Overview
One of the exciting aspects of Publishing that makes it for such a fascinating industry in which to work is that there are so many international opportunities which can broaden the horizons for people looking for a new challenge. If you are someone that is open to discovering new cultures, has a passion for learning in a global environment, and are keen to become a citizen of the world, then publishing provides a host of opportunities internationally. The world is a huge place; why not try utilising your publishing experience abroad and soak up the culture of another country whilst learning best-practices from others?
Over the last few years we’ve seen publishers revolutionise their way of working and adapt to the changes and opportunities surrounding them. Thanks to advances in technology and a change in consumer reading habits the role of the publisher has rapidly evolved and publishing professionals are hungry to learn new skills in order to keep up with the changes going on around them. A key way for professionals to learn new skills and become more innovative in the way they work and what they bring to their company is through learning from others around the world, and by experiencing new ways of working from the publishing sector in other countries, providing an international perspective and a global mind-set.
Emerging Markets
From our experience of working with global clients and candidates, the main emerging international markets which are currently developing their publishing sectors include:
- Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA)
- Asia Pacific (APAC)
- Latin America (LatAm)
At the recent International Publishers Congress in South Africa held earlier this month, speakers highlighted the importance of Middle Eastern publishing and we’ve seen growth in the number of publishing roles we’re working on across this territory. According to data from Pricewaterhouse Coopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Outlook “the consumer and educational book publishing market in EMEA will decrease slightly during the next two years and then rise to $44.8 billion by 2016, returning to its 2011 level.” The other area which provides a host of opportunity for the publishing world is Asia Pacific, where Japan, South Korea and China will lead the way on growth.
Main Players
The various publishing sectors are developing at a different pace. We’ve found that the following key areas of the publishing industry are currently developing rapidly at a global level with there being huge opportunity for them to expand and enter new international markets around the world:
- Scientific, Technical & Medical (STM)
- Academic
- Educational (ELT, Higher & Professional)
Key Skills
If looking to progress in your career and transfer your skills to an international publishing environment, the desired skills of a candidate will likely include:
- Knowledge of local language
- Flexibility to travel
- Digital awareness
- Open mindedness
- Motivation to learn
- Excellent communication
- Entrepreneurial spirit
- Global mind-set
The benefits
The obvious benefit of working in another country and developing your skills abroad is that you are able to bring a new way of thinking to a publishing house and knowledge of international publishing and the best practices of other publishers from around the world.
Through international publishing opportunities, publishers can benefit from the exchange of knowledge and expertise within the global publishing community. Candidates who are working in an international environment can make full use of the opportunity to discuss various issues affecting the publishing industry with publishers from all over the world.
Common ground
Publishers around the world are experiencing similar obstacles and risks including the opportunities for and challenges of digital publishing, the impact and implications of the slow recovery from the current economic recession and intense debates on copyright law and intellectual property rights. Through experiencing different publishing environments, these issues can be tackled together and ideas and opinions can be shared.
Inspired Selection’s global remit has been rapidly expanding over the last year. Our experienced Consultants have been helping more and more publishers around the world by placing the best publishing professionals from our talent pipeline into all types of roles from Senior Executive to Assistant level. We’re currently helping to recruit Educational and Clinical Publisher’s in the Middle East, Digital Programme Managers in Spain, Solutions Directors in Asia, Sales Managers throughout Europe and Marketing Associates in the US.
If you’d like to be considered for international vacancies or if you have any international recruitment needs please don’t hesitate to get in touch, contact:
Verity Hawson || Email: v.hawson@inspiredselection.com || Tel: 0207 193 7903
Inspired Selection 