Latest News

Happy New Year to you!

If you’ve made any resolutions I hope they’re still going well. Perhaps you’ve decided to get fit or learn a new skill? If you’ve decided that it’s really time to find yourself a new job we hope that we’ll be able to assist you in finding the perfect role.

Our job here is to let you know about interesting opportunities as soon as they come in and discuss with you, to see if your skills and experience are a good match. We’re constantly building our client list to bring a wider selection of publishers your way - from A&C Black to W.W. Norton and lots in between! As you’ll imagine, there are more and more digital roles coming in but don’t panic, we still have a wide range of traditional publishing jobs too. It’s always a good idea to get further training if offered so add this to your to-do list for 2012.

The team at Atwood Tate is growing so that we can deal effectively with the volume of jobs coming in and we’re looking forward to welcoming Claire Louise to our Oxford office and Stephanie to London. More details to follow shortly on this. We’re also delighted to welcome Sam back after a couple of weeks of paternity leave – a bit of extra excitement at Christmas for Sam and Tamar with the arrival of baby Eve, congratulations to you both!

We’ve come up with some ideas for reading for 2012 - here are our top 3 we’ve been meaning to read / re-read for a while now (you can check in with us in 12 months to see if we did).

Claire: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami - The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Helen: Edith Cavell: Nurse, Martyr, Heroine by Diana Souhami - The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal - Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (in the Flipback version to see what I think of this innovative new format)

Sam: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski – Pictures that Tick by Dave Mckean - It's a Good Life, if You Don't Weaken by Seth

Posted 04 January 2012

News from Volunteer Reading Help

We have recently received an exciting update regarding the excellent work being carried out by Voluntary Reading Help (VRH). They are currently providing one-to-one literacy support to over 5,000 children each week through their network of over 1,000 highly trained volunteer reading helpers, working in over 1,000 primary schools in the most deprived areas of England. Their volunteers really are providing literacy support where it is most needed.

They have also recently launched a more robust evaluation of their service, enabling them to assess the true value that they provide to the children, as well as offer more specific reports and results on levels of progress they are making.

A recent report from the Ministry of Justice (http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/criminal-justice/public-disorder-august-11.htm) showed that just under half (48%) of those involved in the summer riots had left primary school without being able to read to the required standard, highlighting how VRH’s service is needed more than ever and why they need our industry’s continued support of what they do.

To find out more about what they do, or make a donation, please visit their website at www.vrh.org.uk.

Posted 23 November 2011

Candidate Survey: Summary of your feedback

The recent candidate survey that we undertook was a very worthwhile exercise – if only to prove that you cannot please all the people all the time, but it is certainly worth trying! As a service industry dealing with thousands of people, it is the ultimate aim to be able to address each individual’s requirements as efficiently and personally as possible.

The survey responses regarding the ideal level of contact with your recruitment agency were dramatically split – the two biggest responses being “none unless there is a relevant job” and “on a weekly basis”. Not much middle ground there then! As well as our Vacancy Alert Service, which allows you to have more control over your job search, we do try to get in touch to update ourselves on your situation every 3 months or so. We are always at the end of the phone or email if you have any queries, and obviously once a relevant vacancy comes up, two-way communication is vital.
We were quite pleased therefore that just over 70% of those who responded felt that we kept in touch to a suitable level.

Of course, the Vacancy Alert Service is our main means of keeping in touch and to update you of all the vacancies that come up within your job type and location. It is great to see that so many of our respondents make use of the service – 84% and, of them, 80% do find it useful. It is a useful and effective tool to let you know about the jobs as we post them on our website. And, if the vacancy is not quite up your street, it is good to know that over 50% of our respondents forward to someone who may be more suited to it. We’re all for finding new, experienced candidates in this way and offer the chance to win some Book Tokens if someone you referred to us for a particular job, is successful in getting that job!

For those 20% who felt the Vacancy Alert Service was not so useful, it became apparent, from a later question regarding what we can do better, that this was because they felt the service forwarded a lot of irrelevant jobs...for example, all editorial regardless of your industry sector. Well, we are listening! The Vacancy Alert Service now mirrors the selection criteria on the candidate record and you will be able to select up to three relevant industry sectors – or just the one! - depending on how specific you want to be!

