Another Side of Publishing

Alumni Career Advisor: Mark Cohen, Class of 1992

Profile by Brooke Dowd for Friends of Rutgers English

When Mark Cohen applied for an entry-level editorial assistant position with Prentice Hall, the leading educational publisher, he thought Rutgers had prepared him well for a career in publishing. As an English major, he knew how to read critically and write well. As a four-year veteran of The Daily Targum, he had been a reporter, a columnist, an editor in the news and sports departments, and ultimately, the managing editor.

He soon found out that a publishing company needs smart people to do all sorts of things, not just what he expected. For his first position, he assisted an acquisitions editor responsible for college textbooks. Then, he became a sales representative, consulting with professors about new educational products and scouting for new authors.

After several years, Mr. Cohen was asked to help start up a new division within the company, focusing on publishing books and media for training nurses and other healthcare professionals. As an executive acquisitions editor for the division, it’s his job to identify new books and authors, and even whole new fields of interest, that might be successful. He works with authors to help them refine their manuscripts, not as a copy editor but as an expert on the market the author hopes to reach.

Mr. Cohen recommends that English majors interested in publishing should learn as much as they can about the whole profession. “The publishing field is very broad,” he says, “including magazines, educational texts, trade and popular books, etc. Research the industry in order to determine if there is specific realm of publishing that’s most interesting to you,” and to figure out where you have the most to offer a prospective employer. Taking courses or participating in extracurriculars that relate to your interests are also good ways of preparing yourself.

“Then,” he says, “you should realize that there are different roles within each specific realm.” He recommends reading a book on careers in publishing, so you know more about the variety of positions. Everyone knows about the “Editorial Assistant” jobs, but English majors who want to get into publishing should learn about other titles, like Marketing Assistant and Sales Representative. “When you go to career fairs and meet with publishers’ representatives,” he suggests, “try to have well-constructed questions about the work they’d expect you to do, as well as about their particular part of the industry.”

Once you figure out your interest, he recommends doing your homework, even before you ask for an interview. For example, if you wanted to work for a textbook publisher, you could “speak to two or three professors, from different disciplines, about their perceptions of the textbook industry; why they select the books they select; and what they look for in an ideal textbook.” That kind of follow-through, according to Mr. Cohen, will make you stand out from the crowd.

Mr. Cohen credits his willingness to take on new responsibilities, and to work hard at them, as the reasons he was promoted within the company. He advises students to bring a passion to their work whatever they do, and says that the best way to survive in publishing is to take great pride in every task you perform – no matter how small it may seem to you – and complete it to the best of your abilities. He feels personally invested in all of the books he publishes: “I really think of them as my babies.”

To find contact information for Mark Cohen, along with dozens of other Rutgers English Alumni who are willing to offer valuable advice, visit the Career Services Alumni Career Network. The password is "Henry".

If you are a graduate with advice to give, please sign up as a Career Advisor.