The whole talk served to both excite and terrify me; while their job descriptions sound amazing and working so closely with authors and books sounds just what I want to do, I am so apprehensive that I won't get a job in the industry. I was turned down last week for an internship at Penguin Random House and although I expected it because I am just a first year student with no experience in publishing, it deflated me because how can I have experience without somebody like them giving me a chance? I have since emailed my old sixth form college to request a weeks volunteer week in their marketing department or in the library over the summer, and am sending off letters today to Waterstones for similar experience. It's not a publishing house, but it's a start.
Back to the panel, Emma Healey was the guest speaker who begun the session with an interview. I am 3/4 of the way through her debut novel Elizabeth is Missing so it was really interesting to hear her experience of getting into writing and the process of what happens post publication (she had assumed that being an established author gave her the divine right to live as a hermit until she finished her second book but alas a 100 date bookshop tour called). I think what I found most thought-provoking about her interview was that when she is forming ideas for a story, there are certain questions she asks herself. What gives her the authority to write the story? Why now? What can she offer to the story that no one else could? I never considered the notion of ownership of your novel, and it's something that has really stuck with me.
Overall, I am pleased to say that I did not leave the panel completely put off a career in publishing! If anything, it's motivated me to work harder for relevant experience and put in a lot more research.
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