18 December 2024

When I made the leap from educational publishing to edtech, I expected a change. What I didn’t anticipate was how transformative that shift would be − not only in terms of processes and workflows but also in how we approach people, timelines and resources. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way.

People: from outsourced to insourced

In traditional publishing, the reliance on an outsourced model is nearly universal. The internal team acts as a hub, commissioning and coordinating authors, editors and freelancers across different locations. While this can bring a diversity of perspectives, it often creates logistical hurdles. Delays are common, and the final product can sometimes feel like a patchwork of different visions.

At Save My Exams, the model couldn’t be more different. Our team is insourced, bringing a level of cohesion and ownership I hadn’t experienced before. Everyone − from the content creators to the platform developers − is aligned under one roof (albeit a virtual one), becoming not just contributors, but stakeholders invested in our success.

Having such a team fosters a shared understanding of our goals. As well as creating content, we’re designing an intuitive, targeted and effective student experience. It allows for real-time collaboration and pivots, ensuring that every piece of content fits into the larger puzzle. Initially, I was sceptical about having authors and content creators as full-time staff, but I’ve come to see the value they bring, enabling us to focus on quality in a way that rounds of copy-editing and proofreading can’t achieve.

Accelerating timelines: from years to weeks

Traditional publishing is synonymous with long timelines. Developing a textbook or supplementary educational resource typically takes several years from conception through to delivery. The process is lengthy because it’s built on a waterfall model: each stage must be completed before the next begins. By the time the final product reaches the classroom, the curriculum may have changed, or newer methods may have emerged, making the material outdated.

In comparison, my current Content team completes a full course in just 6 to 8 weeks. Instead of progressing through a rigid sequence, we embrace an iterative workflow. Content creation, platform design and user testing often overlap, enabling us to refine and improve our offering in real-time based on immediate feedback.

These shorter timelines mean we’re responsive to user needs. When we spot gaps in our content library or hear feedback from students and teachers, we can act on it almost immediately. What might take years in a traditional model, we tackle in weeks. Speed and quality aren’t mutually exclusive – they’re complimentary, and they’re redefining what’s possible in educational publishing.

Resources: from bundled content to targeted value

In traditional publishing, more is often seen as better. A single textbook might come with additional workbooks, teacher guides and online quizzes − creating a comprehensive package. In my experience, most of these supplementary resources don’t get used; the posters aren’t hung up in the classroom and the students never log on to the digital textbook. These materials are designed to have broad rather than specific appeal, meaning the publisher has spent a lot of time and money creating something that doesn’t drive value. 

At Save My Exams we take a more targeted approach. We create resources that solve particular problems for students, like concise revision notes, curated exam-style questions and step-by-step student-friendly model answers. The content is designed to be hyper-relevant, easy to navigate and instantly useful.

This approach allows us to avoid the inefficiencies of the traditional model. Rather than producing materials that may or may not align with users’ needs, we create resources based on direct feedback and data. By analysing how students engage with our platform, and using an experimental mindset where we test and refine our hypothesis, we can create content that has maximum impact. The result is a lean, value-driven library of content that helps students succeed.

Why this matters

Reflecting on my career transition, it’s clear that both traditional and digital models have their strengths. The former’s rigour and attention to detail often result in comprehensive resources that stand the test of time. However, that same rigour can make it difficult to adapt to the fast-paced demands of today’s learners.

Digital publishing, by contrast, thrives on speed, flexibility and focus. My team enables a collaborative, unified vision. Our compressed timelines let us respond to trends and user feedback in near real-time. And our targeted content strategy ensures that every resource we create drives value for our users.

For me, the move from traditional educational publishing to edtech has been more than a career shift – it’s been a mindset shift. I’ve learned that in a digital environment, success doesn’t come from doing more; it comes from doing better.

As I look to the future, I’m excited about the possibilities. The world of education is changing rapidly, and digital education platforms are at the forefront of that transformation. Whether you’re a student, a teacher, or someone passionate about the power of learning, one thing is certain: the best is yet to come.

