jobs to inspire you

In this booklet, you can find out more about potential careers and jobs for you, which all have writing and/or reading at their core.

This careers guide has been produced as part of Careers with Words, a programme to inspire young people aged 14+ to consider a future in the library service, in publishing, as a writer, or in one of the many roles our speakers talked about.

In this booklet, you’ll find careers information from publishers, editors, novelists and booksellers, as well as details about the many roles available in libraries.

You’ll discover career opportunities that have writing at their core, and see you can choose to set your own course and create the job which is right for you.

This booklet will provide you with insights, information and signposting of where to go for further information.

Above all, we want you to feel inspired to consider a career working with words in whatever form you’re enthusiastic about.

We can’t wait to hear what jobs and careers you end up working in later down the line.

Arts Connect, ASCEL and Writing West Midlands

Careers with Words programme partners publishers and editors

P6 – 7

The obvious first career is that of a writer. We’ve highlighted three different writer career paths, all of whom earn a living as a writer, but also have several parts to their writing careers.

Being a writer allows you to work flexibly, and from anywhere, but it does require you to be organised and able to advocate for yourself.

You’ll need to do more than just the writing, including publicity events, basic accounting for yourself (like invoicing, and ensuring you’re properly paid when you do work). These are all skills you can learn as you develop your writing, and there are many tutorials and guides online to help you.

Here’s a snapshot of how some of the speakers came into their writing roles.

Kasim’s debut novel, Good Intentions, was published in April 2022 when he was in his mid-20s. Although Good Intentions was his first published novel, it was actually the 22nd novel he wrote. For him, reading was and remains as important as writing, and he told the young people this:

“Keep writing. Keep reading. Read everything you can – all genres – from thriller to romance to literary fiction. It all shapes you, and gives you intel on how to write a good story, good dialogue, how to make a character likeable or not. You get better at writing the more you write, so above all, you must keep writing, and trying new things.”

Kasim sent Good Intentions to agents when he believed it was as good as he could get it, and was offered representation by Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann. You can find out more about literary agents and their jobs on page 8.

Other novelists who spoke at Careers with Words include Charley Barnes, prolific crime writer of 10+ novels, who talked about the publishing and publicity process and explained that writing is a job above all else:

“Block out time in the diary when you’ll be writing, and don’t let yourself put anything else in there. That’s your writing time, and it’s sacred. Even if it’s only two hours on a Tuesday morning, do it every Tuesday morning, and respect that that is your time to write. Soon it’ll be part of your routine and you’ll be amazed how much you can produce.”

Screen and play writer Dave Payne has written for CBBC, the BBC and independent productions. His theatre work is on tour in 2023 across the UK. He’s also a Producer on Radio 4’s The Archers, the longest-running soap opera in the world. His work is varied, and it all feeds into one writing career.