The Linguist's Route into Publishing

The opportunities for working with, and for, publishing houses is vast. But many linguists are unsure how to break into the publishing, or even what opportunities there are. This talk aims to demystify the publishing industry, give you pointers on how you can get started and inspire you with information about what it’s like to work with editors and authors (or to even become an author yourself!).

We will look at practical examples and areas such as: authoring print & non-print materials for learning languages, what commissioning editors look for when it comes to books about languages, what a copyeditor does and other freelance opportunities within publishing (hint – it’s not all about books!).

Key take-aways:

• Understanding of the range of freelance opportunities there are for linguists, which publishing houses actively need, and how to get started

• A practical understanding of what each of these freelance roles involves Understanding of the kinds of language-related books commissioning editors are looking for and how to become a published author in this space

• Awareness of the challenges within publishing e.g. managing attendees’ expectations with regards to royalties, the length of time it takes between commissioning and the publication date, the competitive nature of getting into publishing.

A life-long avid language-learner, Emily Martyn studied French & Spanish at the University of East Anglia. This opened up varied roles from teaching English in Spain to localising the uTalk app for learning languages, before pivoting into a Product Management role for John Murray Languages at global publisher Hachette. Emily is particularly passionate about helping people to broaden their horizons through learning languages, by producing and promoting high-quality print and digital materials for learning languages from around the world.