April's A-List

 

April has been a month of both meaningful wins and growing anticipation.

Let’s start with the fact that it was my birthday on April 7th, and I felt sad. I think that feeling is more universal than we admit: you reach the next age, pause, and look back, wondering how you got here without the things you thought you would have by now. That was me, wrapped up in a heavy cloud of disappointment.

Job hunting in publishing has been going nowhere because, frankly, there just are not many jobs in the industry. So I have been trying to make my mark in other ways. Remember all those connections I mentioned? They did not work out either. I cannot say I am surprised, but I am still disappointed.

I actually got a job with the National Health Service. Is it publishing? No. But what it does offer is stability. I will have a steady, guaranteed income that gives me the space to branch out into publishing. I will have a routine, and a bit more sanity in my day-to-day life. It will also give me transferable skills that I can use to my advantage. It is often easier to build on new, relevant skills than to convince people based on older ones. At the end of the day, any experience is good experience.

I have been reaching out and trying to connect with people in the industry so I can better understand what I want to do in publishing. It turns out it is not as straightforward as I once thought, although I had a feeling it would not be. It is a journey. My curiosity about the international markets side of publishing is continuing to grow, and I am especially interested in learning more from people who work in export sales and subrights, if they are willing to share their insights.

I was devastated last month after not getting that sales operations assistant role, but as Sebastian Laurent says in King of Greed, “C’est la vie.”

Book-wise, King of Gluttony by Ana Huang was one of my most highly anticipated reads this month, and it absolutely delivered. Her writing completely exceeded my expectations. Her craft never ceases to amaze me, and reading her books feels like coming home. There is something so comforting about being able to disappear into that world for a while.

I have been especially fascinated by everything around the book, from the campaigns to the outreach to the final product. It has only deepened my interest in the industry, and I would genuinely love the opportunity to work with her one day.

We saw a very small snippet of all the romantic comedy adaptations that Amazon MGM Studios have been working on and, as we neared the end of the month, I have to say they are really delivering.

My eyes were fixed on the brief glimpse of The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, with none other than Tom Bateman and Lili Reinhart attached. If anything, good comes out of this year, it needs to be this adaptation.

I am excited for the release of Fever Dream by Elsie Silver, although I have not pre ordered it and I will not be rushing into stores to pick it up either. I have said many times before that she is one of my favourite authors, which is true, but that does not mean I automatically read everything she releases.

I have also been following Somme Sketcher and her new deal with Evermore Publishing, and it is interesting to say the least. In fact, it is interesting enough that I am planning to write a whole blog post on it.

So, all in all, April was not a complete disaster. I got a job and, even though it is not in publishing, it is a stepping stone towards it. An internship at Hachette UK has been released and, although it will have hundreds if not thousands of applicants, I am excited to be one of them. And, finally, the sun is out.

And with that, I am ending this April run down. Let’s see what May has to offer. It is the first today, and before we know it June will be rolling around in no time.

As always, My Let’s Connect page is where it always is, so don’t forget to give it a quick look to see where else I’m active.

See you between the pages,
Vivian