The Publishing Academy: What we have achieved... and where we want to go next!

Dear Scribblers,

Since the Fly on the Wall Press Publishing Academy launched on Saturday 27th of September, it has felt EXACTLY right for the direction of FOTW!

I have always been passionate about teaching and passing on my learnings, as I taught myself everything that I know about publishing through trial and error, through project management, through data analysis, through study of business models... everything BUT a direct internship or work experience.

So I personally know that getting a job in publishing - especially if based in the North - can feel impossible.

The last published Publishers Association Diversity in the Workplace study reported that only 1% of people working in UK publishing were born in the North West of England, and just 5% in the North East.

And I have always felt that if experience is hard to gain in the North - and if my time is stretched, and I can only train one person at one time... why not create a space to offer both the experience and the training, to a committed group?

In 2025, the Academy has had speakers from Canongate (Rights), the Liverpool Literary Agency and we've explored the models of a Small or Independent Publisher as opposed to a Big 5 Publishing house, to decide what might be the best fit for each student.

My Publishing Academy students tell me that our online events make a career in publishing feel possible. The Academy opens doors for neurodivergent and disabled publishing hopefuls—people who don’t want to, or simply can’t afford to, relocate or apply for roles in London.

Everything is online - though I've been able to offer drinks and networking with Hachette and Manchester City of Literature's networks as well, which was fantastic!

This year the Academy was a finalist for an Excellence Award at the Future Book Awards.

This award is a powerful recognition of the gaps in Northern publishing—and of the way the Academy is helping to address them. I know there is genuine appetite in our industry to make publishing accessible regardless of class, location, or financial circumstance.

We have incredible students and career changers who will become real assets to this industry—people who understand every department, who are prepared for practical roles, and who will not require extensive retraining.

I’m deeply grateful to all the students and guest lecturers who have joined us on the academy journey this year - and I can't wait to see where we grow in 2026.

Come join us on that journey here!

Isabelle x