Committed to building long-standing relationships with our publishing clients, the Publishing Services team at emc design are drawn into a variety of projects. They might be commissioning and sourcing photos one day and proof checking final layouts the next. Here we interview Assistant Production Editor, Alicia, about the ins and outs of working on the non-designer side of the business.

What are some of the projects you have been working on this summer?
I have been working on some international student books and teacher’s books which are distributed to multiple markets, including: Turkey, America and Spain. I am currently really enjoying working with some amazing artists on a project for a new educational publishing client. Seeing the final artwork come in is such a rewarding part of the process, and it’s always lovely to work with our suppliers.

Who is on your team and how do you all work together?
Within the Publishing Services team, there are two Production Editors, Liz and Sarah; two Assistant Production Editors, Janet and myself; and two Art Buyers, Lucy and Michael.

We work collaboratively as a team, and will have daily discussions ranging from capacity, available resources and project tasks to sharing knowledge. Being able to rely on each other and work together to get tasks done creates a great atmosphere within the team. We are all really proud of the quality of the work we produce.

What do you love about your job?
The people! Our team is very close and it’s lovely to work with such wonderful people each day. Our roles also give us the advantage of working with all the design teams, allowing us to develop the close bond needed to ensure the quality of our products.

In terms of work, I love seeing the books develop from manuscript to the physical hard copy printed book. In the Publishing Services team we’re lucky enough to see most projects go through the studio, and the diversity in realia and content from design makes every job different – giving us a lot of variety. It’s also great to see the artwork I have commissioned appear in the books.

Additionally, the rural location of the office and the people make emc design a great place to work. Often a few of us will go out walking at lunchtime to enjoy the country atmosphere.

What are the more tricky parts?
Quite often we’ll have to work to tight deadlines, or additional requests from the clients, but I do enjoy the fast-paced nature of the role and the challenge!

Finally, what kind of services do you and your team provide? Is there anything we might not know about?
Publishing Services provide project management, proof checking, artwork commissioning and photo research services. Project management is the newest service offered by our team and includes packaging the entire book, from working with authors to develop content, including Americanisation, we curate every service until we hand over the final files. More recently we’ve been commissioning audio and have been looking into commissioning photos. We’re always looking to expand what we can offer, so if there’s something not listed on our website, we are always available to have a conversation and see how we can tailor our services to fit our client’s projects.

To speak to Alicia, or one of the Publishing Services team, click here and send them an email. Or you can call them on 01234 889255.