This month's POP Profile is the lovely Rachel Mann, Fiction Editor at Simon & Schuster. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Rachel!
How did you get into children’s book publishing?
Well, I beat my friend Jess (sorry, Jessie) to the school work-experience placement at Ottakars, which then became Waterstones. I worked there part-time, specialising in children’s, until I went off to university. At that point my lovely then-boss, Gary Deane, suggested that I might like to think about publishing as a career (thank you, Gary) and put me in touch with some lovely people at Puffin.
I did a few work experience placements with the brilliant Puffin fiction team, going in to read manuscripts for consecutive summers, and immediately knew that I wanted to be finding and shaping stories as a career. It’s still true that publishing is about contacts, but you can build them yourself – I stayed in touch with some of the people I met at Penguin and was, later, lucky enough to get a job as editorial assistant for Puffin Fiction, where I stayed for two years.
My very first job in publishing was actually as a PA and team assistant for a great print and digital start-up called Medikidz – and I’d recommend that anyone looking for a job in the industry considers an entry role in a very small house. It was a really valuable insight into the whole process, and totally exhilarating to be part of a new and innovative enterprise.
How would you spend a typical day at work?
The great thing about editorial is that you really are part of the whole publishing process, so my days are pretty varied. Usually, I’ll spend ten minutes every morning catching up with industry news, and checking my authors’ social media feeds to see what they’re up to! We’re a small and tight-knit team at S&S, so when we get to our desks we’ll usually catch up about the manuscripts we’re all reading, too.
Then it can be anything from attending a covers meeting, writing jacket copy, catching up with an agent or author about the status of a publication, or brainstorming campaign ideas with the marketing and publicity team.
The day will usually involve some actual editing too – either a session of structural or line editing, or compiling proofreads and copy edits ready to send to production. It’s email-heavy, like lots of jobs, but I also get lots of opportunities to speak passionately about the projects I’m working on, and help to get them into the hands of young readers.
What top two things do you love about your job?
I think most editors would agree that there’s a certain buzz that hits when you’re reading a really special submission. It doesn’t happen as often as you might think, but when it does, it’s the most exciting thing. I love being able to pitch passionately for a book that I think readers will love, and help direct it through to publication.
It’s also a total privilege to be working in such a creative and fun environment. I truly believe that reading changes lives, and I’m very lucky to work in an industry that I so believe in, but which is also great fun.
Which stories and/or illustration styles are catching your eye right now?
In terms of submissions, I’m always envious of/looking for strong contemporary humour. Comedy is fascinating because it evolves so quickly – just look at what Lena Dunham has done for young women, on the adult side, when you consider that Sex and the City was considered cutting-edge until relatively recently.
I also love seeing a real spectrum of characters – culturally, sexually and mentally ‘diverse’ – that are woven into narratives without being denormalised. The world is funny; the world is diverse. Any text that manages to get this across naturally and easily, preferably both at the same time, is winning.
Have you ever seen a book and thought I wish I’d published that?
I think each publisher brings such a unique slant and package to a manuscript, that it’s almost impossible to see finished books in that way. There are always, of course, books that have gone to auction that you’re disappointed not to have won, but generally I think it’s important to look at the things you’ve done well in-house.
If that’s too diplomatic an answer, I’ll add Harry Potter. Because when do you ever get to go to a theme park based on a story you’ve helped to create?! Wow.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to work in publishing, what would it be?
Read. It’s so obvious, but so important. Know the area of the market that you want to work in, and read everything you can get your hands on. Context is everything – once you’re in, you’ve got to be able to spot something fresh whilst helping readers find it based on the things they already know. If there’s a genre you particularly love, seek a job with an imprint that publishes that genre. Passion will get you a long way, and market knowledge will give you the edge. There’s no point applying for a job with a cookery imprint for the sake of it, if you really covet a role in sci-fi.
If you could give one piece of advice to an author and/or illustrator looking to get published, what would it be?
Keep at it. I’ve worked with authors who’ve had 100 rejection letters before they’ve even got an agent, and then gone on to sell hundreds of thousands of copies. The more you write, the better you get. I’d also say that the majority of the rejection letters I send are not as a result of a lack of talent, but because it’s not quite the right time for that particular subject or treatment. Your agent (get one of those!) will help you with this, but hone, resubmit, and resubmit again.
Describe yourself in five words
Optimistic, meticulous, idealistic, driven, forward-looking.
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