Top Tips for Surviving Work Experience in Publishing

Written by Ethan Marsh

During my time at working at Jacaranda Books I have learnt a multitude of lessons that are applicable not only within the world of publishing but also within life.

I have been lucky enough to work across all aspects of the company whether within the Sales and Marketing departments or the Editorial and Rights departments. From which I have gained a great respect for, seeing as there is more to the job than what meets the eye. 

I have had the opportunity to read over final drafts of submitted manuscripts, and make comments and notes as I read along, in addition to then completing a readers report which detailed; a synopsis, who the author was, books which were comparable, the target audience and my overall thoughts whether I believed it should be added to the catalogue.

This allowed insight into what it is like for companies whether publishing houses or literary agents when receiving writers work.

Furthermore, I completed research into a specific and niche topic in relation to an upcoming US book series. While this may have been one of the most difficult tasks due to its refined search objectives, it also proved rewarding seeing as the author to some degree would be able to use the compilation of research to complete their own work. More so with regards to research, in order to complete tasks involving contractual agreements between the publishing house and the author, it was imperative to understand the use of the clauses and their functions within the signed agreement - making it beneficial to both parties. Having once read through Clark’s Publishing Agreements: A Book of Precedents I was better able to understand all the intricacies of the agreement and make suitable suggestions and ask questions in relation. 

However, to one's benefit of wanting/ aspiring to break into the world of writing, it became clear that I would need to understand the publicity side of the operation, which would come in the form of; meta data, Authors pages, publicity and marketing campaigns. In simple terms, if one has understood the terms which meta data provides and how they can be of use, it allows the marketing and publicity (including the Authors page) to become not only an easier task but one which can reap many benefits - allowing the writers chosen text to be more accessible and viewable by a mainstream audience and then available to create widespread interaction.

My time would unfortunately, shortly come to a close in the form of attending a bookclub event with the chosen title Queen Charlotte Sophia: A Royal Affair by Tina Andrews, which would provide me the opportunity to take a hands on approach in setting up the event, meeting the Author and being able to review the success of the event. 

Thus bringing the full experience to a close, whether it saw me behind the laptop reading or writing, in a store changing the titles and marketing of the book or behind the scenes with contracts and attending meetings.

To survive Work Experience in Publishing I would say:

• Take every opportunity that presents itself to you (you will never know whether you like it or not unless you give it a go)

• Manage your time wisely and its alright if you cant complete everything in one go

• Don’t be afraid to ask for support / advice from others (you may find it more beneficial to ask questions so you are able to have better understanding of what is being spoken of)

• Be on time ( to keep things running smoothly be as punctual as you can - it can get rather fast paced) 

• Set clear objectives of what you want to get out and achieve from it 

• Enjoy it! (Have fun and give it a go and in the worst case scenario if you don't like it, you won't make a mistake pursuing it as a future career).