Astrid deRidder is VP of Content at Save My Exams. She has held senior roles at Cambridge University Press, Macmillan Education and FutureLearn.

Inclusion has been a buzz word in publishing for a while now. But what does it mean? And are we in danger of the focus waning?

What does ‘diversity, equality and inclusion’ (DEI) encompass?

For a long time, talk of diversity only focused on ethnic diversity. Now there’s a greater awareness of the range of people who are missing, marginalised or unrepresented. It’s not just disability, sexuality and gender/gender identity we need to consider, but much more, including age, socio-economic situations and body shape and size.

An inclusive workforce is essential

The industry is known for having a homogenous workforce, which can be self-perpetuating. There are a number of schemes that focus on recruiting a more diverse workforce and actions to ensure publishing is less London-centric. But do those who have traditionally been underrepresented find publishing a welcoming space? Do they stay? Will they be the leaders of the future? We need to ensure that publishing is an industry where anyone can feel that they belong, and one where they can afford to stay. And that will necessitate changes in culture and infrastructure.

In a team where people have a range of lived experiences, differing perspectives are brought to the table. This isn’t specifically about representation, but about different worldviews. And that leads to creativity. With a homogenous workforce, many people will be working in an echo chamber. And that doesn’t lead to innovation. Diversity is essential if we want to continue to be a creative industry.

Could the ‘own voices’ movement be a barrier to creativity?

It’s not just the workforce that is homogenous, but there is also a lack of diversity in who gets published. There are myriad reasons for this, including who has the financial freedom and time to create and pay for courses to hone their skills, and the industry playing it safe by publishing what feels familiar.

Publishers need to proactively seek creatives who have been underrepresented and support them to publication. However, there’s a danger that marginalised creatives feel they must write about their own experiences to get published. Being pigeonholed is another barrier to creativity. Publishing a diverse range of voices should be about ensuring books feature different perspectives, not a tick box for representation.

Whilst writing from experience brings nuance that may otherwise be missed, we face problems when there’s an expectation that marginalised creatives share their personal experience (and struggle to get anything else published). Writing about lived experience should be a choice, not an obligation. Authenticity is vital, as is enabling people to tell their own stories. We must be careful that we don’t say only those with lived experience can represent themselves. Instead we need to ask whether the industry is giving diverse creatives opportunities, regardless of the subject matter.

Creating inclusive content

Obviously, a diverse workforce, and diverse creators, should naturally lead to wider representation in published content. But we need everyone to write outside of their experience if we want to every book to be inclusive. This can be achieved authentically if thorough research is carried out in the early stages of a project, not just tagged on at the end. Rather than this level of research hindering creativity, fully understanding a character enables you to be creative with them, and what they do, without fear of getting it wrong. This allows the story to come first.

Creating inclusive content isn’t just about representation, it’s about who is included, who is inadvertently excluded and what biases are being formed. When a book assumes that all children have a mum and dad, or live with their birth parents, the child in a ‘non-traditional’ family feels ignored and disengages. When ableist words are used, often to denote negativity or ignorance, the disabled reader is shown that their experience isn’t valued.

Making books inclusive is as much about the tone, language and approach as it is about the characters. And here’s yet another barrier to creativity. Editors can generally intuit when something is off, but if they don’t understand the basic principles of inclusion, they can’t necessarily pinpoint what. This leads to second guessing, delays and potentially removing content due to uncertainty.

Is creativity in publishing in crisis?

Publishing is a supposed to be a creative industry. But when publishing lacks true diversity, and diversity (of thought, experience and perspective) is integral to creativity, then we have a big problem. Inclusion in publishing can’t be a fad, or a phase. It needs to be embedded across all aspects of the industry and throughout its infrastructure if publishing is to thrive.

Beth has been making books inclusive since 2005. She worked at publisher Child’s Play before going freelance in 2011.

