Speaking from Experience: Stephen Mesquita

Stephen Mesquita works as a consultant for travel publishers worldwide, advising on strategy and marketing. He is the publisher of the annual Nielsen BookScan Travel Publishing Year Book, which offers the travel publishing industry a detailed analysis of sales and trends. He is a Visiting Lecturer at London City University, teaching the Marketing module in the MA Publishing and is also an occasional guest lecturer at Oxford Brookes.

Stephen teaches the sales and marketing session on the Introduction to Publishing course.

How did you get started in publishing?

I joined the British Tourist Authority to work in the Travel Industry. After a year and a half as a Management Trainee, they sent me to a warehouse in Clapham which handled their distribution – including their magazine IN BRITAIN, for which I became Subscriptions Executive. Then I took on some guidebook sales as well. The rest is on my CV (if I can find it).

What is the biggest lesson you have learnt?

If you’re running a publishing company, you need to be able to count. And you shouldn’t be afraid to get involved in detail – especially in those parts of the business that aren’t working.

What project are you most proud of?

In ten years, I took the international sales of AA Publishing from £500K to £10m – but more importantly, I had a ton of fun doing it and worked with great people all over the world.

Why do you think tutoring for the PTC is important?

For me, it’s really important to give something back to people who are coming into the industry. If my experience in sales and marketing can inspire a new generation, then I’m very happy.

Your biggest prediction for the industry this year:

It’s going to be the biggest shake-out in travel publishing in a generation. Many famous names are going to pull out. Some will go under – and some will thrive.