We did pretty well on the ratings of our service (where 1 = excellent and 5 = dreadful). As far as the Keeping in Touch category was concerned, 78% scored us between 1 and 3. Our website also scored well, with 84% of respondents scoring it 1-3. And with regard to approachability of our wonderful consultants – 83% of respondents scored us 1-3. It goes to prove that we are always at the end of the phone or email and happy to help!

The survey also gave us a lot of useful information about how you use social media sites – so thanks for that! You keep your job search as broad as possible with regard to the tools you use – for example, other agencies, job sites and social media sites. Not surprisingly, The Bookseller and The Guardian head up the job sites, and Linked In heads up the social media sites in this respect. All of which we maintain a healthy presence on and use to advertise the majority of our vacancies.

When it came to rating our overall service we were delighted to see that 92% of our respondents rated us as good, or better, than our competition. This has certainly spurred us on to address those areas where people felt we were lacking, and make sure that next time we come back with 100% of you saying we are the best!

The nature of the business we are in does make it hard to keep in touch on a weekly basis with all of our candidates, but we will certainly improve where we can. We are hoping that the change to the Vacancy Alert Service will address a lot of where we fell short. We constantly aim to be a relevant and responsive service for our candidates, as far as our resources allow. We hope that the website helps to bridge a gap, enabling you to have more control over your job search with us, but with the knowledge that we are always at the end of the phone.

Posted 12 October 2011

Atwood Tate's ideas for summer holiday reading

Here's our pick of some new / favourite holiday reads...

Sam Coleman
The Informers by Bret Easton Ellis
An aged character narrative or a modern spin on inner monologue. This title is hard to pin down. Shattering the prosaic structure of narrative this title captures the separate yet fleetingly interactive lives of a handful of LA’s vacuously poisonous media circle inmates. With no beginning, set up or conclusion it’s an experience rather than a set of stories. An equivalent experience might be compared to leafing through an old photo journal belonging to Jack Palance or Warren Beatty, only to find pictures of body parts, dead rats and vampire teeth marks on the necks of illicit lovers. Inversely it’s a world easily imagined and Ellis paints a raw, surreal backdrop to the lives of these fictional Hollywood characters. A master of the degradation of the human soul and a devilish composer to the hollow eyed, drug addled irony of the lives of the rich and famous Ellis has reached new heights of his chuckling misanthropic craft.

Helen Speedy
The Maid by Yasutaka Tsutsui
Set in Japan, The Maid by Yasutaka Tsutsui reads almost like a series of short stories linked by the central character, Nanese, a maid. Nanese is telepathic but her gift for mindreading inevitably causes her problems. She chooses to work as a maid as it allows her to move on quickly and without too many questions, if her employers start to become suspicious. Predictably, Nanese is drawn into the private thoughts and desires of her employers, with amusing but increasingly sinister consequences. Following Nanese from one family to the next, the reader encounters the dark and sordid secret lives of these outwardly respectable men and women. However, no matter how despicable they might be, the morality of Nanese’s surreptitious intervention in the lives of others becomes blurred. The maid’s actions are motivated by her desire for her gift to remain undetected and the lengths that Nanese will go to in order to protect herself are as much an indictment of humanity as the unpalatable psyches of her employers.

Ashleigh Terry
What I Loved by Sir Hustvedt
‘What I Loved’ is sometimes given a bad press as one of those books that is written for ‘intelligent arty types’. Literary pretensions aside this is a sweeping epic tale of one artists’ life, love and loss. Certainly the most cinematic of Hustvedt’s works and the most accessible, in many ways it is quite an ordinary story of which we are guided through by the narrator with excellent personal insight and Hustvedt has a gift for making the most normal and mundane of thoughts interesting. An equal balance of love and tragedy this book serves as a meditation on love and loss and succeeds in drawing the reader into the artist’s world. It does in parts pander slightly too far towards the psycho-analysis side of things, that said, the art is described with the utmost detail and the meaning of art is so beautifully contextualised within the narrative of the novel.

