Sam shares how postgraduate study transformed his writing and editing career. Author and editor Sam Fern graduated with an MSc in Intermediality from the University of Edinburgh in 2022 as part of the first ever cohort of the programme.Originally from “many little countryside villages and towns across the south of England”, Sam spent six years in London studying English and working in publishing before moving to Edinburgh. He describes his route into publishing as unconventional, explaining that he “haunted many book events until I found someone willing to take the chance on a total newcomer.” Working first at the small independent imprint ERIS Press and then at the multi-imprint world of Bonnier Books, Sam gained experience across both children’s and adult genres. He reached a point where he wanted to expand his skillset and spent some time researching potential degrees and locations. This led him to the MSc in Intermediality at the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), where he joined the inaugural cohort in 2021. The chance to study such a medley of art forms was too good to pass up: my course covered comics, film, architecture, painting, poetry, music – a treasure trove for anyone interested in how all these forms collide and communicate! It absolutely exceeded my expectations. Sam Fern MSc Intermediality, 2022 Crafting stories through writing and editing Sam is now an author and freelance editor based in Edinburgh. He works with a broad range of clients, from corporate publishers to independent clients, and has published two books under his own name. His editorial work covers a bit of everything: one week, he might be editing a bestselling series, and the next, he’s supporting a first‑time writer preparing a story for a competition.Sam’s first book, Escape Castle Dracula (Big Picture Press), is an interactive YA gothic puzzle adventure, published in 2024. Inspired by – and written during – his masters degree, the book tackles literary classics through the lens of their cross-media adaptations to make the canon accessible and exciting to audiences who may first have encountered these stories through television, film or video games. Sam Fern signing books in Edinburgh bookshop Topping & Company In 2025, Sam published his second book, Where the Dead Live (Templar Books), an illustrated guide through the world of the dead. Explaining the inspiration behind it, Sam says: “Away from mourning or melancholy, this book is a celebratory, archaeological, and mythological tour through cultural imaginations, practises, and stories.”“The aim there was to talk about the dead as a community as vibrant and engaging as everyone else who happens to still be breathing just now: the ways we take them with us!” Interplay between art formsSam’s work depends on maintaining a clear perspective on cultural entertainment: what people are enjoying, where that could be going, and how it’s being done.He credits the MSc in Intermediality with giving him the tools to analyse that landscape.“When your job relies on constantly finding new ideas for what folks might like to see in their stories, on knowing how imaginations are shifting, and on seeing where it all might be heading, Intermediality and LLC is the place to be.“Rather than encouraging a narrow focus of a single point of interest, Sam found that his teaching at Edinburgh did the opposite. It introduced him to theories of the engagement between art and image across centuries, vital for writing cohesive illustrated books: “Intermediality gave me permission to think in new ways about the collisions and combinations of art forms, to take the long view of this current Western culture of medium-hopping franchises that feel quite chaotically unbound from being one thing or another." "I couldn’t have imagined being not only allowed but encouraged to write my dissertation on ‘The Intermedial Myth of the Batman’, which I’m now currnetly reworking into a publication for Bloomsbury!” The programme has allowed me to pitch my skills to a wide range of projects, having at least touched on any art form that might be relevant, and usually being able to show a paper where I’ve written about them colliding: TV promo posters meet renaissance art! Magic tricks in theatre and film! Fan cultures and videogames! Biscuits and LEGO! Seriously. Where else can you cover all that?! Sam Fern MSc Intermediality, 2022 Finding the confidence to pitch unusual ideasWhen asked what advice he would give to someone hoping to study Intermediality or pursue a career in the creative industries, Sam doesn’t want to simply repeat talk about passion and enthusiasm. Those qualities matter, he notes, but success also depends on the capacity to handle rejection – and even to thrive on it.“It’s important to have something that will let you knock on the door and drive you on to try the next one,” he says.For Sam, that determination came from his time at LLC. Having supervisors, tutors, and professors who held his work to rigorous academic standards but still said ‘yes, that’s interesting, look further into that’ has shaped the way he moves through his career and given him the confidence to keep pitching unusual ideas. Since leaving LLC, Sam has been back on multiple occasions to chat with current students about his work and career. In June 2026, he is speaking at the Monster Media Conference at the University. Learn more about the Monster Media ConferenceFind out more about Sam's work on his websiteAre you interested in studying Intermediality?As the first UNESCO World City of Literature, home of the Edinburgh International Festival and a major cultural hub, Edinburgh is the ideal place for the study of intermediality.Our taught masters programme draws on world-class teaching and research expertise across media, from literature to film, music, painting, photography and visual culture more widely.The programme will give you an good understanding of intermedial theory and equip you with the critical tools and historical background for understanding and analysing a wide range of intermedial phenomena across different periods and cultures. Visit the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder Tags Film and Intermediality Meet our graduates Postgraduate Publication date 29 May, 2026
