Inside Publishing

The Society of Young Publishers

The Society of Young Publishers are pleased to present Inside Publishing, the podcast series interviewing industry experts on everything publishing.

  1. 4 days ago

    Book Festivals and Literary Communities with Rebecca Wilkie

    In this episode, Megan speaks with Rebecca Wilkie, Senior Programme Manager (Festivals & Events) at New Writing North and Director of Durham Book Festival. Rebecca shares her journey from growing up in Liverpool to studying and working in London, moving from literary agency The Agency (London) Ltd and BookTrust into the subsidised arts, and eventually leading literary events across the North East. She reflects on class and regional inequality, highlighting the importance of creating opportunities for writers and readers across the region. They go on to explore the realities of producing a major literary festival: the challenges of persuading authors to travel beyond London and Manchester, balancing established names with emerging voices, and New Writing North’s commitment to creating accessible events through live-streaming and captioning. Rebecca also shares her thoughts on the changing literary landscape, the skills needed to build a career in festival programming and what literary festivals can offer in an age of algorithms. Rebecca Wilkie New Writing North: https://newwritingnorth.com/team/rebecca-wilkie/ Links & resources New Writing North: https://newwritingnorth.com Durham Book Festival:  https://newwritingnorth.com/festivals/durham-book-festival/ Louise Powell's Underdogs: https://www.culturednortheast.co.uk/p/louises-debut-novel-races-out-of New centre for writing and publishing: https://newwritingnorth.com/capital-works/ Northern Writers’ Awards: https://newwritingnorth.com/northern-writers-awards/ BookTrust: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/ The Agency: https://theagency.co.uk/ Women’s Prize for Fiction: https://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/ Host Credits & SYP Links: Hosted and edited by Megan Dawson (SYP North Podcast Officer) Instagram: @SYP_UK Twitter: @SYP_UK Website: https://thesyp.org.uk If you have any questions about this episode or wish to partake in the show, drop us a line at podcast.syp@gmail.com. Episode Transcript: https://thesyp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Book-Festivals-and-Literary-Communities-with-Rebecca-Wilkie.pdf

  2. 11 May

    Access and Opportunities in Publishing with Will Mackie

    In this episode, Megan speaks with Will Mackie, Senior Programme Manager at New Writing North and co-leader of the MA in Publishing at Northumbria University. Will shares his journey from editorial roles into talent development and how he now supports emerging writers, particularly in the North of England. We explore structural imbalances in UK publishing and discuss how education, prizes and partnerships can help open up the industry. The episode also highlights the unique partnership between Hachette UK, New Writing North and Northumbria University, offering students real industry experience through placements and opportunities like attending London Book Fair. Mentioned in this episode David Miller Internship Programme: https://newwritingnorth.com/event/the-drf-david-miller-internship-programme-2026/ New Writing North: https://newwritingnorth.com/ Northumbria University – MA Publishing: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/ma-publishing-dtfpui6/ Hachette UK: https://www.hachette.co.uk/ Authors Mentioned: James Harris – A children’s writer from Middlesbrough whose career developed after winning a Hachette children’s novel award. Louise Powell – Upcoming debut novelist publishing with John Murray Press (Hachette UK). Her novel, set in Middlesbrough, explores illegal dog racing in the North East. Shaun Wilson –  Author of a recently published autofiction work set in Wigtown, Cumbria (published 23 April 2026).  Host Credits & SYP Links: Hosted and edited by Megan Dawson (SYP North Podcast Officer) Instagram: @SYP_UK Twitter: @SYP_UK Website: https://thesyp.org.uk If you have any questions about this episode or wish to partake in the show, drop us a line at podcast.syp@gmail.com

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The Society of Young Publishers are pleased to present Inside Publishing, the podcast series interviewing industry experts on everything publishing.