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Topic: No Experience...Book Publishing....Advice?
| Author | Message |
| colorfulchaosart | Posted – 8/11/2008 12:25:16 AM | show profile | email poster Okay, I'm really new to all of this. I didn't even understand what Book Publishing was until I picked up a book that broke it all down for me, so I'm a little overwhelmed by everything right now. Problem is...I'm a senior in college going for my BA in English, and I don't have any "good" experience when it comes to the publishing world. I'm taking an editing class, and then hopefully doing an internship in the spring in a publishing company near me (Raleigh), but is it enough? I guess I'm just feeling really naive about what I'm going to do next. Obviously I was going to try for another internship or maybe an Associate Program through some of the big houses in NYC (which I'm learning is no easy task), but with my inexperience I think I'm going to be let down pretty quick in the game. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do now to have a better chance of getting an in? I want to work in Editorial so, would it be a good idea to try to get hired into a smaller house and work for the first 2-5 years (the book I have says it takes that long for a promotion) and then try and move to the bigger houses in NYC? Does anyone have any suggestions of "smaller" houses that I could look into that might be a tiny bit equivalent (or evenly slightly comparable) to how a house runs in NYC??? I really appreciate anything at this point. Even if it's not hopeful or heartening. I think some reality would do me good right now. |
| stephanerd | Posted – 8/11/2008 11:32:06 AM | show profile | email poster Howdy there from someone who used to work in the book publishing industry. I can only speak from personal experience but, in my opinion, you're on the right path. After college, I was at a stand-still in my job search, and ended up doing a post-college internship at a small press. While there, I learned a lot about the inner workings of the publishing industry (it helped that the press was so small; they gave me a good amount of responsibility. That's one of the pros of seeking out small presses, and they're the type I'd prefer to work in now if I was still in the industry), and I also worked the contacts I made there, making sure they knew what I was interested in, and what I was looking for. At the end of my internship, they offered me a part-time job and, through contacts I made there, I soon got a full-time job at a mid-sized academic press. As far as room for growth goes on the editorial side, most editorial assistants were promoted within two years at the company I was at. I'm not sure how wildly this differs from other publishers. If you'd like to research different publishing houses, I would check out this site: http://www.acqweb.org/pubr.html You can search publishing houses based upon geographic location or subject area. Good luck! ------ www.freelancedom.com |
| Agirlwalksintoabookstore... | Posted – 8/11/2008 12:37:28 PM | show profile From what you've said here, you're pretty much on the right track... at least, more on the right track than I was (graduated from a no-name women's college in the south two years ago with degree in same subject as you, no internships, but knew I wanted to go into publishing). I did the summer publishing course at NYU, which turned out to be a big, expensive mistake--the only thing I learned was that there are other fields out there besides editorial. And it got me my first internship at a literary agency. I had three internships in publishing (all gotten through people I knew or people those people knew) and, afterwards, decided to leave publishing because the industry is so inbred and nepotistic. Those internships and associate programs at the big houses are usually gotten through inside contacts--I know of one girl who was in the Associates Program at RH, and she only got there because she was related to someone who worked there already. It's kind of a crapshoot for those of us who are on the outside (and, as you'll find, everyone has a BA in English). And those positions are especially coveted now that publishing is downizing so much. If you still want to work in publishing, try other areas, such as marketing, publicity, or sub rights--they're interesting areas, and I know people who have been able to move departments quite easily. Stay where you are right now and then move to NYC when your career is established. If you're desperate to work in publishing, the best way to have an "in" anywhere is to network your butt off. And I mean it. Send your resume to editors at houses you might want to work for, asking for an informational interview. Be as outgoing as you can be. The jobs won't come to you. Good luck! |
| bookmap | Posted – 8/11/2008 1:58:02 PM | show profile Unlike UnemployedGal, I went to the summer program at the Denver Publishing Institute, and I thought it was amazing - not an expensive mistake. If you think you still have a lot to learn about publishing, you should check out the 3 summer programs that are available to college grads - the Denver program, the Columbia Publishing Course, and the NYU Publishing Institute. Yes, they are expensive, but I made amazing contacts, about 20 of us moved to NYC so I have an instant network and family here, and you might just learn that other areas of publishing interest you more than editorial. The only way to get those coveted internship/associates program/entry level positions is by knowing someone at that publishing house. Whether it is an editor or someone in HR, making contacts will be the best way to get your foot in the door. It takes a lot of hard work, and I've been here in NYC for 4 months and have only landed an internship, but I'm positive that perseverance will pay off in the end. You just have to have realistic expectations when you get here, so do your research! Sounds like you are already headed in the right direction. |
| Scout's Mom | Posted – 8/12/2008 12:35:52 PM | show profile Don't forget the Radcliffe publishing program, too. My advice would be to realize there is more to publishing than NYC. Some of the best publishers are outside of NYC, and they tend to be more open to hiring newbies because there aren't as many people competing for the same jobs in the same place. I got a job as an editorial and publicity assistant at a trade publisher 20 minutes outside of Washington, D.C. I worked my way up to the publicity manager role in under 7 years. In the last year, I've been offered jobs at major publishing companies in Boston amd NYC. Also, keep your eye out on related businesses that could feed you into editorial and publishing jobs, like literary agencies and book stores. |
| bookmap | Posted – 8/12/2008 5:35:10 PM | show profile Radcliffe program became the Columbia Publishing Course, fyi. |
| Metro Writer | Posted – 8/13/2008 11:49:16 AM | show profile Scout's Mom is right. Publishers are everywhere. It always helps, though, to network with editors from book publishers. Where do you find them? Conventions, conferences, press club meetings. Keep watching www.ctpressclub.com. In November, they will have editors from Viking, Random House, and Sourcebooks. The meetings are near the train station, so it's easy to get there. |
| Mewmie | Posted – 8/27/2008 11:27:19 PM | show profile But don't get discouraged, either. I didn't land my first real job until 2 years after I graduated, but I kept pursuing a career in book publishing and it paid off. I didn't have any relevant publishing experience (just 1 marketing internship) and didn't even know I wanted to work in this industry when I graduated from college. But I was persistent and let my love for books and reading shine through. I landed interviews (with absolutely NO contacts in the publishing world) at all the major publishing houses with only a well-written cover letter and a resume full of literary related volunteer work. Even though I was rejected dozens of times (because I had no publishing experience) I made contacts with the HR people and they were calling me in to interview for jobs they hadn't even posted yet. (Although to be honest, I never actually landed a job with this particular house. So it didn't help me out THAT much.) After interning at a literary agency, I landed a full time paid internship with a well-respected publishing house and, when that job ended (and with some much coveted publishing experience!), got the first job I interviewed for at one of the major publishing houses. Almost 2 years to the day after I graduated from college. Seriously, that internship you hope to have lined up is going to make a huge difference. Now that I'm actually on the other side, the main thing new hires have in common is that they had some sort of internship in publishing. That is the key to landing an entry level job. If you stick with it, are enthusiastic and have some relevant experience it will all work out. There are lots of success stories too from people like me and people who I work with that got their jobs through their own merits and not through nepotism or who they know. Good Luck! |