Claire Law
Started early, took my dog by Kate Atkinson
Not exactly a cheery read perhaps but the characters are as ever gripping and flawed which makes them interesting to follow. I'm a real fan of Kate Atkinson and have really enjoyed this latest series with Jackson Brodie. He's an ex policeman with a not very successful love life, including being fleeced in the last book by a fake wife?! In this book the story continues in the background alongside the main plot. All in all an absorbing page turner.

Posted 15 September 2011

Volunteer Reading Help - latest news

On the day of the annual parliamentary reception for Volunteer Reading Help, I thought I’d give you a bit of an update on the charity we support. They’ve got a great new website with lots of info on who they are and what they’re achieving www.vrh.org.uk. It will help them to continue in their vital work helping children with their literacy. One way it will do so is by making the process of signing up as a volunteer easier. Potential volunteers are now able to easily check if there is a branch near to them on the branch finder and the application process is laid out in a clearer way. They expect this to increase the number of applicants they receive, and so in turn increase the number of children in need of literacy support that they help.

You might also have noticed the Evening Standard Literacy Campaign which launched recently? You can view the articles here http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23955155-london-city-of-children-who-cannot-read.do. There is a wonderful story about a boy called Charlie who is supported by a Volunteer Reading Help volunteer which gives a real idea of the difference their reading helpers make to the lives of so many children http://www.vrh.org.uk/volunteer/company-volunteers

This campaign is running for two weeks and it will highlight the problem of illiteracy in London - a shocking 1 in 4 children in London leave Primary School without reaching the required literacy level.

VRH currently supports 5,256 children like Charlie each week with their reading. We’re delighted to offer our support and hope you’ll also be interested in getting involved!

Posted 07 June 2011

Benefits of Social Networking

I have relentlessly laboured the point to anyone that will listen that the digital age of publishing has brought departments within publishing houses closer together. The main reason is to work cohesively as a streamlined unit towards a prosperous digital future. The reality is that nobody really knows what they’re doing and wants to share as much information with as many like minded people as possible. This amalgamation of ideas, arguments, stories, theories, postulations and general fantasies is producing some of the most interesting conversations you will ever hear about publishing. The fact of the matter is you have to be there to listen to them.

There are of course many benefits to joining online social circles. Take a stroll through the grand electric halls of Twitter and Linkedin. Therein you will be granted access to such a plethora of information you won’t know which end of the publishing industry you are looking at.

As a general rule we make use of http://twitter.com/, http://www.linkedin.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/ to advertise all of our jobs at Atwood Tate. Using any or all of these sites effectively can bring excellent results when searching for jobs or researching the industry in general. For example if you are attending an interview it’s a good idea to find the company on Twitter and glance over their tweets. You can get an idea of how a company chooses to represent itself online, who their intended markets are and if they have any new online or print products in the pipeline. It’s a great research tool and can give you instant information on the company you want to work for.

Linkedin is also a valuable, professional resource which connects you to the professional world of publishing. Not only can you research who you would be interviewed by at a company you can also join discussion groups, look for jobs or find potential contacts within professional circles. It’s an invaluable tool for showcasing your professional achievements.

Additionally the benefits of human to human social networking must never be forgotten. The act itself can open doors for you. It is the perfect chance for you to raise your head above the crowd, an opportunity to be recognised as an individual. By simply getting out there and meeting like minded people not only will your self confidence and self esteem get a boost you may also achieve the following;

- Find a new job
- Raise your personal profile (publishing is a small world to work in)
- Scout for competition (nicely of course)
- Discover a new business opportunity
- Learn more about a sector of the industry via a publishing guru
- Make some potentially important contacts
- Make some potentially important friends

My fear is that, as we hurtle blindingly into this new age of technology, we are losing our social abilities. I have followed many a prestigious, fire branded tweeter who writes witty and industry smashing prose. Yet when it comes to meeting them it can be a disappointment to see a subtle lack of social skills. The status of anonymity can invoke promise in many keyboard warriors but if they can’t back it up in person their credibility is lost immediately.

