PATHWAYS

PATHWAYS HELPS YOU BUILD THE SKILLS YOU NEED FOR A PUBLISHING CAREER.

Pathways offers practical, skills-focused sessions that help participants prepare for careers in publishing. With sessions led by experienced professionals, Pathways brings hands-on, virtual workshops and networking opportunities to a broader audience. Each month, our presenters guide participants through key industry skills, practical tools, best practices, and real-world strategies for a successful career in publishing. 

Whether you're exploring publishing for the first time or want to add new skills to your professional toolkit, Pathways is designed to support your journey. Participants leave with actionable insights, worksheets, and confidence to navigate the publishing landscape.

PROGRAM BENEFITS

  • Monthly virtual sessions: Learn industry skills from anywhere.

  • Industry-leading instructors: Gain insights directly from publishing professionals.

  • Interactive and practical: Each session includes worksheets, exercises, a Q&A, and downloadable resources to keep the momentum going.

  • Community building: Network with like-minded peers and potential mentors.

PAST EVENTS

Our Pathways Program has hosted a variety of hands-on workshops tailored to equip participants with essential skills for a successful career in publishing. In the fall of 2024, we began a series on freelancing in publishing, where we explored the various ways individuals can lend their talents as a freelancer.  Here are just a few of our past events:

​​Monique Sterling on “A Career in Freelance Graphic Design”

Monique Sterling offers us an in-depth look at what skills a career in freelance graphic design requires and how to get started. Attendees were provided with an activity sheet around design principles, practices, and open-ended questions so that they could practice the skills and receive professional advice.

Monique is an independent graphic designer with a great love for children’s books. She’s previously designed and art directed notable titles for all ages at Penguin Random House and Macmillan Publishers, including Just Help! by Sonia Sotomayor, Attucks! by Phillip Hoose, and Brown Baby Lullaby by Tameka Fryer Brown. Before joining the publishing space, she worked as a designer in various industries, including the nonprofit sector, online academia, and digital advertising. Now as a freelancer, she enjoys partnering with companies in and outside of publishing on a variety of projects involving motion graphics, digital illustration, book development, and marketing design.

Sarah Christensen Fu on “A Career in Freelance Marketing”

Sarah Christensen Fu will guide us through the essential skills needed for a successful career in freelance marketing within the publishing industry. Drawing from her extensive background working with major publishers like Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, and Astra Publishing House/DAW, Sarah will offer practical advice on everything from building a client base to mastering digital marketing tools

Sarah Christensen Fu is a versatile publishing professional and freelance marketing consultant who has collaborated with major players across the industry, from big five houses to indie presses and self-published authors. While currently working exclusively with new publishing start-up Authors Equity, she maintains an active freelance practice drawing on her extensive in-house experience with Astra Publishing House/DAW, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Random House. Her unique blend of freelance and traditional roles has given her comprehensive expertise across genre fiction, literary works, nonfiction, and children's publishing. Sarah's advanced degrees in design, communication, and media inform her approach to digital marketing, where she offers clients specialized services in content marketing, video production, user experience (UX), metadata optimization, Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, web development, and social media strategy. A published author herself, with both a novel and several nonfiction books to her credit, Sarah brings a creator's perspective to her marketing work. She operates from her home base near Denver, Colorado, where she lives with overflowing bookcases, a very nice partner, rambunctious kids, and cute pets.

JOIN US
Start learning with us today. Pathways is virtual and open to the public. Follow us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Eventbrite to stay up-to-date with our upcoming events.

Kaitlyn San Miguel on “A Career in Freelance Copyediting and Proofreading”

Have you ever considered a career as a freelance copyeditor or proofreader? We’ve got you covered with this workshop run by Kaitlyn San Miguel who talks about all things freelancing—how to build your skills, common errors to be mindful of, standard rates, and more! Furthermore, participants were given their own copyediting test to assess their skills.

Kaitlyn is a production editor at Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and a freelance copyeditor and proofreader for HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and Astra House. She has had experience working in Editorial Services, Content Management, and Editorial departments at both trade and academic publishers. They hold a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University–New Brunswick in English, journalism and media studies, and comparative and critical race and ethnic studies, as well as a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University.