Five Reasons to Choose Kingston’s MA Publishing Course

MA Publishing student Naomi Peel, who recently represented the course at our industry accreditation evaluation, shares her top five reasons for studying an MA Publishing at Kingston University. Naomi won the 2015 Best Overall Contributor award, as voted for by her fellow students, and has already secured her first publishing job: Sales and Account Executive at Nielsen Book Research. 

Naomi Peel working at the 2015 London Book Fair

At the risk of sounding sentimental and clichéd, choosing to study for the MA Publishing at Kingston University was one of the best decisions of my life. I have had the opportunity to learn about an industry I continue to admire, to develop and adapt my skills to working within this business and to collaborate with some fantastically talented fellow students and an outstanding teaching team.

The course has recently been awarded the much-deserved Creative Skillset Tick and if that is not enough grounds to choose Kingston University then read on for my top five reasons:

1. Course Structure

Modules are divided into the various departments within a publishing house and beyond, with a core module that develops your understanding of publishing as a business that is a product of its history. This is an important and solid grounding for you to build upon with further modules according to your interests and/or future career goals.

2. Practical, Industry-based Assignments

Every assignment you undertake is designed to make you learn through the process of completing it. Each assignment is practical and based on tasks commonly completed in various departments of publishing houses. These tasks prepare you exceptionally well for work placements – and jobs – within publishing.

3. Work Placement Support

From the very beginning of the year there is significant focus on securing work placements. The lecturers provide encouragement and enthusiasm and a dedicated placement officer works with you on your CV and the importance of covering letters. This all means you are well-placed to convince publishers that you are the best candidate for the position. The tutors also have great industry links and have set up placements with various prestigious publishers that students on the course have the opportunity to apply for. My contemporaries this year have undertaken placements in Bloomsbury, Faber, Nosy Crow, Quarto and Random House, to name just a few destinations.

4. Professional Masterclasses

During the first term there is an impressive line-up of industry greats who come to deliver lectures relating to their experience or a key industry issue. These sessions are enlightening and informative, but they also provide excellent opportunities to network, with almost all speakers moving on to the local pub afterwards! The line-up this year included Baroness Gail Rebuck (Chair of Penguin Random House), Stephen Page (CEO of Faber & Faber), David Roche (Chairman of London Book Fair), Jamie Byng (Managing Director of Canongate) and Sam Missingham (Head of Audience Development at HarperCollins). These masterclasses are a real highlight of the course and I personally hope to come back and attend as many as possible later this year.

5. Exceptional Teaching Team

Anna Faherty, Judith Watts and Alison Baverstock all bring a wealth of knowledge to their teaching. Every one of them is actively working within publishing and this lends great weight to everything they teach. They each play to their strengths in the modules they deliver and are always there when you need them. They are incredibly supportive and will help you find your place in the industry and drive you to success.

I will always be a passionate advocate for Kingston University’s MA Publishing course. It has prepared me for, and aided in my securing, work within publishing – thus fulfilling my ambitions. My time at Kingston has been a truly amazing year and I will be sad when it comes to an official end in September. I will always look back fondly on my Kingston experience and I hope you choose to study your own MA Publishing at Kingston too.

You can find out more about Naomi’s experience at Kingston, and meet her and the MA Publishing course leader, at the Kingston University Postgraduate Open Evening on Wednesday 24 June.