She runs Beth Cox Inclusion Consultancy Ltd, supporting publishing professionals to understand and embed the basic principles of inclusion, as well as consulting on individual projects.

Connect with Beth on LinkedIn.

20 November 2024

Since the formation of The FLIP (Female Leadership in Publishing) in 2019, the topic of imposter syndrome has come up time and time again. The FLIP’s very first interview heard Sandy Mahal, then Director of Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature, speak of her experiences of being plagued with self-doubt in rooms she felt like she shouldn’t be in.

Imposter syndrome came up again in Meryl Halls’ interview, who at the time had been Managing Director of the Booksellers Association for a year, when she said, “I think we all have imposter syndrome. We all think we are less than we are.” And she’s not wrong: in our 2024 workforce survey, 97% of respondents said they had experienced imposter syndrome, with 56% saying it happens for them ‘often’ or ‘always’. Is that imposter syndrome: an epidemic lack of self-belief we all just accept that we have?

Flipping the script

It was Lee Newman, Educational Publisher at HarperCollins UK, who ‘flipped’ the idea on its head. Describing how she feels imposter syndrome is an invented concept ascribed to women to make them doubt their abilities, she talks about being expected to serve the drinks at work functions, or two men starting a conversation over yours. It is moments like these, she says, that force women to internalise that feeling of not being good enough.

Reflecting on her words, we thought of our own experiences with imposter syndrome. Unpacking these situations can be both freeing – knowing that it wasn’t all in your head – and jarring, because what’s to stop this happening in the future? And why didn’t anyone stop it at the time?

So, what can be done in workplace environments to foster a culture that doesn’t raise another generation to feel like this?

On a panel in 2023, I was asked my opinion on imposter syndrome and how we can support aspiring leaders. I boiled it down to three key factors, the “3 Ms”: money, management and mentorship.

Money, money, money

Let’s start from a top-level perspective and talk numbers. If you are a CEO or an MD, or you manage any type of team budget, look around you. Is your money being effectively spent on initiatives that help and nurture the wider team?

‘Talent retention’ is a term bandied around a lot in creative industries, and it’s very easy to say you value it; you’d be an ineffective leader if you didn’t. But are you putting money behind this statement? Are you funding networks to support staff? Are you actively looking for ways to financially support people?

Imposter syndrome starts and ends with people not feeling valued, and a massive part of feeling valued, especially in the wake of cost-of-living crises and relentless reports of recessions, is to be paid what you are worth.

Management is more than it seems

If you ask the internet to define ‘manager’, it suggests someone who is responsible for running a part of a business. We argue that management is more than that; it’s support, it’s advocation, it’s believing in the talent in your team.

There’s a long-running joke in the creative industries that people at the beginning of their careers have the ideas but senior staff members get the recognition. And while it is a truth that we universally accept and sometimes laugh at in the office kitchen, it’s a toxic behaviour that can chip away at you. As managers, we have an opportunity to stop this. And yes, it can be really hard if you yourself have been a victim of this uneven playing field, but speaking from personal experience, I have never felt anything but good when giving credit where credit is due.

If we’ve been mirroring the behaviour of those above us for so long, who’s to say the next generation won’t mirror this too?

Mentorship goes both ways

Mentorship is something we can all do at every level, whether mentoring a new team member, or even a recent LinkedIn connection. It doesn’t need to be a 12-week set-up with strict objectives and outcomes; it can be a coffee with a colleague and a chat about where they think their career is going.

If you’re in a position to mentor someone (and I would caution you to ensure you have sufficient time and capacity before committing), remember that, while you have knowledge to give, you have room to learn too. I have had the privilege of being both mentee and mentor, and I’ve come away from all those relationships a better worker, a better colleague and with a better sense of self. There’s something to learn from both perspectives – it’s important to recognise the value you’re bringing to the conversation, and the value you’re gaining.

Can we fix imposter syndrome?

Money, management and mentorship won’t cure imposter syndrome overnight, but they do work towards remedying it. And if even one senior leader is reading this and considering how their money, management or mentorship can help, that alone will start the healing process.

