If you've been applying for roles in UK publishing recently and finding the process feels different from a few years ago, you're not imagining it. The criteria employers are using to evaluate candidates have shifted, and the gap between a strong application and a winning one often comes down to factors that aren't always obvious from a job description. Having spent years working at the intersection of publishing talent and publishing organisations, we are sharing our expert insights on what's actually driving hiring decisions right now.
Adaptability Is the New Seniority
Experience still matters enormously in publishing recruitment. Domain knowledge, relationships, and track record are irreplaceable. But increasingly, what separates candidates at similar experience levels is demonstrated adaptability. Publishers are aware that workflows, tools, and business models are in flux. They want to hire people who have shown they can absorb change, learn new systems, and adjust their practice without losing what makes them excellent. This doesn't mean you need to be a technology early adopter. It means you need to show you don't resist change when it's necessary.
AI Literacy: How Much Is Enough?
This is one of the questions our team get most often from candidates preparing for interviews. The honest answer is: it depends on the role, but the floor is rising. For most publishing roles in 2026, employers want to see that you have direct experience of working with at least one AI tool in a professional context. They want to understand how you think about AI, where it helps, where it falls short, where the risks lie. They are not expecting expertise. They are expecting engagement. If you haven't used AI tools in your current role, I'd encourage you to change that before your next application. Even a personal project or experiment with a tool like Claude, ChatGPT, or a specialist publishing application will give you something genuine to discuss.
The Soft Skills That AI Cannot Replicate
We regularly tell candidates that the skills that were always considered 'soft' have never been more commercially important. Relationship building with authors, agents, retail partners, and colleagues, remains deeply human and deeply valuable. Judgement in ambiguous situations is a distinctly human capacity. Creative vision, the ability to articulate what a book or brand is about, is not something AI generates. Empathy in leadership, editorial conversations, and author relationships is irreplaceable. These are not consolation prizes for people who aren't technical enough. They are central competencies that employers are actively weighing in the hiring process.
What a Strong Interview Looks Like Right Now
Based on feedback from publishers we work with closely, the candidates who impress in interview right now tend to do several things well. They can speak honestly about AI tools they've used and what they learned, including where the tools let them down. They have a clear sense of where their human expertise adds distinctive value in a world where some tasks can be automated. They demonstrate commercial awareness, understanding how AI is affecting the economics of publishing, not just the workflow. And they ask smart questions about how the organisation is thinking about AI, signalling that they're a thoughtful participant in that conversation rather than a passive observer.
In Summary
The best candidates Redwood Publishing Recruitments places are those who bring genuine publishing expertise, openness to the changing landscape, and a clear sense of what makes them distinctively valuable. That combination is what publishers are competing to hire.