So in essence networking is key. Your people skills have to be sharp especially in today’s rapidly changing, fast moving market. Many perceive a direct correlation between networking activity and success in your career. But it has to be done right. And, to use a tired cliché, the more you put in the more you will achieve. The information you can pick up in an evening’s worth of casual chat can take you in directions you never thought possible. Try it. You will be surprised at how much you can get out of it.

It’s also handy to know who are doing it right. Just before Christmas of 2010 we had the distinct pleasure of meeting Laura Austin and Gavin Summers - the social engineers behind Bookmachine (www.bookmachine.co.uk). We were so taken by the simple ideology of Bookmachine and what it had to offer us (first as a laid back, fun social evening and secondly as a promising business opportunity) that we asked to get involved. It’s the approach and ethic behind Bookmachine that have made it what it is. It’s a real testament to Laura and Gavin how much their numbers have swelled since they first started. They have made cunning use of Twitter to spread the word but first and foremost the emphasis is on meeting like minded publishing people face to face. Simple. And very effective.

The Bookmachine (www.bookmachine.co.uk) twitter handles are below. I urge you to follow them. I do also strongly recommend you put aside the mouse (and lack of motivation) and raise a glass with them at one of their regular social events. They will be only too happy to see you.

@Book_Machine
@LauraAustinNow
@gavinsummers

Posted 10 May 2011

London Book Fair 2011

We all had a great London Book Fair 2011 and enjoyed seeing so many of you there, thanks for coming by our stand to say hello and if we missed you hope to hear from you soon. We were in a great position, right next to the Digital theatre and so made lots of new friends and learnt about the new technologies available – all in all the place to be!
Here we all are (left to right: Jo Bowerman, Claire Law, Sam Coleman, Lynne Willoughby, Helen Speedy)

Posted 17 April 2011

Digital Survey Results

For those that missed it we recently sent out a survey designed to establish what preparations publishing companies are making to manage their expectations and resources as the industry itself adapts to make way for the new era of digital publishing.

From our perspective it’s extremely useful to help understand how we can react more proactively to our clients’ needs and also how our candidates will have to prepare themselves for the days ahead.

Initially we wanted to establish if a change in a company’s digital strategy has affected their resourcing requirements. New products and new technology means new skills and new resources to draw on. From a recruitment perspective it’s paramount for us to understand what clients are looking for in terms of skills and, in turn, what skills our candidates need to apply for the jobs themselves.

Interestingly a large majority of our clients have stated that they have changed their resourcing requirements when running their digital strategy. Most are indeed looking for both permanent and contract digital staff but the results do show a degree of uncertainty as to whether staff should be taken on a temporary or permanent basis.

Digital project management is certainly one of the key areas our clients wish to recruit into. What was of interest to me in particular was that over half of the results show a big demand for Digital Production staff. Whether these staff need an understanding of the technology or the digital workflow itself is unclear but the in house demand is out there which is very encouraging.

Most find that recruitment into digital roles is harder than at first thought when recruiting from the publishing candidate pool although the majority do feel that the skills and expertise are out there. Again we see a majority interest on having these skills in house rather than on a consultancy or temporary basis.

Lastly we asked how could existing publishing recruitment agencies be better placed to help resource the aforementioned skills and expertise. The responses were quite illuminating and very helpful to us in terms of feedback;

“Having a greater crossover with digital marketing, web design and programming sectors, including partnering up with digital recruitment agencies supplying the communications and gaming industries (only issue with this would be salary disparity and recruitment agency fees are sometimes higher in these markets).”

“Help scope up jobs offering template job descriptions.”

“The key word that appears over and over is "understanding". It is crucial for your publishing recruitment agency to: understand your business; understand publishing; understand the developing technologies; understand how you want to use the technologies; understand associated industries and where skills can cross over.”

If you would like to see the actual results we collected please email me at samcoleman@atwoodtate.co.uk

On a lighter note congratulations to Phil Caisley who took part in the survey and managed to net himself a draw prize of theatre tickets. We’ll be doing more of these surveys in the future so do keep an eye out.

