One of the coolest “get in to publishing” stories I’ve heard. Jayne, an Editorial Assistant at HarperCollins, had the same difficulties as the rest of us, but ended up landing her dream job. Her experience gives me the little hope I need when I start to seriously consider working at Burger King…
How long have you been in publishing?
Two and a half years.
What was your previous experience?
I had never worked in publishing before being hired as an Editorial Assistant in 2007. I studied English and Journalism in college and had planned to go into a career in Broadcast Journalism. After interning at CBS News Productions and WFMZ TV 69 in Allentown, I realized I didn’t really love the news. I had loved the idea of it: the glamour of TV (which, as it turns out, is remarkably unglamorous), and the prestige and recognizability that can come with a career in the “entertainment” business. But, I found the short deadlines tiresome, and I was particularly put off when required to push someone to speak to me when they weren’t willing. Although I was talking to so many people on a daily basis, I never really got to know anyone. I missed the relationships that develop by working on a project over the long term, and I longed to deviate from the news formula (the who, what, when, where and why), and be more creative.
And so, I turned down acceptance to the Medill School of Journalism (truly a sad day, merely for the fact that I had worked toward a goal and then so suddenly felt like I desperately wanted to run from it), and began to do some soul searching: What would make me happy? What could I be passionate about? I didn’t know the answer right away. And so, I spent several months waitressing and watching Little Bear on TV. which I hadn’t done since first semester freshman year of college when my roommate came back to the dorm while I was tuned into Nick Jr. and asked with horror, “What are you watching?!” I thought I was whittling away the time, but this was the first indicator of what made me happy, even at 22.
Later that summer, I browsed through a local flea market and emerged with just one item: an old, old copy of Mother Goose. I hadn’t the slightest idea what I was going to do with it, other than flip through it once and keep it on my shelves, but I loved the nostalgia of it and felt that I had to have it. And that’s when it finally occurred to me: I could work on children’s books, and I could help a new generation of kids discover wonderful stories that would feed their imagination and open them up to reading forever.
What was the job hunt like for you?
After deciding that I wanted to work in publishing, I submitted resumes for EVERY job I could find online—small publishing houses, big ones, jobs in adult and children’s books, jobs in text books, editorial positions, marketing and publicity positions. I just wanted to get some experience in the industry. I tried to do it on my own, but I felt like my resume wasn’t getting noticed, and I knew with the skill set I had developed through my work in journalism, I was qualified for a career in any facet of publishing.
Luckily, I have an uncle who worked in publishing years ago and kept in contact with some of his former colleagues. They graciously helped my resume get noticed. After a whirlwind of interviews in many areas of publishing, I received an offer for a job doing publicity for adult books at a major New York City publishing house. I was happy to have an offer, but at the same time, I felt myself hesitate. I wanted experience, any experience, but I was a bit sad that it wasn’t exactly the job that I had wished for.
But the stars were aligning for me. The next day, I received a call about a job in Children’s Editorial at HarperCollins. I had my opportunity! The trouble was, I had to get back to the other publishing house and either accept or turn down their offer. I quickly booked the interview at Harper, and I emerged with a great feeling about the job. I also emerged with three projects to test my writing and editorial eye. PANIC! I didn’t have much time to decide on the publicity job, which meant I didn’t have the luxury of taking a long weekend to work on my assignments and see how the HarperCollins job panned out.
And so I pulled an all-nighter. My first one ever (I hadn’t even done it in college)! I wrote a killer reader’s report for a teen manuscript, drafted flaps for a picture book, and gave a detailed analysis as to why I felt the company should reject a submission they received. I sent in my work first thing the next morning, explaining my situation and why I had done the assignments so quickly (but with much, much thought!). I asked the editors I interviewed with if they might get back to me that day, with a note that I, of course, understood if that wasn’t possible. Less than thirty minutes later, I had the job. After months and months of interviewing, my perfect job came to me so easily, and I really believe that that is how it should be. I now try to keep that in mind when anything isn’t going my way.
What do you like/dislike about your job?
I have the most wonderful managers. The job itself is wonderful, and I feel cared for and about by the company as a whole, but it is my bosses who have my loyalty. They are so nurturing, both personally and professionally, and they are a large part of why I have been so successful thus far. They want to see me do well and have given me so much support. I also love how I am challenged every day as an adult—to make decisions, meet goals and acquire new responsibilities—and yet, the child in me feels alive here. It is a wonderful balance of growing and staying connected to the things that are most important. I suppose the only thing I don’t like is the amount of reading that I do have to take home on nights and weekends, but at the same time, so much of it is enjoyable.
Tips for people who want to get into publishing:
Know what is out there. Read books that are on the current bestseller list and identify the reasons why you think they are successful. Make contacts, and don’t be too proud to reach out to the ones you already have. In this industry, it can be difficult without them! Also, I think my swift turnaround on my editorial assignments showed how much I wanted the job. Do anything to go above and beyond!
Top 3 favorite books of all time (and none of them are allowed to be classics!)
Matilda by Roald Dahl, Little Bear by Else Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (though I suppose all are classics in the children’s world). All are remarkable characters.
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