The Mastering Publishing podcast is created by students from City St George's Masters in Publishing programme. Tune in for the inside scoop on the industry through interviews with City alumni working in publishing.
Joe Roche, UK Sales Director, Adult Consumer and Head of Zeus at Bloomsbury Publishing
City Publishing alum Joe Roche discusses his career in publishing and his role as UK Sales Director for the Adult Consumer list and Head of Zeus at Bloomsbury Publishing.
Joe chats with City Creative Writing and Publishing student Rebecca Marcel about finding his way into sales, where he champions books and authors, and has his finger on the pulse of current trends, from romantasy to subscription boxes. Joe also offers his advice on how to build a career in publishing.
This episode was recorded in April 2026 and created by Rebecca Marcel, Leah Lejeune and Zeno Ferretti. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student and current HarperCollins UK designer, Mitch Collett. The music was composed and performed by Max Teasdale. Follow our Masters in Publishing programme on Instagram at @CityUniversityPublishing.
7 Aug 2026
Sarah Blake, Commissioning Editor at Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
City Publishing alum Sarah Blake joins us in the debut episode of season 3 to discuss her role as an academic commissioning editor at Bloomsbury. Sarah discusses her time at City, the insights the course gave her, and the amazing opportunity to be one of ACOTAR’s first readers during a student internship. Sarah also shares her thoughts on the challenges facing academic publishing: funding, AI, and breaking into international markets.
This episode was recorded in Spring 2026 and created by Benjamin Smith, Aliya Reza, and Ava Bolger. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student and current HarperCollins UK designer, Mitch Collet. The music was composed and performed by Max Teasdale. Follow our Masters in Publishing programme on Instagram at @CityUniversityPublishing.
24 Jul 2026
Carolin Klemenz, Publishing Professional and Cultural Project Manager
City Publishing alum Carolin Klemenz discusses her career as a publishing leader and cultural project manager with host Polly Whitehead. Drawing on more than 15 years of experience, including senior roles at Penguin Random House Germany, Carolin reflects on leading editorial teams, managing change, and balancing creative and commercial priorities. She also shares insights from the experiences that shaped her career and the skills that matter most in today's publishing world.
This episode was recorded in Spring 2025 and created by Polly Whitehead, Milly Marshall, and Riley Karekos. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student and current HarperCollins UK designer, Mitch Collet. The music was composed and performed by Max Teasdale. Follow our Masters in Publishing programme on Instagram at @CityUniversityPublishing.
23 Jan 2026
Sarah Bell, Senior Product Manager at Yoto
City Publishing alum Sarah Bell (Class of 2007) discusses her time as Senior Product Manager, Head of Subscriptions at Yoto, as well as her new role as Senior Product Manager, ScienceDirect at Elsevier with host Riley Karekos. Sarah shares how she went from working in marketing at magazines to running a team of engineers at Elsevier, emphasising the importance of being flexible in your career ambitions and staying curious.
This episode was created by Riley Karekos, Sanjani Grirajan, and Christina DeNatale. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student Mitch Collet. The music was composed and performed by Max Teasdale.
Follow our Masters in Publishing program on Instagram at @CityUniversityPublishing.
14 Jan 2026
Candela Rivero, Production Associate at Penguin Random House Children's
Candela Rivero, Production Associate at Random House Children’s Books, discusses her work in rights and selling children’s books internationally with host Lila Fierek in an interview.
16 Nov 2025
Megan Blair, Audio Production Assistant at Strathmore Publishing
Audio Production Assistant Megan Blair discusses reader-led audiobook trends, AI's impact, and casting's enjoyment with host Oshin Hephzibah in this interview.
3 Oct 2025
Mitch Collett, Designer at Farshore
Designer Mitch Collett discusses his design career at Farshore with host Hayden Ginder, revealing how a university assignment led to a job and publication in this interview.
25 Mar 2025
Valerie Brandes, CEO and Founder of Jacaranda Books Arts Music
This Mastering Publishing episode profiles Valerie Brandes, a former City Publishing MA student who founded Jacaranda Books, an independent publishing house dedicated to promoting and celebrating brilliant diverse literature. Join host Emilie-Rose Ledeme as she chats with Valerie about her time at City and how the award-winning Jacaranda Books continues to create space on the bookshelf for a vast variety of ideas and writers.