Posted 07 April 2011

Interview Tips

The job interview. Hated by many. Feared by all. Close enough to the experience of being asked to leap out of a plane. You can only hope that you land safely. All in all a very exhilarating experience. It doesn’t however have to be a negative experience. What you put into the interview will normally be in direct proportion to what you get out of it and with enough practice you may even start enjoying them.

Not to say of course that you’ll be going to an exhaustible amount of interviews. A positive point to remember is that your application has resulted in you getting an interview. The downside may be that you are attending a large number of interviews without any real success. The important thing is to remain positive and reap as many perceived benefits as you can from each interview. Some interviews will be torturous. Many however will be insightful, interesting and sometimes even fun. It depends on your mindset and your approach to the interview which is very important.

Below is a list of tips and sins that, for the uninitiated, should be adhered to at all times. Forgive the obvious ones but you would be surprised:

• Get a good nights sleep beforehand and have breakfast on the day of the interview
• Relax and breath deeply
• Dress smartly
• Call your parents or a close friend before the interview to enhance your positive mental attitude
• Similarly ask friends of family about your strengths and weaknesses – horrible I know but it’s worth knowing how these can be overcome
• Practice getting to the venue to see how long it will take. You only get one chance to make a first impression
• Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance - Look at the company website, check their Twitter feed, research their audience
• Do not smoke, chew gum, or eat smelly food before or during the interview
• Smile but don’t overdo it
• Walk tall and use a firm handshake
• Be confident in your approach, do not fidget and keep your eyes and ears open
• Always greet the interviewer by his/her last name and try to pronounce it correctly
• Be polite. Manners cost nothing and will get you everywhere
• Listen carefully to the questions asked of you and wait until it’s your turn to speak
• Take copies of your CV with you
• Look alert and interested
• Make eye contact when you are stressing your achievements
• Do not complain about your previous role or employer - be as positive as you can
• Keep your political and religious views to yourself
• Be honest and never overemphasise your achievements. No one likes a bragger

Finally try to enjoy it. The more at ease you appear the more comfortable the interview will be on both sides of the table. The reality is you won't be offered every job. If the perfect interview for the perfect job doesn’t materialise politely ask for feedback. You may not get any but you need to know where they thought you went wrong.

The most important thing overall is to stay positive. The perfect job for you is out there somewhere but it will take time and hard work on your part to perfect your interview skills.

Good luck.

Posted 21 March 2011

Less Frightening US ebook Independent bookselling

Publishing. One of the most prestigious and long standing industries of our time. From Gutenberg to Steve Jobs there have been changes and advancements that have revolutionised and in turn crippled the publishing industry. As we look at the industrial blossoms of today that have sprung from our only recently sowed seeds we are starting to see landscapes of new species pollenating in these fresh winds of change. Tablets, Android, social media, eInk, Kindles and others are revolutionising publishing in ways never thought possible, yet always pondered. Now as lines of communication draw us ever closer as a global community we are learning quickly what our colleagues across oceans are doing to publish an expanding nebula of online content and fresh new talent.

The UK and US publishing markets are certainly the front runners for the execution and delivery of online platforms and digital content in whatever form it may be distributed. But the US, certainly for the indie booksellers corner, are marketing and selling ebooks in a way which many have turned to for inspiration. Leaving the territory, rights and technological debates aside for now let’s have a quick overview of the methodologies and practices they are institutionalising that are making many UK booksellers think they are doing it wrong.

In the UK it is felt that in essence wholesalers have an important role to play, ensuring the delivery of the back room downloading and assisting head scratching independents with maximising their online presence. Websites vary astronomically with many bookshop websites looking shamefully out of date. Many booksellers feel lost in the myriad of possible online marketability. However, when a select group of UK booksellers attended the American Booksellers Association (ABA) they quickly realised that the potential for growth and ebook saleability was easily accessible and affordable. And not scary at all.

The partnership potential lies in effect with Google and their ebook online platform. With Google’s “shop local” search function producing lists of independent bookshops which sell the particular print or ebook there is huge growth potential and direct marketing for booksellers here. A book can be sold whatever the format and many feel that the door is now wide open for opportunity. More and more customers now enter a bookstore with Kindle in hand and the opportunity to market and sell an ebook to that same customer can and should be utilised.

