The BookMachine Podcast: Conversations in Publishing

Dr. David Barker - Senior Lecturer in Publishing at The University of Derby - From Commissioning to Curriculum

BookMachine Season 1 Episode 6

In this episode we are joined by Dr. David Barker, Senior Lecturer in Publishing at the University of Derby. With years of experience in commissioning editorial, including founding Continuum’s unique “33 ⅓” series, David offers valuable insights into skills needed in commissioning, including fine-tuning your editorial eye. We ask David about his experience as Editorial Director at Continuum in New York and then at Bloomsbury Academic in London, and his pivot to the academic side of the industry.

Articles that we mentioned in this episode:

The Bookseller article on author care (2023)


Author survey results (2016)

Article about editorial decision-making bias and privilege in publishing (2021)



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