Cassie Rocks is co-director of the FLIP.

You can sign up to the FLIP’s newsletters on their website, or follow them on Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

19 September 2024

Let’s talk about mentoring

When was the last time you heard someone talk about mentoring in publishing? I talk about it all the time. When I started in the book trade in 1990, I was taken under the wing of our Sales & Marketing Director. For the first four years of my career, he shared his immense knowledge. He took me to book fairs to meet booksellers, he included me in meetings with library and educational suppliers. He taught me the importance of customer service and how to get distribution right for all my channel partners. When the company was sold, I was lucky to be led by two extraordinary women – the Managing Director and the General Manager. Together with the Business Manager, they taught me about leadership, communication, management, and how publishers operate as a business. I’m forever grateful to all those who spent their time giving me the best industry education possible. And, over the years, I’ve shared that experience with others.

Mentoring insights

To me, mentoring is about sharing knowledge and offering insights to help mentees grow. It’s also about skills development and using those for career advancement. And it’s about networking. When I was younger and heard the word “networking”, I was filled with dread. While I am naturally an extrovert, I thought networking meant small talk at parties and going to business events to “sell your wares”. But in this industry, having an extensive network is a wonderful way to increase your knowledge and expertise. It’s not something to fear – it’s something to grow. It’s also about confidence. And it’s about learning – discovering who’s who in the industry, and unearthing trends and opportunities. And learning from your mistakes!

Industry observations

A major concern for me in the past decade is people’s lack of knowledge about key players or sales channels. They don’t know the who’s who, they don’t know the what’s what. They have worked in publishing for many years but have not been encouraged to look outside their role or the company they work for – and this disturbs me. We are living in a time when the industry creates events to discuss the latest trends or issues but not everyone can attend, or the entry price is too high for smaller publishers. And then when people do attend, how do they share this knowledge with others?

Training and induction

I’ve heard horror stories about inductions at publishing companies. There was a time when a lot of thought was put into it – weeks of getting to know colleagues and what roles they performed. Months of learning about systems and how everything works. And longer for truly understanding the philosophy of a publishing company. Trust me, there is one. I worked for some years with David Cully at Baker & Taylor, and he once told me that “every publisher has its own story and once you knew what it was, you could find a way to work with them”. Staff may get a presentation from someone in HR which includes a slogan or mission statement that “represents” the organisation, but it takes a long time for that to take meaning. And some staff will never experience that. When it comes to workflows, responsibilities and decision making, there is often not enough documented, so you’re considered lucky if you get a proper hand-over with your predecessor. These days it’s a case of “hit the ground running” and that means some tasks fall between the cracks.

Let’s piece it altogether

Nowadays, I see many publishers failing to give their staff a thorough understanding of the industry as a whole. And not just in their region, but worldwide. People should know the organisations that play a part in how we operate globally. How does metadata work? How does the supply chain work? Who are the major e-book and audiobook players? Who provides content to libraries? What’s happening with textbooks? What are sales rights? How do authors get paid? How can we help our authors succeed? How does social media work? What genres are trending up and down – and why? I could come up with 100 questions that I expect publishing staff to know, regardless of their role.

Why mentoring is important

Everyone has a part to play and sharing knowledge is important. Having a mentoring programme – informal or formal – shows leadership and a commitment to the professional development of staff. Not only does it support their career development, it helps to attract top talent to your organisation. And from my own experience – whether mentor or mentee – it helps with personal development too. And it’s been highly rewarding.

I read somewhere that mentors can influence and shape the future of their industry. It can prepare the next generation of leaders. I’m more than happy to share my knowledge over the 34 years I’ve been in the industry. Are you?

Rachael McDiarmid has worked in the publishing industry since 1990.

She launched her outsourcing and consulting business, RM Marketing Services, in 2014, and has been teaching the Book Marketing & Sales unit at the University of Sydney since 2022.

You can follow her on LinkedIn.