This episode was created by Aastha Agrawal, Jose Carrillo Ruiz, Emelie-Rose Ledeme, and Hannah Shakespeare. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student Mitch Collett. The music was composed and performed by Max Teesdale.
Follow our Masters in Publishing programme on Instagram at @CityUniversityPublishing.
12 Mar 2025
Lucy Clayton, Sr Publicity Manager at Hachette Children's Group
In this episode of Mastering Publishing, created by Publishing Masters students at City St George's, University of London, Annamaria Ratki interviews former student Lucy Clayton, Senior Publicity Manager at Hachette Children’s Group. Join them as they discuss the highs and lows of finding a job in the publishing industry and explore the opportunities and challenges facing children’s book publicists today from BookTok to accessibility.
This episode was created by Vidruma Chaavali, Emily Gilbert, Annabelle Pope, and Annamaria Ratki. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student Mitch Collett. The music was composed and performed by Max Teesdale.
12 Mar 2025
Cristiana Caserini, Marketing Assistant at Bloomsbury Publishing
Welcome to the debut episode of Mastering Publishing! Join us as Liberty Vaz Townsend chats with former City Publishing MA student Cristiana Caserini, who seems to have done it all! She was a bookseller, started a job in production during the COVID-19 pandemic, and had a hand in mouthwatering marketing campaigns for Bloomsbury's cookery list. Plus, Cristiana was at ground zero when The Song of Achilles became a global BookTok sensation. Tune in to meet Cristiana, and find out how she got off to a running start in the publishing industry.
This episode was created by City Publishing MA students, Caitlin Dunn, Faatimah Quazi, Emma Perez-Negluau, and Liberty Vaz Townsend. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student Mitch Collett. The music was composed and performed by Max Teesdale.
12 Mar 2025
Nick Barreto, Co-Founder and Operations Director at Canelo
Join City Publishing student Sophia Dramm as she chats with Nick Barreto, co-founder and Operations Director at Canelo, an innovative business (co-founded with Iain Millar and Michael Bhaskar) with a bold mission to make digital books more than an afterthought. Sophia and Nick discuss the challenges and triumphs of running a modern publishing house, while reflecting on Nick's pioneering approach to publishing, the impact of his City University MA, and how redundancy kickstarted his career. Tune in to meet Nick and pick up his advice for aspiring publishers.
This episode was created by City Publishing MA students Sophia Dramm, Louise Fournel, Madelyn Hranek, and Iona Richards. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student Mitch Collett. The music was composed and performed by Max Teesdale.
12 Mar 2025
Jo Liddiard, Head of Marketing at Head of Zeus
In this episode of Mastering Publishing, City University student Aastha Agrawal interviews Jo Liddiard, Head of Marketing at Head of Zeus. Jo walks us through her first steps in the publishing industry, from a one-month internship to finding her first job even before finishing her Publishing MA at City! Discover the differences between working at a Big 5 publisher versus an independent house, explore the rise of genre publishing, and find out just how dynamic and creative a role in marketing can be!
This episode was created by City Publishing MA students Aastha Agrawal, Annamaria Ratki, Catalina Barcelona-Rueda, and Louise Fournel. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student Mitch Collett. The music was composed and performed by Max Teesdale.
12 Mar 2025
Katie Bellamy, Senior Business Development Manager at Disney Publishing
Katie Bellamy, Senior Business Development Manager at Disney Publishing, is the subject of this Mastering Publishing episode. City Publishing MA student Fiona Pearson chats with Katie about the unpredictable twists and turns, the challenges that became opportunities, and the worldwide travel that have punctuated an impressive career selling international rights. Discover how the City Publishing MA inspired and guided Katie path, and pick up some of her sound advice for aspiring publishers.
This episode was created by City Publishing MA students Eulalia Cheliz-Escera, Meghan Curtis, Fiona Pearson, and Elena Solis. The Mastering Publishing logo was designed by former City student Mitch Collett. The music was composed and performed by Max Teesdale.
Who has been a guest on Mastering Publishing
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Candela Rivero
Megan Blair
Mitch Collett
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