learned how to proofread and copy-edit using BSI proof correction marks.

The solid publishing experience now sparkling on my CV has paid off: I have just got my first job in publishing, as an Editorial Assistant at Continuum. And with all the skills and experience I gained at Book Guild, I reckon I’ll be pretty good at it!

Ania Leslie-Wujastyk

July 2008

 


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