About: Katrina Melvin

Katrina Melvin is a Scot in exile. She has lived in Asia for 8 years and is currently working as a copywriter in Kuala Lumpur. She graduated with an MA in English Literature from Aberdeen university, worked as a teacher for several years, then returned to university where she received an MLitt in Publishing Studies from Stirling University. Her articles have appeared in various publications in Malaysia.

Posts by Katrina Melvin:

A History of Neglect

Pick up any book at the bookstore: more than likely it was commissioned, edited, proofed, designed by women. In fact, the United Kingdom publishing industry is made up of an estimated 50%-70% women. Until Helen Fraser retired in 2009, the biggest three publishers in the UK by market share had women in top senior roles: Helen Fraser, Managing Director of Penguin UK; Gail Rebuck, CEO of Random House; and Victoria Barnsley, CEO of Harper Collins. The industry is no longer populated by autocratic pipe-smoking gentlemen in tweeds and well turned-out girls in pearls. Rebuck, Fraser, and Barnsley are a world away from either of those gender stereotypes associated with earlier 20th-century publishing. (more…)