The Publishing Industry and What You Need To Know

Ten years ago the publishing industry was a very different sphere than it is today. Now however the internet has turned the traditional order of doing things on its head. Journalists, editors, photographers and all the other roles involved in the press have to adapt quickly if they want to keep their jobs. This new paradigm of publishing is having a harsh affect on the industry as many journalists lose their jobs. This was first seen in America over the last six months as newspapers and magazines had to make severe cutbacks.

The catalyst for these cutbacks was of course the migration of content and the subsequent follow of the audience onto the internet. When the majority of the material of a newspaper can be found online for free it is easy to see why newspaper sales have fallen drastically in the last half decade and many major publications have had to reduce their copies in circulation.

This trend goes for all typical broadcast media. Television has been hit hard recently especially in the advertising arena, which funds a lot of the channels and the production of many programmes. The internet is a hyper-mediated cyber space, remediating the substance of previously existing mediums on a new terrain. This encompasses print, video and moving image, with the added element of interactivity. Granted digital television is highly interactive, but this is still available online. And it seems that from an audience point of view, online is the preferred form of infotainment consumption.

As a result many of the old, well established monoliths in the publishing industry have to learn new technical skills and acclimatize their old gifts to the digital revolution. It is a far cry from the times when professionals berated the blogosphere as a cacophony of misinformed ramblings discussing their niche beliefs in a specialised domain. Now the amateur bloggers are ousting the experienced critics with their web-savvy know how. Being able to instantly update text from any location, be the first one to break a story and air it to the world via the internet, is giving the citizen journalists some serious clout in the press and publishing industry.

For those looking for employment in publishing you need more than just a degree in journalism. Technical experience, blogging credentials and knowledge in social media and how the web is developing are all essential skills nowadays. Without these behind you it is extremely unlikely any publication will ever think about hiring you, especially as many well established writers and sub-editors are being made redundant as serious cutbacks across the entire industry are necessary.