This blog post is one of a series of Q&As with staff working at Liverpool University Press. We hope through these blog posts that prospective employees and those interested in joining the publishing industry can find out more about LUP and the career paths our staff have taken along the way.
Here we speak with Natasha Bikkul, Journals Marketing Manager at Liverpool University Press.
What did you do before this job and how did you get your current role at LUP?
I had what would be called a ‘squiggly’ career path, meaning that I had a whole range of experience before I arrived in academic publishing. I started in customer service roles, I worked in sales and marketing for student accommodation, I was a bookseller, and I worked within halls of residence as a reception supervisor. Along the way I did lots of volunteering at arts organisations, including special collections libraries and art galleries. Having studied English Literature, I aspired to work in an industry related to academia and literature. However, at the time I was studying, opportunities felt limited and hence I spent a number of years gathering experience outside of that world. When I was struggling to forge a path for myself, I opted to work within student support in higher education as I had really appreciated the support that I had received as a student, and I had been curious to see if it would be a good fit for me. I found the role really satisfying and I gained many more skills and responsibilities, however, after several years, I found myself wanting to try pushing at the door of publishing again, and when an opportunity came up at LUP, I went for it.
Though my prior experience was not directly related to publishing, I had taken on roles that involved managing my own workload, problem solving, and communicating effectively, along with a whole lot of administration experience, so by the time I made the leap, I was more than ready. I started as a Marketing Assistant at LUP nearly five years ago and was promoted to Executive and then Manager, it’s been wonderful and I’m very happy to have found my niche.
What career or job did you imagine for yourself when you were at school?
I think I always wanted to work with words. I loved studying English Literature and Language throughout school, I don’t know that I had a clear goal in mind, but I knew I wanted to go to university and study Literature. I didn’t have lots of family around me who had gone to university, but I had a supportive mum who must have planted the idea in me and so I aimed for that goal. It was only as time went on that I learnt about publishing and started to see myself in a role within that industry. I knew it would suit me as it is detail orientated and all about communication. Academic publishing really appealed to me, specifically Journals publishing as I would say I am a generalist in that I have wide ranging interests (I think this stems from an early love of Radio 4!), so working across our journals feeds that.
What does your job entail? What does a typical day look like?
As Journals Marketing Manager I oversee the marketing of our Journal portfolio which includes analysis and planning of marketing activities. Day to day I am creating email campaigns like newsletters and campaigns to welcome submissions to our journals; creating marketing materials like flyers, social media graphics, and advertisements; announcing new journal issues; and organising promotions at conferences and with library databases. I do outreach work with libraries to encourage subscriptions to our journals, I liaise with journal editors to work on special promotions, and I manage a marketing budget. I also get out of the office to attend meetings and conferences. A typical day really is a mix of all of these things, oh and of course lots of emails!
What skills did you bring to the job? Where did you learn these?
I had lots of experience of managing a busy workload which meant I was good at prioritising and keeping track of lots of moving parts. Admin skills can’t be underestimated; I was used to managing a lot of communications and keeping accurate records. I picked these skills up from working in previous sales and marketing roles, though in a totally unrelated industry (student accommodation), and the experience was directly transferable. I had a good work ethic from years of customer service, and I honed the ability to pay close attention to detail while working in student support where this skill was especially significant. My undergraduate degree was also important as I can think critically, and I learnt so much about the history of literature that fuelled a lifelong love of learning.
What is your favourite part of your job?
I love all of the journals that we work with so getting to engage with the research that they publish is definitely my favourite part of my job. I also work with wonderful colleagues, and we all share the same goal with equal passion, so my working environment is really great. I’m always learning and growing as LUP is always innovating!
What advice or tips would you give for anyone interested in joining the publishing world?
Take every opportunity that you can get – if you’re finding it hard to gain direct experience then get experience that is directly transferrable and keep trying! Be interested in the industry and the issues that it faces – topics like AI, Open Access, and tightening library budgets dominate at the moment. You can learn so much online, so read up and that will help you to stand out and to have that deeper understanding of the industry that you’ll be working in; the bigger picture is really important in academic publishing.
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