For some forward thinking booksellers today the two formats sit on their websites and bookshelves cohesively quite happily. With this in mind more booksellers are now offering online transactional possibilities via their new and improved websites. The indies that are joining in are starting to see the advantages and opportunities of selling a product they once thought to be their imminent demise.

These opportunities may be there but there are questions. Who are the market leaders? Which financial decisions will impact on where and how an ebook may be distributed? The news is awash with the cut and thrust of Apple, Sony, Amazon and Google and realistically there is a reluctance from many independents to enter the arena. Tussles over rights, cuts and ereading gadget accessibility leave many in the dark as to where they will fit into an industry dominated by media corporations.

All in all it cannot be denied that there is a change coming. The US booksellers have demonstrated many examples of how the ebook market can be approached and the agency model for ebook selling and marketing offers far reaching potentials for prosperity. It’s a comforting thought that a small independent bookseller, if so inclined, is able to plug into the market quite happily and without too much financial strangulation. If it’s working in the US there’s no reason why it can’t in the UK. Although saying that, and as a long standing supporter of the independent bookseller, I hope I’m not eating too many of my words in the next year to come.

Posted 09 February 2011

Find Work in Publishing with Atwood Tate

Times have certainly changed since I started work as a Production Assistant for publishing houses only a decade ago. Now, rather than massaging strained biceps from carrying piles of carefully packaged proofs from desk to desk, we harp on about carpel tunnel syndrome and ponder deep thoughts about metadata.

Which, in turn, leads me to how do we now find work in Publishing when there is so much going on? And where is the industry going anyway? The answer is there isn’t really an answer. No one seems to know.

The basics for finding a job in publishing remain the same. Publishing is an extremely competitive industry. It’s exciting, creative and constantly breaking new ground. Networking, CV structure, interview techniques, market awareness and of course that flawless cover letter are all very important for finding work. But there are now extra bits of data to tag onto the process. If you are interested in Digital Publishing, being realistic, if you want in you have to plug in - which means venturing online, Tweeting and getting involved in as many ways as possible. Start researching. Get a handle on the kind of skills you are going to need and keep learning. The main requisite for a role in digital publishing is a passion for the internet and technology itself. You won’t essentially need to have an acute understanding of coding but you will need to fully embrace the internet and all that comes with it,

Then start thinking about attending seminars, talks and networking events which will give you an overall impression of the industry and also present you with a good chance for meeting likeminded publishing people.

Then figure out how you would fit into the industry. Start with Twitter. It’s not going anywhere and is one of the most valuable tools out there for research, commercial viability, market trend awareness and contact with likeminded people.

Lastly, join an agency, such as Atwood Tate www.atwoodtate.co.uk. You may not see the point in joining an agency but Atwood Tate is certainly the freshest face of publishing recruitment. Our team has an in-depth knowledge of the publishing industry and a list of contacts well established over many different arms of the industry. With all fingers firmly on the pulse we can send you quick and relevant jobs, guide you through the interview process and advise you every step of the way towards your perfect role. We make every use of online social networking and work hard to ensure you, and our clients, have the perfect match to the perfect role.

To make a start follow our tweets @atwoodtate

And good luck!

By Sam Coleman

samcoleman@atwoodtate.co.uk
Tel: 020 7487 8274

Posted 18 January 2011

Atwood Tate Getting Bigger!!!

We have welcomed two new members of staff to the team in October, Helen Speedy and Sam Coleman.

Helen has over six years experience of working in publishing, latterly as Rights Executive for Orion Children’s Books. Helen has an excellent understanding of publishing and is a natural and experienced communicator. Following her degree in Modern & Medieval Languages, Helen took an MA in Publishing, gaining distinction.

Helen’s main focus at Atwood Tate will be on publishing jobs in marketing, sales and rights vacancies, from graduates to mid management. She can be contacted at our London office by phoning 020 7487 8379 or by email, helenspeedy@atwoodtate.co.uk.

