Publishing in Washington (Seattle, Renton, Pacific: houses, job market, living)

[Periphrasis]

I'm considering moving out of Brooklyn to the Pacific Northwest, and after doing some research, I think that Washington State would be a good fit. I'm just worried about the job market...I work in publishing, and I would want to secure a job before a big move like this. Does anyone know what the publishing marketplace is like in Washington, and specifically Seattle? Also, what the literary culture is like there? I think that even though it would be possible to move there with no job lined up, that would be a very unwise decision.
Thanks for the help!

[St.Croix to Seattle]

Seattle is one of the most highly educated city's in the United States along with a good education..the educated tend to continue to read throughout life....so i think there are many opportunities...just depends on what area (meaning finance or environmental)you cover...good luck

[expdxer]

It depends what you mean by publishing. If you mean book/magazine editorial jobs, the Pacific NW has very few large publishing companies compared to NYC or San Francisco. Those that do exist are likely to be run by a very small staff or even just volunteers. The up side is that the product is less corporate than NYC. If you're looking for a newspaper job, that is easier if you have experience. You may want to consider the San Francisco Bay Area if you want to move to the West Coast and work in publishing, frankly, even though the cost of living there is high, almost as high as NYC.

As someone who has lived on both coasts and tried to get a job from 3,000 miles away, you may have no choice but to move first if you really want to go to Seattle. Unless you are a CEO or something, employers usually will hire local people first, especially in competitive fields. Good luck. I am trying to escape from NYC myself, back to the Pacific NW.

[Periphrasis]

I'm in book publishing right now, on the editorial side. I would like to continue with some sort of editorial work, but I'm flexible. I understand that they probably will look at locals before me, but I have a lot of experience, as far as internships and working/volunteering at bookstores. I've done the whole "move to a new city without a job lined up" thing, and I don't think I could go through that again.

[LMB]

Do you have any technical writing/editorial experience? When my daughter was looking for a writing job in Seattle some years ago, she said there were "tons" of tech writing/editorial positions available through a job placement company specializing in editorial employment (I can't remember the company name, but I'm sure a Google search would find it). My daughter took a job as a content writer at Amazon, then moved to Expedia where she's still working as a writer. As far as I know, there are no large publishers in Seattle. The Wright Group (a MacGraw Hill educational publisher) was in the Seattle area until relocating to Chicago a few years ago. I've been in ed pub (K-6 design for a major publisher) for the last several years--semi-retired now, but still doing publishing design/art direction working from home. Maybe you could work on contract remotely for some of the bigger educational writing houses. Seems they are always looking for good freelance editors.

Good luck in your job search!

Lynn

[skycastles]

Originally Posted by Periphrasis

I'm in book publishing right now, on the editorial side. I would like to continue with some sort of editorial work, but I'm flexible. I understand that they probably will look at locals before me, but I have a lot of experience, as far as internships and working/volunteering at bookstores. I've done the whole "move to a new city without a job lined up" thing, and I don't think I could go through that again.

I am just wondering how you did with your job search? I am considering a move to either San Francisco or Seattle myself and would like to find work in book publishing also, although I suppose I could also do marketing/PR as well. I'm in Hawaii, so I'm in a similar situation as you - trying to lock down a job from miles away. Any tips would be appreciated.

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by skycastles

I am considering a move to ... Seattle myself and would like to find work in book publishing ...

Here's a place to look: the combined classifieds of the two leading newspapers in and around the Seattle area:
Seattle area jobs, employment advice and information | NWjobs

[skycastles]

Originally Posted by allforcats

Here's a place to look: the combined classifieds of the two leading newspapers in and around the Seattle area:
Seattle area jobs, employment advice and information | NWjobs

Thanks! I'll definitely check this out!

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Periphrasis

I'm considering moving out of Brooklyn to the Pacific Northwest, and after doing some research, I think that Washington State would be a good fit. I'm just worried about the job market...I work in publishing, and I would want to secure a job before a big move like this. Does anyone know what the publishing marketplace is like in Washington, and specifically Seattle? Also, what the literary culture is like there? I think that even though it would be possible to move there with no job lined up, that would be a very unwise decision.
Thanks for the help!

If you're looking for "literary" publishing, then you're probably going to have to look in San Francisco.

If you're willing to "go geek" a little, there's Wizards of the Coast in Renton and Dark Horse Comics in Portland, OR. There might be some smaller gaming companies as well.

You might try Microsoft, too. Their writing and editing jobs tend to veer more toward the technical, but it's an option. Same thing with Amazon.com.

Yeah, I wouldn't move there without a job lined up. Not unless you have a whole bunch of bucks in the bank. Western Washington is an expensive place to live.