Meet the Human Behind the Posts

 

No, it’s not AI. I write these chaotic posts all by myself *pats herself on the back gingerly*

I studied Law and graduated in 2021, and I loved it… but somewhere along the way, my love for literature quietly took over. I graduated full of ambition and ready to take family law by storm, until my mother became very ill. Unfortunately, she passed away in May. I’ll always cherish the moments we had. While my father was her primary carer, I was her secondary carer, but first and foremost, I was her daughter. I gave everything up, my career included, to look after her, and it’s something I would do again in a heartbeat. If someone ever wrote a memoir about me (which they wouldn’t), that choice would be my greatest accomplishment. Everything else would pale in comparison.

During this detour in my professional life, I found myself buried in books. Watching a loved one suffer is incredibly difficult. One day, after my mother had a particularly tough day, I was sent into Holland and Barrett to pick up some of her herbal cough sweets. On a whim, I dipped into Waterstones for a quick browse, and there it was. Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey, staring right into my soul.

That was the moment law took a back seat and publishing took over my life. And it really did.

I’ve gone through many different phases in this professional journey. I started this blog purely to share my book reviews, along with an Instagram that I created mostly to get cool ARCs and become the next "big thing." Thankfully, that idea died a slow, painful, but very necessary demise.

Like I said, I’ve been through eras — literally — in just four years. So, let’s talk about it.

First, I decided that I really wanted to become an editor. So, there I was, applying for every editorial assistant role I could find at just one publisher. Yes, you read that right. I said one, and that one was none other than Simon and Schuster. I didn’t even bother to check who published the book that changed everything for me. I was completely convinced there was only one publishing house in the world for me. You know those moments you sometimes have late at night, where you cringe thinking back on old life choices? This was one of them. That phase didn’t last long.

Of course, the broader my range of books, authors, and tropes got, the more I realized that hey, there’s more to the world than Simon and Schuster. That world for me was the Little Brown division at Hachette. So now I was applying for editorial assistant roles at many publishing houses instead of just one. Then I decided I really wanted to become a literary agent. That’s right. I skipped about five roles and decided I wanted to do it all. My inspiration, you ask, was none other than Kimberly Brower, who was independent at the time but is now part of Park, Fine and Brower Literary Management. That dream also died, rightfully so, because there’s no way I wanted to do what an agent does. However, through this detour, I did briefly revisit the spectrum of editing, and for four weeks I decided becoming a developmental editor was my thing. Spoiler alert, it was not in fact my thing. It was the complete opposite of my thing. I didn’t want to take the fun out of reading. I want to champion my authors through their success in a different way.

A lot of umms and aahhs landed me on what I decided I was one hundred percent sure I wanted to do in publishing, but before I get to that, let me explain what happened to my Instagram.

Like I said before, once upon a time I was hell-bent on becoming the next big book influencer. The one who gets ARCs and all the cool PR packages. The one who makes amazing reels, shares creative posts, and is just the it girl on Instagram. Then I realized how much kissing up I had to do and how much of myself I had to let go of to get there, and it wasn’t worth it, so I changed my plan. I started to use it as my own lab and a kind of testing ground. I know what posts get likes, I know what kind of hype girl I have to be to get noticed, I know how to win the hearts of indie authors and how to catch the attention of mainstream ones. I know what posts I have to make and the kind of reviews I have to write. The words to use, the hashtags to include, and the other book accounts I have to follow in order to get there. But I didn’t want ARCs anymore if it meant having to change who I am. And when I realized what I actually wanted to do in publishing, I understood that not being myself didn’t help my case, which smoothly moves us onto the next point.

I want to work exclusively in publicity and subrights. To cater to consumers, to truly think like consumers, you have to be a consumer yourself — a fact a lot of people seem to forget these days. I’ve noticed many gaps in the market, and that is where I want to bring in my knowledge. I’ve already started drafting posts about this, so keep an eye out. I won’t go too much into it in this post, but just know that I want to make publishing publishing again, not just this fast-fashion market trend.

Now I know that to make what I want happen, I might be expected to work in editorial operations or domestic sales, but I truly believe I can make smart judgments as a publicist. I have my finger on the pulse, and I hear what readers want. I notice their frustrations, and I spot the gaps in the market that others miss.

It’s hard. Getting a job in 2025 is hard, especially when you’ve been helping care for someone for four years and now have to come back with nothing to offer. And when I say nothing, I mean I have everything to give but nothing that is suitable for HR because guess what they want? No one knows. I’m sure they themselves are not even aware.

On paper, it seems I’m just another wannabe. Getting a rejection is hard and hearing no is even harder. I sit and wallow in my misery for a long time and then get up again because I’m determined.

I’ve said it time and time again and I’m here to say it again. Making it in publishing is non-negotiable for me. I will get there. It’s just a matter of time and the path that will lead me. I’m confident that all those rejections will one day be people wanting to work with me.

All you need is one yes and one chance. If reading fiction has taught me anything, it’s this: having high hopes does not mean you are delusional. It means you know your self-worth, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Therefore, yes, my blog is still for reviewing books. It’s my publishing portfolio for the public to see, and now I’m ready to elevate it.

I’m ready to help make publicity focused and impactful again, to ensure that authors’ rights are protected at all costs so their vision is never lost when their work is adapted for big screens or international audiences. I want international sales to reach every corner of the globe, closing gaps by bringing special editions and unique titles to new readers everywhere.

As we part, I’d like to say one last thing in the wise words of Mitchie Torres from Camp Rock *clears throat for debut* “This is real. This is me. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now”

Cringing so internally right now.

See you between the pages.

Vivian.