Showing posts with label careers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label careers. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Move That Wasn't
As you all know, I left for New York on Thursday to move into a nice apartment and begin my journey to become a literary agent. After roughly 1400 miles, 23 hours, 8 states, and 1 hotel room, my mom and I arrived in New York. We got a whirlwind tour of the house and met the landlords. Everything was great. It was a nice apartment in a good neighborhood. I couldn't have asked for more. We unloaded all of my stuff (which was a lot of crap) and then we set out to the nearest Target for groceries and last minute supplies so that I could survive for a bit on my own. My mother was going to leave in the morning. As it turned out, we didn't get to bed until after 11 PM, and she was entirely too exhausted to leave in the morning. I am so glad she didn't.
Saturday when we finally got up, we decided to walk around the neighborhood a little and head into Manhattan so Mom could see Central Park before she left. At this point, I was looking at New York from an entirely different perspective. Previously, I had been a tourist. I had looked at the metro and all the people and the tall buildings as something I found interesting. Surely, I thought, I could live here. It's different, but I can handle it. Walking around Manhattan and Brooklyn and looking at it as if it were my life now was a completely different experience, and it was one that changed everything for me. I THOUGHT I could live in New York, especially out in Brooklyn where there are actual houses and the neighborhood is not so different than what I'm used to. I THOUGHT I could deal with being surrounded by so many people constantly while feeling completely isolated. I THOUGHT I was made of tougher stuff.
I was wrong.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Why hello there!
I know. I know. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. It's harder than you'd think. Sigh.
Anyway, I finally got to start writing again. I'm on draft 2 of TSA, and boy did I miss it. I broke 12k the other day; I was seriously beginning to wonder if it would ever happen (pushing 13k now - WOO!). I've got some big goals for this one over the break: finish draft 2, edit, send to some readers, edit, send to a couple of agents. We'll see if that happens. But I'm certainly going to try!
On a slightly related (if you think in terms of publishing and books in general I suppose) I had to stop reading for Awesome Agent because of school, which totally sucked by the way (school AND not being able to read for AA). But since she's made of pure awesome (hence the name) she's taking me back, at least for the break. I've already looked at one partial and have another to read for her today. I love this business, and knowing that makes the thought of moving from Arkansas (don't judge me) to New York that much easier. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing than bringing my own and others' books into the world, except for playing my instruments, but that's an even harder job to get into. O.O
Books. There are so many that I haven't had a chance to read and so many more that have come out. It's crazy. I'm going to do so much reading over the break, because I have at least 3 books that I have to review that desperately need to get read. Sigh. Sometimes I fail at life.
And on that note, have any of you had any success while I was away? Book deals? Agent signings? Do tell!
(Did I mention how much I missed all of you?)
Monday, September 6, 2010
Guest Post from My Dog Ate My Blog
Today, I have a guest post for you from one of the contributors to a very interesting- and rather informative- site, My Dog Ate My Blog. Rather than tell you who they are and what they talk about, I'd rather just let you guys check them out for yourself. So, enjoy:
So You Want to Break Into the Publishing Industry
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the publishing industry can always expect to take a hit during times of economic downturn. Couple that with the rise of the Internet and the subsequent demise of traditional print media and it's no wonder you always hear about newspapers folding and talking heads proclaiming the publishing industry dead. On the contrary, the industry far from dead, just changing, like so many other industries experiencing growing pains as they transition into a new, on-line, interactive world. Anybody may be able to have a blog but the public still turns to trusted sources for news and other material, and thankfully, books, business-to-business or "trade" publications, and textbooks still see the same if not better circulations as earlier in the decade. Here are 8 hot jobs in the publishing industry that ARE on the rise.
Graphic designers are in high demand for not only the layout of the publications themselves but that of the publication's website, and are often required to do extensive work on both. Graphic designers must be familiar with InDesign and similar layout applications, and must be able to create an intuitive, immediately eye-catching, and engaging interface for online content. Jobseekers with web design and animation experience will have an edge over the competition.
Market and survey researchers find out what the public wants by means of surveys, focus group discussions, etc. They figure out how best to reach readers and what content they want to view, an increasingly important aspect of the industry because with so many options available online and in print, it is essential to find the audience that will keep coming back for more. Market and survey researchers report their findings to....
Advertising sales are what fuel newspapers, magazines, and their websites, and so advertising sales agents are absolutely necessary to find the revenue that will keep these publications alive. Agents analyse findings from the market research department and present them to potential clients in the hopes they will buy advertising space in their publication and/or website. Commissions often make up a large portion of an advertising sales agent's earnings, and so this can be a tough way to go, especially in less than ideal economic times.
