Not Every Job, Just the Right One

 

This year has brought some surprising realisations, most of them about publishing. If you have seen my latest LinkedIn post (here), you will know that I shared feedback from several publishing interviews I was lucky enough to attend. Across them all, the same patterns kept appearing. It was only when I visited HarperCollins in London for the second day of an interview assessment (which I did not get) that things truly clicked. Here is what I learned.

As a child I was never what you would call adventurous. Sightseeing and aimless exploring were never high on my list unless there was a very good reason. Work, shopping where I shopped what I needed and left, or the occasional holiday, but even then, I required some convincing and I am notoriously difficult to convince. My mother, naturally, was the opposite, and my sister inherited her genes, leaving my brother and me to navigate the world with considerably less inclination to roam.

I have long known that many of the publishing opportunities I aim for are centred in London, which used to seem utterly thrilling until reality intervened. This is part of why Hachette has always appealed to me. Unlike the capital, it is scattered across the UK, with Sheffield conveniently closer to home than London could ever hope to be. The occasional visit to London would be manageable (barley), though in this economy spending money I do not have for a job I may not get feels less like a privilege and more like a cruel joke.

I have always dreamt of living in London: a big city, a corporate role in my beloved industry, books as my purpose. Yet I have always been and will always be a small-town, quiet-life-loving girl. That did not stop me; I took it as a mark of determination and resilience. Growth is uncomfortable, as we have been told endlessly, but there is a line where discomfort becomes sheer misery. I discovered that line on Tuesday the 16th of December at approximately 7.40am, boarding a train from Luton to London, and I vowed never again.

I am so not made for London. It is far too busy, far too fast when all I want is to slow down, and the shortage of smiling faces is frankly alarming. It felt like ChatGPT had come to life and decided to run a city. I walked into The News Building where HarperCollins sits alongside some other impressive brands. All twenty-five of us candidates were escorted up to the seventeenth floor, where I could see the whole of London just by turning in a circle. Side note, I loved the lift.

HarperCollins occupies floors fifteen to seventeen, and while I was starstruck, after wanting to get there for what felt like forever, I finally stepped inside one of the biggest five publishers in the world, it quickly became clear that they were not exactly desperate for my talents. Let me explain. The building and the books were spectacular, but the atmosphere was… strikingly subdued. Everyone sat at their computers, looking unnervingly content, and though I only caught a brief glimpse, it was not exactly a vision that made me want to stay for long.

I know every role has its quieter moments, yet in my imagination the scene would be exuberant, bursting with colour and life. What I encountered felt almost too composed, too precise, as if everyone were part of a carefully arranged scene. Where were the sparks, I wondered?

Beyond that, and because every company has its own way of doing things, I realised that no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, I am simply not a city girl and that is fine. I love reading about the lavish lives and equally extravagant couples in the King of Sins by Ana Huang, set in New York, but if you asked me to step into that world myself, I would retreat straight back into the safety of the pages.

I am far more comfortable somewhere like Rosehill from the Rosehill series by Elsie Silver, or better yet the very first small town I ever fell for, Wesport from the Bellinger Sisters series by Tessa Bailey. Visiting a city now and then would suit me just fine, but two to five days a week compared to once a month might as well be the sun and the moon.

I firmly believe that until you actually do something, you cannot know whether it is right for you. Had I not progressed to assessment day two for the internship at HarperCollins, I would never have known what it feels like to be in London, or to glimpse the smaller details that make up working life there.

Even before that experience, I knew better than to limit myself to applying only for publicity or subrights roles. I have done and will continue to do exactly that. I have never worked formally in publishing, so how could I possibly know that any one role truly matches the version I have built in my head? The answer is that I do not, and I will not, until I try. I apply across a range of roles, from three-month fixed term contracts in communications or sales, to more familiar positions such as editorial assistant and marketing assistant.

There was a time when I was certain editorial was my destination, and the reason I have not ruled it out is simple. I cannot do so until I have had a proper taste of it.

I am well aware that writing this blog comes with a certain amount of risk. It may put some companies off, and it might even raise an eyebrow or two when it lands alongside my applications, though arguably it should not. I cannot lie or dress myself up as something I am not, and pretending otherwise would be a far greater risk.

With all this said, there is one conclusion I can draw with confidence. I am not suited to being based full time in a big city. That said, I am more than open to travelling when the role genuinely calls for it, and that very much includes international work.

When it comes to travel, I am genuinely enthusiastic when it has purpose. Book fairs, author events, bookshop visits, festivals, and international opportunities are exactly the kind of work that energises me, and I would happily travel wherever they take me, especially as I have a growing bucket list of bookshops I would love to visit. What does not suit me is routine commuting or travel for its own sake. If I need to be there, I will be. If I do not, I would rather not. As long as the travel is beneficial to the company, the projects, the authors, and my own development, consider me booked (sorry, I had to)

At this point, I know myself well enough to be clear about where and how I work best. I live in a small town, and despite my best efforts to romanticise it, a life based in London is simply not for me. It is too big, too loud, too relentless, and too far. I am not looking to relocate away from my family, but more honestly, I am not wired for large, noisy cities. I thrive in smaller places, and that is where I do my best work.

In terms of roles, my strongest interests lie in publicity and subrights, but I am approaching publishing with an open mind and a great deal of curiosity. I have not yet worked formally within the industry, so I am realistic enough to know that I cannot possibly know what suits me best without experience. No department exists in isolation, and understanding how they work together matters to me. I am keen to learn, to observe, and to grow across different areas of publishing.

I am comfortable with entry level roles, fixed term or temporary contracts, and cross departmental opportunities. Titles matter far less to me than learning, exposure, and making a meaningful contribution. While I understand every role involves admin, I thrive in people-facing work, collaborating with teams, authors, and colleagues. Just ask my current manager.

So here it is, my revised plan, or perhaps more honestly, my requirements when job hunting. Consider this me flipping the script on job adverts and finally stating what I am looking for too.

So, there it is. All my quirks, preferences, and lofty ambitions laid bare, with a mild aversion to commuting thrown in for good measure. You’ve been warned, recruiters and book lovers alike.

I still have one more post and it’s all about my 2025 neatly wrapped on the outside, but quietly grumbling under the lid.

 As always, visit the Let’s Connect page to visit all my socials and I’ll see you between the pages.

Vivian.