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Who We Are
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 and manuscript submissions.
Katie Ellis – Publishing Assistant After completing her degree in English Language and
Literature at The University of Sheffield in 2004, Katie took her first job as a
bookseller at a small independent book shop in
Sheffield. She first entered the publishing industry as an
editorial secretary at Penguin and later went on to work as a publishing
assistant at the Ivy Press in Lewes.
Katie handles publishing enquiries.
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.
Jon Gregory – Production Assistant / Designer
Jon is responsible for all things graphic and print-based, as well as all production administration. Jon has over twelve years print-based design experience, including five years at the British Printing Industries Federation in London and more recently three years at Designate Design Agency in Brighton.
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, Cupboard Love, a non-fiction foodie memoir, was published by Book Guild in 2008 to rave reviews.
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
Murdoch Morrison – Company Accountant
Murdoch is responsible for handling 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. Please apply with a letter and CV for future vacancies: contact Laura or Kerry for further details on 01273 720900.
See what our recent interns say about us:
"During the spring of 2008 I eagerly set out
to find employment in the publishing industry, thinking that my database
editorial job, English Literature degree and enthusiasm were enough to at least
grant me an interview. I soon came to realise that my lack of ‘foot in door’
experience was going to seriously hamper any chance I had; so I sought to
remedy this.
I was dubious as to what possible
experience I could get that would fit in with my full time job…but then I found
Book Guild. I met with Laura and Kerry after having already sent them my CV and
a covering letter. After an informal twenty minute or so chat it was agreed
that I was going to arrange a day release from my job to intern on Mondays.
In September 2008 I started my Marketing
and Publicity internship with Laura and Kerry. I cannot thank them enough for
all that they have taught and shown me, and for answering my endless questions.
They both kindly took the time to set me a variety of tasks ranging from
creating Advance Information sheets and Flyers to making Author Boards and of
course the tea. I can honestly say that every week was different and that I
learnt something new each time, I left the office looking forward to my next
Monday to see what I was going to be doing next.
During the course of my internship I was
lucky enough to get to go to a triple book launch and the 2009 London Book
Fair; both events provided a fantastic opportunity to see a glitzier side of
the industry. It was so nice to see the hard work of everyone at Book Guild pay
off at these events – publicity, marketing, editorial and production.
My internship has concluded on a high note,
as I am about to undertake a new editorial role within my place of work.
Although I am still working outside of the publishing domain, I intend to add
to my existing editorial experience whilst there and certainly hope to utilise
my Book Guild experience to its fullest in the future."
Ella
Mitchell
May 2009
"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!"