It is increasingly difficult for writers to find steady, paid work, especially as most publications downsize or hire out work on a freelance basis, but one often overlooked though less sexy sector of the publishing industry that is hiring workers is the business-to-business or trade publication. These smaller publications cover stories and topics specific to certain industries and so only appeal to a small but stable audience, one with fewer (if any) options to receive their news. Writers for these publications may write for various magazines at once and may also be required to handle other tasks as well, and so should have some experience in layout, photography, and/or graphic design to help their prospects.
No one will read a book if they do not know it exists, and so it is the public relations specialist's job to get the word out and create buzz about new material. PR specialists devise ad campaigns in other publications, radio and television ads, etc., set up author interviews and promotional tours, and utilize any medium possible to reach their target audience. Increasingly experience and expertise with social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is essential.
Textbook sales constitute almost half of the revenue generated by the publishing industry, and with more students (especially in higher education) than ever, the demand for new textbooks and revised editions of those already published does not look to diminish anytime soon. Generally professors or other experts in a certain field devise the content for a textbook, but oftentimes need help putting their thoughts to paper in a digestible, engaging way; this is where the jobs are, and so textbook writers should have knowledge of the field to translate highly technical talk into something that makes sense for a student.
More and more in today's business climate writers are being hired on a freelance basis. Publishing companies commission freelance writers to complete any kind of assignment, mostly short-term but also recurring columns, scripts, and books. Freelancer writers are self-employed and so have the freedom to handpick the assignments they undertake and also work on their own schedule. As a downside, jobs can be hard to find and so freelancing can be a tough way to make a living, particularly as an unestablished or new writer. However, there are always jobs out there waiting to be found, and it is a good way to get published and create a portfolio to use when finding steadier work.
The area with by far the best job prospects, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is that of computer network, systems, and database administrators. With so many periodicals and other publications already online, and many books being converted to a digital format, it is absolutely essential to have a working, fluid, interactive, intuitive, and cutting edge website. Webmasters turn publishers and writers' ideas into online reality, and must be up-to-date on current technologies and innovations for implementation.
Joseph Gustav is a guest post blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on accredited online colleges for Guide to Online Schools.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Interning, Links, and a Shout Out
There are a lot, A LOT of really bad ones, so when you see that an agent has only requested 1 partial out of over 100 queries remember that most of the stuff they read was horrid. You can officially take my word on that, and I want to request more than Awesome Agent.
I've also noticed that what people say about the intern or the new agent reading slush is true; though, naturally, I can't find any of those posts right now. We're more willing to look at something than an agent might be. I'm sure Awesome Agent has requested way more since taking me on than she usually does, just to prove a point. And it's working. Already I look back at some of the first things I requested and wonder what I saw, and it comes down to them being the best ones of the batch, regardless of whether they were good or not.
But I have seen some good stuff, not a whole lot, but some. And that is awesome. You know what else is awesome? Getting an email that says something I picked out of the slush has agent interest/offers elsewhere. Why is that cool? Because it means that something I saw in the slush got a real agent's attention. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right.
In other news, the lovely Candyland is hosting a contest over on her blog. It's for a good cause, like how the entire writing community pulled together for Do the Write Thing for Nashville. Candyland is using her blog to support the Joy 2 the World non-profit organization. In Candyland's words:
"Matt Brady is New Medicine's bassist, and an avid supporter of the non-profit, Joy 2 the World, which generates micro-credit loans for the women of Ghana to encourage independence and empowerment.They're an amazing organization who helps build wells for clean water (as opposed to river water), create pre-k schools with hot meals, give loans to women for small business start-up and awards scholarships to those attending school.
To read Matt Brady's amazing journey in Ghana, click HERE.
To read more about Joy 2 the World, click HERE."
You can win some awesome stuff, including page/chapter/query letter critiques from industry pros like Natalie Fischer and Michelle Wolfson and autographed books, swag from the likes of Kimberly Derting and Sean Ferrell, and gift cards from T.H. Mafi.
There are plenty of ways to get entries, so head on over to The Misadventures in Candyland and check it out! :)
And something funny for those of you who read this whole thing and hopefully clicked through to a few of those links.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
New York: Part Two
I spent Monday and Tuesday at Curtis Brown learning all about the agenting side of publishing from the absolutely amazing Ginger Clark (but if you talk to her I said she was horrible and mean, okay?) as well as a few of the other awesome people working there. You can read that post here.
