Ellie G signed up for Get into Children’s Publishing straight from university, unsure of how to move into publishing. She found her first editorial role shortly after completing the course and is now a junior editor for Igloo Books.

“After finishing university, I sought out mentorship with Claire aiming to develop my editorial skillset. Over the course of the programme, Claire not only gave me the tools to develop these crucial skills, she also helped me rebuild my confidence and find power in my creativity. Through working on the coursework and my individual project, Claire has helped me develop the skills I didn’t know I had. Claire is extremely supportive and extends this beyond the length of the mentorship, providing me with advice and encouragement during the interview process which helped me secure my role as Junior Editor at Igloo Books.”

Alice L now works at Penguin Random House across both sales and editorial. She worked in marketing prior to taking part in my course. Update: Alice is now the commissioning editor for Dottie Publishing, a picture book publisher.

“Claire’s editorial training and mentorship course was just what I needed to build my confidence and creativity. The course material is extremely thorough and the homework and individual project gave me direct experience that helped me get my first role at a major publisher (one of the big five!). Claire’s mentoring style is supportive and compassionate. She’s great at finding what makes you unique and explaining how to present that to publishers. I’ve just got back from Frankfurt and soon going to Dubai with work. Amazing! I highly recommend her course.”

Laura W is now the Fiction Editorial Assistant at Hodder & Stoughton. She was working in medical publishing when she began Get into Children’s Publishing.

“Claire puts so much time and energy into her work, and her industry knowledge means that her traineeship continues to be relevant. She is a wonderful mentor who has continued to support me long after I finished working with her. I decided to go freelance not long after the mentorship, so Claire's advice and guidance was incredibly useful. Since then, she has supported me with the application process to find a job in publishing, providing both practical and emotional support. She is such a warm and approachable person, which makes working with her an absolute joy.”

Hannah B was working in teaching when we began working together. She was hired by Pearson after she completed the course and is now the Community Rugby Digital Content Editor at England Rugby.

“I completed Claire’s Get into Children’s Publishing programme in 2020. At the time, I was working as a primary school teacher and wanted to transition into educational publishing. Throughout the course, Claire was informative, approachable, kind and incredibly knowledgeable. The mentorship focused on all aspects of children’s publishing, including understanding the industry, the different roles within a publishing house, and the process of creating a book, from the spark of an idea to the finished product. Claire’s approach to the mentorship was holistic. As well as imparting the knowledge necessary for the publishing industry, she helped me develop my creativity, confidence and to grow as a potential new employee. I developed confidence in my ideas, in how to communicate with colleagues and in how to approach and solve problems. Thanks to Claire’s course and her unwavering support while writing applications and preparing for interviews, I secured a job in educational publishing in 2021.”

Becky F came to Get into Children's Publishing having already written a children's book for a major brand but wanting an in-depth training to consolidate her knowledge and build her editorial and writing toolkit.

“A wonderful mentor, a patient teacher and a freelance friend. I approached Claire about her mentorship programme 'Get Into Children's Publishing with Claire Philip' at the start of 2024 because I admired her work (books that my children read every night) and wanted to learn how freelancing in book publishing differs from my background in magazines and newspapers. In Claire, I found a kind and generous mentor who I now consider a friend and, hopefully, a future colleague. I would recommend her skills very highly!”

Anne H works as a freelancer and has lots of experience in academic publishing. She completed the programme to help her transition into children's publishing.

“As someone who has worked in academic publishing for many years, I found Claire’s ‘Getting into Children’s Publishing’ course packed with practical advice and real-world insights into how the children’s publishing industry works – many aspects are the same as academic publishing but so much is different! What was most helpful was how the course broke down the different aspects of children's publishing -- from understanding the market and artwork commissioning to editorial work, and marketing and sales. The audio recordings of those working in different areas of children’s publishing were also really useful. Claire is incredibly knowledgeable (and very lovely!) and I highly recommend her course for anyone looking to work in the wonderful world of children’s publishing!”

Brigid F went on to secure a publicity internship at Macmillan and a marketing internship at Penguin Random House. She’s now a freelance writer for Observer Media.

“Imagine an editorial apprenticeship, but in addition to learning about all the facets of publishing, you also get the essential therapy needed to be in this industry. That's sort of what Claire Philip is great at. She's fantastic at giving you advice on building your career while also giving you a hand in an industry that is notoriously competitive. Always professional, real, and empathetic.”

Hayleigh F worked through the programme to supplement her MA in Publishing.

“Claire was an incredible mentor to me through her 1:1 editorial training programme. Her breadth of knowledge across all aspects of the publishing industry and especially Children’s publishing massively supported my development and completion of my MA.”

Louisa C signed up for my course with an interest in both marketing and editorial. She was waitressing before, and now works as a content manager/strategist.

“I was looking for a career change and I’d always thought I’d like a career in children’s publishing, but Claire showed me that I’d absolutely love one. Claire’s mentorship not only introduced me to the exciting, creative and challenging world of children’s publishing; from conception through to publication, but coupled with her creative coaching, the course helped me to uncover what I most needed in a career, and she gave me the tools to get it.”