Publishing Side Hustles That Build Your Career
Some creative side hustles that help you build real publishing experience.
Breaking into publishing can feel impossible at times, especially when entry-level roles are few and not always advertised widely, competition is fierce, and salaries don’t stretch far.
It feels like you need to stand out, but how do you do that when and work simultaneously? One way that I boosted my CV - and earned a little cash on the side - was side hustling in the industry.
In my experience as a side hustler and as a hiring manager, I find that some of the best experience comes from side hustles. These can be creative, real-world projects that prove your skills and build your network, but can also be perfect examples for showing your passion and experience. Not to mention, improve your bank balance!
Some of my top recommendations for side hustles around publishing include:
1. Social Media Management and Content Creation
If you’re already spending time on BookTok or Bookstagram, turn it into something strategic.
Taking on and managing aspects of social media for authors, indie presses, and/or bookshops can help you learn about trends, audience growth, content creation, and analytics. All of these skills are highly valued in publishing, especially within marketing and publicity. But this also allows you to network within publishing and build your self-confidence.
You don’t have to be a full-blown manager; you could help an author with posting and creating content on their Instagram only. Or you could do a short-term partnership with a publisher to create some content specifically for their channel and collab so you can see the analytics.
2. Photography
Photography is still a massive part of the publishing industry, from book covers to author headshots, events, and behind-the-scenes content…the list is endless! Publishing constantly needs fresh, creative visuals, and if you’re able to take photos for a brief, this offers a chance to work with individuals (headshots, events) or companies (content creation, covers, websites).
3. Videography
There’s not a week that goes by that I don’t get requests for videographer details within publishing. We all know that Reels and Video content perform better, so this is a very in-demand side hustle right now!
If you can shoot and edit professional-quality footage, you’re already ahead, so be sure to reach out to authors and publishers with a portfolio of content. You need to be able to provide editing as well as shooting, and be sure to deliver to the brief, but this would be a great area to get experience in.
4. Public Speaking
Public speaking may not sound like a side hustle, but if you’re able to speak on panels, at events, offer workshops or presentations - online or in-person - then this can grow into a really strong skill and side hustle.
Bookshops are always looking for chairs for events or leaders for book clubs, and opinion/thought-leaders are often requested to take part in panels in and outside of the publishing industry. You don’t need to be a public speaker within publishing for it to be a relevant side hustle. Find your niche and pitch yourself.
5. Graphic Design
In-house, I rarely had time to do any graphic design, and I had about 5-6 graphic designers on retainer, but I always needed more.
If you can build professional and eye-catching graphics on InDesign, Photoshop or wider platforms, then you could build a really strong side hustle with authors and/or publishers.
6. Podcasting
Podcasts continue to thrive - the average person listens to 40 minutes of audio per day - so hosting or producing a podcast is a brilliant way to develop interviewing skills, audio editing, and storytelling expertise. It also shows curiosity and consistency — two things every hiring manager loves.
7. Influencing, Content Creation & UGC
It may seem a bit obvious and oversaturated, but becoming a content creator or influencer can be a gateway into publishing, in and outside of marketing. Building an engaged audience around any topic - not just books, reading, or publishing life - demonstrates your understanding of digital communication, audience development, content creation, and so much more.
None of these side hustles needs to be a second full-time career; they could be touchpoints that you pick up and put down as you desire.
But they’re not just monetised hobbies, they’re live portfolios of your skills that hiring managers love to see (and make you stand out!). And ultimately, whether you’ve had any in-house work experience or not, when hiring managers see that you’ve already done any of the above, you move from ‘aspiring’ to ‘experienced’.
And best of all, you don’t have to wait for permission.