Curtis Brown is where I decided that I want to be an agent after I graduate. I've never been more sure, you know, other than that whole being a writer thing... :)
Wednesday and Thursday were spent inside Penguin, yes, you read that right, at two of the children imprints shadowing Jordan Hamessley, who was kind enough to host us despite some inner turmoil at one of the imprints.
Now, on to pictures! (I'm trying to get better at this but Blogger really doesn't like me posting pictures.)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
New York Revisited
New York was fantastic, and I'm more sure than ever that I want to make the move next summer after graduation to be a part of publishing. So, how about some pictures to catalog the trip? :)
Monday, May 10, 2010
New York, New York
Katie and I are going to job shadow the fabulous Jordan Hamesseley, editorial assistant at Grosset & Dunlap/Price Stern Sloane - imprints of Penguin, yes, that's right, PENGUIN-, and agent extraordinaire Ginger Clark, yes, THAT Ginger, of Curtis Brown. :) We will be spending two days with each of the lovely ladies learning everything we possibly can about agenting and editing and trying to figure out where we think we belong, because, as you know, I'm getting into books. One way or another. Ideally I'd like to write them AND help others get published, but I'm not going to hold my breath (I'll just bust my bum instead- by the way, I really like British slang, why don't we use it? Isn't loo so much cooler than bathroom?! And bloody hell! Need I say more?) I digress...
I. Am. So. Freaking. EXCITED.
Have you seen Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs? (If you haven't, why the hell not?) You know the monkey, Steve? There's this part where he jumps up and down waving his arms saying "Excited. Excited!" That is so me right now. Here, let me show you (honestly, you can skip to the last 2 seconds, but I want you to see why you should watch this movie [it's made of awesome]):
So, anyway, I'M GOING TO NEW YORK TO SEE GINGER CLARK AND JORDAN HAMESSELY!!!!! *does happy dance* *cough* Um, yea. :)
Btw, their Twitter usernames are @GingerClark and @thejordache so if you're on Twitter and you aren't following them, you should be.
Moving on, ok, since I will be busy as crap trying to get all my stuff together this week, and then Ill be gone all of next week, I'm going to change things up a bit and try to write as many posts as I can before hand and schedule them (we'll see if that works - sometimes Blogger hates me). Alas, Tuesday will not be Teaser Tuesday, BUT instead I'm bumping the review of the final Percy Jackson book up! And then Thursday will bring you the review of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan, which is ah-MAY-zing. I'll try to do WiP Wednesday, but no guarantees. And the week of the 17th is up in the air right now. I'll try to get some MG books read and do some reviews instead of real posts.
Naturally the week after NY will be chock full of New Yorky goodness. (Yes, I really just said that, don't give me that look.), and MAYBE pictures. Maybe. (I will SO have pictures if they look good.) Anyway, my mind just went completely blank, but I think I was trying wrap up so I'm going to go finish reading my book now so I can have the review up for you soon.
Are the reviews to your liking? Do you have any comments or suggestions, things you'd like to see, things you don't want at all, complaints about the length? Let me know so I don't kill you all with my horrendous reviews (if you think they're horrendous, please don't use that word. :P)
Have a lovely week! <3
Friday, January 8, 2010
Grad School vs Work
I'm torn between Texas Tech (they have a cool Book History program that would go with publishing) and Purdue (it's Purdue...I mean it's pretty awesome) for grad school but I wouldn't be able to work at a lit agency until after I was finished with school.
So, do I wait another 2 years (after graduation in May 2011) or do I move off and become an intern and work my way up or try to get a job with only a BA in English? Anyone know any agents who might have advice? I follow a lot on twitter and on here but I don't know if they'd mind these types of questions. *sigh*
On a writing note, SNI keeps trying to tempt me when I'm trying to go to bed at night. I don't think I'll be able to stay away until I'm finished with edits...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
When I grow up...
I want to get experience. I want to learn. I want to know what it's like to be a literary agent or an editor or to work in a publishing house. All take any of those three careers. That's what I want. And aside from going to Grad School, I have no clue how to get there.
I've tried searching internships, but most of them seem to require you to be in New York for however long. Which would be absolutely fantastic if I could pull it off. *sigh* I don't know what to do, but I'm going to keep looking. Maybe I can get some networking in through blogs. How awesome would that be? :)
Have you ever known what you wanted, but had no clue how to get it? Is there anything you're doing right now that makes you feel completely lost or confused? Is life an exciting adventure? Or a scary dark cave?
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