Into the Heart of Publishing I Went

Everyone has this fantastical idea of what publishing is. 

A busy office with piles of paper everywhere. A buzzing atmosphere where it's books books books. 

The truth is it's not like that at all.

I started off my publicity work experience at the Penguin Random House group trying to work out the travel system of London.
As most of the people who read this blog know, I am the least coordinated or travel conscious person around, so tube systems and train times are not my forte.

However, going to work every morning, rushing for the tube and getting annoyed with the slow walkers and the barging businessmen made me feel like a true Londoner.

When you walk into the Random House offices you are met by very fun red swivel chairs and a receptionist who is never off the phone. That's where the glamour ends, I'm afraid.

The offices themselves look like any other offices; desk, chair, computer, paperwork. Apart from the shelves and stacks of books that rest against every wall and get in everyone's way.

When I thought of publishing I thought of author events and meetings about books and being the first person to see the next big book cover. However what I failed to remember was that I was in fact there for only a two week work experience placement and therefore unimportant.

But don't fear, I have not turned my back on publishing. In fact, I loved almost every minute of being the publicity assistants lackey. I got to make Showcards that would be put up in bookshops across the country and Press Releases that would be sent to every big newspaper and magazine around.

Everyday I listened to the assistants and the publicists on the phone to travel companies, booking Eurostars and hotels and talking to authors about the gritty details of their books so they could organise appropriate interviews.

And it just gave me the motivation to want to be that person. The one calling the author or going on business trips and book tours with them, or being the author themselves, being asked the in-depth details about my book. It ignited the passion and motivation within me to jump up the gear, to do something I really want.

By the end of the placement I realised that publicity was maybe not my avenue. I want to be connected with the author and the book so much that I feel like its my child as well as theirs. That's why I've made the decision to try and pursue a career in editorial, and in particular children's.

But I would not have given up that experience for the world. Those two weeks were more important than I can express. It will help me get a job in the future, it has motivated me to do better, and it has taught me invaluable information. I recommend that anyone interested in the industry should apply.

Not to mention all the free books I got given at the end of it.

Ticking the Rejection Box

Every great writer is a reject.

JK Rowling got rejected from every publishing house name before Bloomsbury took her. The Da Vinci Code, The Chronicles of Narnia, even Dr Suess where all rejected a number of times before they finally found the right agent or publisher. In fact, all the books you can recognise in the photo to the right have been rejected.


If you write and aim to publish that writing to a public audience, then rejection is inevitable. Every writer or publisher will tell you exactly that. But no matter how many times you tell yourself you'll be okay with that, that you understand its part of the business, it still hurts when it happens.

At first you turn your nose up at the rejection, disagreeing with every comment on your work and convincing yourself that you were just too good for that agent. Then the tears come. The 'I'm a terrible writer and I should give up now' wails.

And then you take a couple of days. You go over the feedback that agent may have given you and you really think about it. About why this could have affected their inevitable choice and how you can fix it.

Through my experience I decided to take every criticism, note them down and then think of ways to remove the problem from the story - whether that be adding to word count with more scenes or removing the subplot or character completely. I mapped every chapter and every characters appearance on my Halls bedroom wall and found that I could now recognise where I'd gone wrong - something I couldn't see before.

When it comes to your own writing you're usually blind. Every single word is perfect and the completed manuscript is your treasured child that, when its beaten down, you feel every bruise too. But there are two choices - two solutions.

Either learn to look at your work subjectively and become a hard critic. Read through your work with new eyes and be tough with your cuts and edits. Not many have the heart or ability to do this successfully.
Or, find a critique partner or group. Many published writers recommend joining one of these groups if you look on their FAQ pages, but if you can't find one in your area or one that doesn't cost, turn to a friend or family member. If they're interested in the genre they may be interested in being your first reader - and possibly having a mention in the acknowledgements. Even a classmate can be helpful. If they're a good person they'll be honest with you when you ask.

The Rejection box is a painful one to tick but its necessary for every writers journey. And most of the time those rejection emails are what make you a better, stronger writer.