Sam has 5 years experience of working in publishing, primarily in book production, both in traditional publishing and in a production services company. Sam has also been a Production Manager for a printing company. His latest role has been in recruitment, where he was the lead recruitment officer for a Government Initiative Future Jobs Fund, to get young people into work. Sam gained a BA in Publishing Studies from Robert Gordon University.

Sam’s main focus at Atwood Tate will be on publishing jobs in book and journal production, design and digital/online jobs, from graduates to mid management.
He can be contacted at our London office by phoning 020 7487 8274 or by email, samcoleman@atwoodtate.co.uk.

I am sure you will agree that both Helen and Sam have great credentials in order to help both candidates and clients in their search for the ideal job or the ideal candidate – plus it’s great to have some company at last in the London office!

Posted 01 December 2010

Some information about our charity...

It has been far too long since our last blog – but a sure sign that we have been incredibly busy over the last couple of months! Sue and I have been working flat out – meeting candidates, filling some great vacancies, meeting new clients...But we thought it about time we highlighted our chosen charity this year and the fantastic work that they do. In case you have not yet visited our CSR page, the charity we are supporting is Voluntary Reading Help (VRH).

VRH is a national organisation that recruits reading helpers to go into schools and work with disadvantaged children aged 6-11 who need extra support with their reading. VRH reading helpers are very special people – they spend three hours working on a one to one basis with three children, twice a week, in two half an hour sessions. This continues throughout the school year, ensuring continuity for the children. All reading helpers share a common passion in helping disadvantaged children get the best start in life.

Each year, VRH commissions an independent study on the impact of their work. Teachers working in participating schools were asked what progress they had seen in the children VRH help

The 2010 results were released in July and show that of the children they helped
• 96% showed improved confidence in reading
• 96% showed an improved attitude towards reading
• 96% showed an improvement in overall achievement

In addition to these main findings:
• 94% showed an improvement in general confidence
• 93% showed an improvement in self esteem
• 92% showed an improvement in motivation

These are amazing statistics and a testimony to the brilliant work the reading helpers do. It is clear to see a link between the ability to read and the understanding of the world around us which in turn is linked to our confidence and motivation. To find out more about Volunteer Reading Help, the work they do, how to become a reading helper, or how to help with fundraising, check out their website at www.vrh.org.uk

Posted 08 November 2010

Skillset Creative Media survey

Skillset is the industry body which supports skills and training for people and businesses to ensure the UK creative media industries maintain their world class position. They have asked for our help to ask individuals to offer their views to in order to help their research.

They are conducting an important review of skills and training needs in the UK Publishing industry to feed into future decisions on skills and training provision for employees and freelancers working in the sector.

The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete online at www.skillsetworkforcesurvey.com and is open until the 30 September. All contributions are anonymous, non-attributable and comply with data protection legislation. Results will be published towards the end of autumn.

You can find help for accessing the survey here: http://www.skillset.org/research/activity/workforce/article_7779_1.asp

Thank you

Posted 09 September 2010

Blog - Networking?

The last few weeks have been very busy despite lots of you being away on holiday! We’ve had lots of interesting roles in including Desk Editors, Online Marketing Executives, Publishers, Editorial Assistants etc, etc.

It’s also been busy socially – had a great time at the Port Eliot Literary Festival end of July. I’m sure a few of you were there too enjoying the great music and readings and generally soaking up the cultured vibes.

I did a talk this week at SYP along with Alison Baverstock of the Kingston MA course and Suzanne Collier of Bookcareers.com. It was mainly attended by people looking for their first job in publishing so hopefully we gave them some useful tips and an idea of our publishing careers.

Other events included Future Book’s first drinks event which was great to go along to and speak about all things digital. There was a wide array of people there from publishers large and small to digital designers / developers and lawyers! Looking forward to the next one on 16th September.

Also interesting was the talk on Future Scenarios for the Publishing Industry at the Hospital Club. There were mixed feelings on the digital revolution in the publishing industry and what publishers are doing about evolving its industry.

