Passionate about problem-solving? This might just be the publishing tech job for you… In the latest instalment in our series providing an insight into life and careers in the publishing industry, David Mundin introduces his role as an application support analyst right at the heart of the business.
I’m in charge of…
I’d say I’m in charge of two things. The first is fixing issues that crop up with our titles and how they feed out to retailers. This can range from covers not appearing on Waterstones.com, to making sure a book won’t be sent out into the big wide world before the announcement date. This also covers issues arising with Biblio (our publishing software), CoreSource (our digital distribution platform), or any other system, my goal being to fix it and get things back on track. When I am not problem-solving, I am looking to find new solutions and improvements for our business – essentially trying to make our publishing easier and more efficient.
My first task of the day…
Coffee! After getting my caffeine fix, I usually check if anyone new is joining the business. If so, I make sure I’ve got their Biblio account ready and schedule in some training to go through the basics with them. If not, I go and check my To-Do list (which is never empty, try as I might) and see what’s on the agenda for the day!
The thing I look forward to the most…
Is being able to fix problems that have found their way into my inbox. I view questions and issues as puzzles, and being an avid Professor Layton fan means there’s no better feeling than finding the solution.
Additionally, being able to interact and socialise with my colleagues is what makes the job so much fun. I’ve been lucky to meet so many amazing people who have a genuine passion for books and it makes the role so much more enjoyable!
What nobody else knows about my job…
It is important that I have a good understanding of other departments’ workflows. It can be a bit tricky, as you need to learn how all the other departments operate to be able to successfully come up with a good solution that works for them. There have been times when creating a solution for one team, Foreign Sales for example, means you have to get in contact with Finance and Editorial to make sure that solution won’t have a knock-on effect somewhere else.
How I got the job….
Let me paint the scene for you: I’d just had my graduation ceremony and was attempting to find myself a big city job! After applying on LinkedIn for an un-specified role, I got a phone call late one evening from a recruiter who wanted to build a profile on me to pass to the people who posted the job advert. Thankfully, they liked my profile which meant the recruiter could tell me the name of company I was applying for. After doing a bit of research into Bonnier Books UK, I realised that I wanted the job even more. I then had a couple of interviews, which went well, and then shortly after those I was given an offer to work here!
My advice for anyone breaking in…
I didn’t even realise how many tech roles existed within publishing – there are other ways to work with books that don’t involve Editorial, which I think is the area most people think of first. If you’ve got a good interest in tech and a passion for books, then it’s worth looking around for roles in this industry. The Bookseller is great for showcasing a variety of roles for both experienced and entry level!
The path I might have chosen…
So, I studied Digital Forensics at university and that’s where I thought I was heading from a professional standpoint. I was set on living my best CSI life, combing through digital devices, gathering evidence and being an Expert Witness in court! My aim was to find something where there was a focus on being able to help people, who would have thought I’d find exactly that in publishing!
