What I’m Doing with My Work in 2026

 

I was going to make a nice Pinterest board, and, okay, I probably still will, but I also like having things in concrete, so let’s see how many of my lofty 2026 wishes actually survived reality.

First of all, let’s quickly revisit some of my 2025 goals and how they actually came true, even if not quite the way I imagined. Obviously, I was dying for interviews at publishers, and I got plenty. The year started with a couple at HarperCollins and ended with more from three different publishers I’ll obsess over at year’s end.

Even though I didn’t technically “progress,” it turns out deep down I didn’t really want to. London? Not happening. I’ll happily move to a small town in Canada, but put me near the big, bad city and I’m out. I’m a small-town girl through and through, and asking me to relocate just for my love of books isn’t exactly a measurable career metric.

Anyway, I learned a lot from the process, got a ton of interview experience, and, of course, received exactly zero feedback. Because, you know, rich people can always pull the “we have a high volume of applicants” card on everyone and their mother. But here I am, still sending cold emails, still networking, still growing my connections, and still trying to get recognized—so I can finally claim my well-deserved seat in publishing.

I wanted a job, and even though it wasn’t in publishing, I managed to snag a temp position at M&S, mostly because I’d worked there years ago. Did it fulfil my publishing dreams? Not even close. Did I care? Not at all. It got me out of the house, kept my mind busy while I was grieving, and reminded me that sometimes any work is better than no work.

Now that the temp role has ended, of course, I’m sad again. I didn’t get the exact job I wanted, but I got something, and even if it was only for two short months, it taught me a lot. The biggest lesson? Persistence beats perfection every single time.

I wanted a bit more recognition on Instagram from my most-loved authors, and I got that too, from indie to mainstream, with my favourite being Ana Huang. Of course, it happened differently than I imagined, everything does, but I don’t regret it, and I definitely don’t detest it. I love it, okay, maybe not love, respect, yeah, let’s stick with that.

With that said, I have such a bucket list for 2026 and I’m excited yet so very nervous.

The first thing I want is any in-house publishing experience and a chance to work with a team. Ideally, that would be with Hachette or with teams that handle my dream authors. Any entry-level, short-term role, whatever it is, I’m up for it, I need the exposure. I want to learn, grow, and develop my own ideas more. Hybrid roles, regional roles where I can travel, and where negotiations are fair on both sides, not just mine.

This ties in with my next point, which is learning from professionals who specialize in subrights and publicity. I track, critique, and want to work on these trends. I want to be part of the conversations that decide what goes where, why visions can’t be met, and to see which subrights and regional restrictions are hindering global reach. I want to understand more about how rights are sold, tracked, and negotiated. I want to see exactly how campaigns are planned and executed, so I can bring my own consumer outreach into the mix and learn more about the agents who work with authors.

Of course, I want to continue building meaningful industry connections, focusing on the conversations rather than the numbers, learning from people already working in-house, and staying engaged with the book community, being an active part of it.

This also means I’m going to continue developing my publishing voice, being structured, yes, but not forceful. Being jobless can sometimes make me feel useless, like I have no purpose. So I made these blogs my job, if you will, which they are in a sense. I enjoy blogging, but it is not easy work.

I’m going to start writing when it feels useful. I’m using this space to show my creativity, yes, but also as a space for curiosity, and I’m going to let my interests evolve naturally. These are all things I’ve already started doing, but I need to remember that I am doing something, even if I’m not writing a blog all the time.

I know what I bring is meaningful. That does not mean I’m not willing to learn, I am, but I’m not going to let others diminish views I’ve put a lot of work into.

The final thing is something I’ve gained a lot of likes and comments on from my LinkedIn, and it’s continuing to advocate for non-linear routes into publishing, remaining flexible about roles and timelines, while still valuing transferable experience. Publishers need to recognize talent that isn’t stuck in London.

I wrote a LinkedIn post and said that I imagine my future as bright, and I do. It’s not a matter of if I will get there, but when, because, as someone great once said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” and boy, is there.

And finally, this is the biggest one, I just want to breathe, without the worry of financial issues, toxic people, and heavy expectations. I want to explore another small town, keep my close-knit people exactly that, and just want life to be a bit gentle to me and everyone else out there. The days are slowly but surely starting to show more daylight, and soon enough, spring will be upon us.

Realistically, we are only six days into the year. This bucket list is subject to change, because what isn’t? It may go exactly the way I want, but as I found out last year, a lot of the things I wanted ended up being the best redirections, and they helped me grow so much. This time, I’m going to do it differently. I just have to remember a couple of things every morning, noon, and night.

Not all progress is visible, and choosing intention over urgency matters. The point is to make some progress, not all of it at once. Be kinder to yourself. I know it’s easier said than done, but just try.

Click on my sister pages, which you can find on my Let’s Connect page, to find the book version of this blog post, since this is my more professional version.

I’ll see you between the pages,
Vivian