From publishing to rights management

Ever since she was little, Sathsara Radaliyagoda has always had a fascination for books. When she was 14, she was trying to figure out how to make her passion for books into a career and discovered the Master of Publishing. She has always been a planner, and the long-term goal setting has worked out! She studied hard in high school and in her undergraduate degrees in order to study publishing at the University of Sydney.

She describes her time at the University of Sydney as exciting, inspiring and life-changing. It shaped her understanding of the publishing industry and the various roles available. Moreover, she was able to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds, and make lifelong friends and connections in the industry via the teaching staff. Every lecturer in the degree is a publishing professional or has extensive industry experience.

When asked about the biggest lesson she learned during her time at university, she says that there was always something to learn. It didn't matter if a student's elective didn't seem to be directly related to their degree, or that they wanted to get into one area rather than the other, Sathsara adds.

This was especially true for Sathsara as she always imagined herself in editorial (which is indeed what most publishing students envision themselves in before they start the degree). While studying for the Master of Publishing, however, Sathsara learnt about rights management, which is the department she is currently in.

Sathsara currently works at Penguin Random House Australia and New Zealand as the Rights Coordinator - a position she started two weeks before finishing her degree. She says that the Master of Publishing helped her securing a job because her chosen industry recognised the degree as being one of the best introductions into publishing. 

The Master of Publishing aims to cover all aspects of the publishing process from editorial to design and production, to sales and marketing. This helps students develop their understanding of the industry, and the various departments they can work in.

“What I love about working in rights management is that no day is the same!” Sathsara says. Her typical day starts off with emailing coagents in different countries to develop networks and create connections with international partners in the industry. She also drafts contracts and permission agreements for different deals.

The busiest times of the year are during the international bookfairs, such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, where publishers showcase their best new titles to be sold to other territories. Learning about rights and other aspects of publishing in the degree allowed Sathsara to pick up things more quickly in her role, especially the industry lingo.

"Whether it’s working as a receptionist, or marketing or rights assistant in a publishing house, there are so many ways you can use those roles to end up where you want to be," Sathsara adds.

She also works closely with the authors, which she believes is the best part of the job.

Her greatest piece of advice for anyone considering studying publishing is to not limit oneself to one idea or department. And the lecturers at the University of Sydney, some of whom provided Sathsara with a reference for her first role, are here to help students on their journey. As Sathsara says, “Their main goal is to help you end up working in the industry of your dreams. I can guarantee that doing a degree in publishing definitely helps!"