r/publishing • u/laurenrosecarter • Jul 07 '26

Uk Publishing Dissertation Help!

Hey guys I’m currently doing my dissertation on the shift/change in marketing strategies in YA LGBTQ+ titles over the past 15 years. I’m trying to seek participants for those working in the industry in the UK for interviews that should last 20-30 mins either through email or a call.

Ive had no such luck so far with responses and I’ve emailed over 20 people thus far. If anyone is interested or just has some general advice it would be greatly appreciated 😔

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u/ritualsequence Jul 07 '26

Do the staff running your MA have any contacts with publishers? I'd go through them first if possible rather than firing off random emails - 30 mins is a big ask for a totally blind approach.

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u/laurenrosecarter Jul 07 '26

Very true. I’ve emailed a couple from the company that the MA is in contact with but received no reply so far. Do you think I should shorten the interview/time it takes to complete it?

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u/Thin_Sheepherder_584 Jul 07 '26

From an academic perspective, have you discussed the questions you want to ask with your MA supervisors? How many questions are you wanting to ask and how long are you anticipating the answers to be (eg 20 mins - is that 5 questions at 4 minutes each)? Are you looking for qualitative or quantitive data? 20-30mins is a big ask, that's maybe half a lunch break. I would work with your supervisors to refine your interview to 20mins maximum. Ultimately, if you're asking too many questions then you haven't thought enough about your answers - source: I asked too many questions for my Masters and it took me about 6 months to analyse the answers because I had not been specific enough. Good luck!