The Ferguson Blair Publishing Seminar is a two-day seminar at the College of William and Mary that offers students the opportunity to learn from publishing professionals and find an entry point into that industry. The seminar is intended to increase networking skills, teach about the intricacies of publishing and connect students with a group of people devoted to the art of storytelling. This year marked the 27th occurrence of the biennial seminar, which dates back to its founding in 1970. In addition to the seminar, the Ferguson Blair Scholarship sponsors a graduating senior or recent graduate of the College to enroll in a national summer publishing institute program to a.
The seminar allows students to learn from alumni in a broad scope of positions in the publishing industry. The panelists ranged from editors at Penguin Random House to a video journalist at The Wall Street Journal, allowing students to dabble in the many different directions a career in publishing could take. The seminar also provided insight into the business world through the lens of a publishing company, focusing on topics such as bringing a book to market, how the digital world has impacted the book world and what an early career path in this field looks like. Cristen McQuillan M.Ed ’15, director of creative careers in the Office of Career Development and Professional Engagement and chair of the Ferguson Blair Publishing Committee, outlined the event’s history and importance today.
“This event was started a very long time ago in 1970 through a donated fund from the brother of an alum who used to work in publishing, and so the idea of the event was to hold a seminar in publishing to help students who are interested in pursuing careers within that space,” McQuillan said.
The two-day seminar began at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, and concluded at 3:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. A large portion of the seminar was allotted to panel discussions and networking receptions where students chatted with panelists. The first day of the seminar had two panels: “Early Career Paths in Publishing: The Opening Chapter” and the seminar’s keynote panel, “Behind the List: Editorial Power Panel.”
The panelists from the first discussion were recent alumni who described the paths they took to enter the publishing industry, whether that was through networking connections or through programs such as the New York University Publishing Institute or the Columbia Publishing Course. Subsequently, the keynote panel brought in alumni who are seasoned publishing professionals to share thought-provoking stories and their insights into the industry. Scott Moyers ’90, M.A. ’91, president and publisher of Penguin Press at Penguin Random House, commented on the responsibilities he believes the publishing industry has to readers.
“One of the hardest things is to find ways to bring people to really important long-term challenges,” he said.
The second day of the seminar began with a panel focused on how a book goes from the authors’ drafts to readers’ hands. Panel members dove into the book-making operation, explaining the number of people that touch each book before it reaches the market.
The following panel, “The Story Behind the Story: Marketing & PR,” examined what follows after a book gets to the market, honing in on the marketing and public relations aspect of getting books out to the world. These panels informed students of different opportunities in publishing outside of editorial positions. Hannah Strouth ’19, an associate literary agent at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, assists authors in pitching, editing and selling their written work to publishing houses. Strouth discussed her thoughts on what she believes the heart of the industry is from the perspective of a literary agent.
“I would say this is for anyone who is curious about meeting people and learning new things about ideas or places or people,” Strouth said.
This panel was followed by personal discussions with professionals. Attendees sat at different tables, each of which held at least one publishing professional. Here, they had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss specific topics that might not have been addressed in the panels. This portion of the seminar highlighted the importance of connections in the publishing industry, a recurring theme that many panelists touched on.
The event concluded with a panel discussing what it means to go “Beyond the Book” in an age of digital content. Panelists discussed creating unique and authentic storytelling and developing a relationship with consumers.
The Ferguson Blair Publishing Seminar guides aspiring publishers to enter the field, but can also be relevant to anyone interested in books or their production. The seminar is meant to open possibilities for students to gain insider knowledge about how their favorite books got published, what the writing and editing process looked like and how a book becomes known to the public. Attendee Kit Jones-Painter ’29 explained what she learned about the publishing world from this event.
“Now I have a better understanding of how the social aspect of it works and how the networking works and how friendly the people generally are, which makes me feel a lot more comfortable and confident in my ability to break into the industry eventually,” Jones-Painter said.