Networking events to look out for soon:

16th September Futurebook digital drinks night

28th September Shoreditch Literary Salon (sign up via Facebook)

29th September Networking drinks with BookMachine, www.bookmachine.co.uk

Other membership organisations that run monthly talks with the chance to socialise too:

SYP, Galley Club, Women in Publishing

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Posted 01 September 2010

Blog: Top tips for getting a job in publishing

Phew! It has been another very busy month. The market is definitely picking up and becoming less static. With competition for jobs high, we have put together our top ten tips for rising through the publishing ranks:

1. Research the different sectors of publishing and pick your main area of interest as it can be difficult to make a change later on (see our website Resources page: ‘Guide to the world of publishing’ for info on different sectors).

2. Get some work experience – this will assist getting your foot in the door.

3. Be prepared to do a different role for your first job. Consider rights, production, publicity, sales or marketing (see our Resources page for job role info), not just editorial.

4. Put together a great CV – it should be a regularly updated document to showcase your skills and experience.

5. Network to increase your publishing contacts: join SYP, WIP, The Galley Club etc; follow publishers on Twitter, Linked In and Facebook.

6. Do as much relevant training as your company budget will allow.

7. Keep up to date with what’s happening in the publishing industry.

8. Use a recruitment agency. We take the hard work out of job hunting and have jobs that won’t be advertised externally. We also offer advice on CVs and interview preparation and have background and insight on the company.

9. Take the time to meet with your consultant – the better we understand your career aspirations and circumstances the easier it is for us to find you the perfect job.

10. Preparation is everything at interview stage. We can get you to this point but then it’s over to you!

Posted 02 July 2010

Client testimonial

“More so than most recruitment agencies, Atwood Tate consistently deliver ‘on profile’ candidates. They set an example in the recruitment industry in understanding a client’s requirements and fulfilling expectations. For Publishing Sales recruitment Atwood Tate are unquestionably the market leaders.”

Dominic Light, European Sales Manager
BPP Learning Media

The First month…

…has been frantically busy! Sue and I have spent most of our time calling up companies and letting them know what we are doing. It has been great to chat to everyone, and we have had some great feedback about what companies are wanting from their recruitment agency these days and how we can help. Things are starting to pick up slowly out there, but there is still understandably a great deal of caution regarding recruiting new staff and everyone is looking for good advice and added value, which we can deliver!

The website went live in week two and is looking fantastic. We’ve had some very positive comments so far and it can only get better as there are still some features to be added…so watch this space!

It has been great to get back into the publishing world and so far we have met and registered some brilliant candidates - so nice to talk books again! Which leads me on to the London Book Fair 2010 which Sue and I visited every day and gave out our marketing materials and business cards. We must have clocked up some miles up and down those aisles but it was good fun and because of the “ash” situation people had a bit more time to chat and pass the time of day, giving us a great opportunity to meet with clients and candidates and talk shop!

Posted 11 May 2010

Blog - Launch of Atwood Tate

We are delighted to announce the launch of Atwood Tate – the new face of publishing recruitment, but with a wealth of experience! Atwood Tate is at the heart of the publishing industry. We will offer that little bit more insight, guidance, and understanding of client’s and candidate’s needs, than other agencies out there! Here at Atwood Tate we have previous experience to draw on and we know publishing – we know what is important to publishers when planning resources for the future; we know what is important to our candidates when choosing their next career move. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In - we aim to inform you and guide you, and keep you up to date with new vacancies as they arise. We want to do things a little differently to the usual publishing recruitment suspects – we are utilising social media sites from the outset; we have a state-of-the-art, interactive website at the front end of our whizzy new database, full of high calibre publishing candidates – from entry level to CEO; we are supporting initiatives close to the publishing industry’s heart – this year we will be donating a proportion of profits to VRH (Voluntary Reading Help), an incredibly worthwhile cause whose aim is to ensure all children leave school able to read, and take with them the opportunities this opens up to them. We are also rewarding candidate loyalty with our “refer a friend” scheme, with the chance to win National Book Tokens. With Sue working from Oxford and recruiting for vacancies nationwide, outside of Greater London, and I, Claire, working in our Marylebone office recruiting for London and Greater London vacancies we cover vacancies in all sectors of publishing, all job types and at all levels. We hope to hear from you soon!

Posted 18 April 2010