Staff and students from the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication have just returned from the London Book Fair 2011, held in Earls Court. We were based on the Publishing Scotland stand with publishers including Black and White Publishing, Luath Press and Strident Publishing. Students helped out on the stand, fielding queries from other publishers, publishing service providers and would-be authors.

Students met with graduates from the course now working in the publishing industry, to hear about their career pathways and to get some invaluable careers advice, and also to share some memories of life at Stirling.

In comparison to 2010’s LBF, which was hit by the volcanic ash cloud, 2011 was buzzing, with record numbers of UK and international participants. One of the liveliest panel sessions during the three days of the fair debated whether there is a ‘talent time bomb’ in the publishing industry. Hosted by Skillset, the event was captured by live social media, including photos taken by Lauren Nicoll, a current student on the MLitt in Publishing Studies in Stirling.