I came to the Publishing Studies course at Stirling after completing my undergraduate degree in English Language and Literature at Glasgow (2006) and working in admin for two years. After graduating I knew that moving into the publishing industry was what I wanted to do with my degree, but I didn’t know which area of it would be the best fit. Researching the course at Stirling, I felt that it would be so wide-ranging and comprehensive that I would be able to find what I was best at and determine which was the right path to go down. I was proved right.

The teaching on the course covered all aspects of publishing, and was set up to function as equivalent to your first year working in a publishing house. In addition to the excellent teaching, another very valuable part of the course was the regular guest lectures from current publishing professionals. We heard from people from many different areas of the industry and, again, this only helped to show which area appealed the most to us as students. After graduating I was lucky enough to secure two separate work placements through the course, at Waverley Books (at that time in New Lanark) and at W Green (Edinburgh). The placements were a great follow-up to the course and allowed me first-hand experience of the day-to-day running of publishers’ offices, which stood me in good stead for my next move.

I joined Cicerone Press as Production Editor in 2010, where I have a hand in seeing books all the way through from submission to publication. My main responsibilities include liaising with authors, briefing our editors and designers and writing marketing copy – all of which has been aided by my time at Stirling.

I would definitely recommend the MLitt in Publishing Studies to prospective students. It was a great introduction to the industry and its comprehensive teaching allowed me to narrow my focus and helped to identify which part of publishing was best for me. Studying at such a beautifully located campus and meeting lots of good people and sharing many good times only added to the experience.