Hany, can you tell us what you’ve been up to since you did the Page One scheme last year?
After the Page One scheme, I managed to get a temporary Rights Assistant role at HarperCollins. As there was an opening for a permanent position as a Rights Assistant in the Adult Non-fiction side of the department, I applied and got the job.
Congratulations! And do you think the Page One mentorship helped you get ahead?
Yes, definitely! It gave me a great introduction to publishing! I didn’t know much about publishing before, so partaking in this scheme was a really great start. I was really interested in the whole process of publishing a book and this scheme was able to give me a greater understanding. As I was interested in rights, my mentor Hélène was able to give me real insight into what a rights person does, from looking at contracts, understanding the terms to how negotiation happens. The workshops really helped me understand some of the things I would be doing as a rights person. Being able to meet real publishing professionals also was great! I also enjoyed speaking to all the primary agents and learning about what they do on a day-to-day basis.
What does your current job involve? What’s a typical day and what do you like most about it?
I’m now a rights assistant supporting the Rights Director and Head of Rights at HarperCollins. My role is very much admin heavy. On a typical day, I liaise with colleagues in contracts, editorial and production in order to support all aspects of a deal. I also liaise with different foreign publishers, draft contracts, do data entry and attend meetings. I love how in my role I get to liaise with many different foreign publishers and learn about what people like to read in different countries. In addition, I get to deal with such a wide variety of books from non-fiction titles to the occasional fiction title and the wonderful Tolkien series.
And finally, what words of advice do you have for people thinking about working in publishing?
Do it! Try to find out about the many different roles available and then decide which one you can see yourself in. Shoot publishing people a message on LinkedIn, Twitter, or on email, if you can find their email address, and ask them about what they do and how they got there. They might even be willing to do a virtual coffee zoom! Networking helped me tremendously! Network across, where possible, with other people at a junior level and in the roles you’re applying for.
When it comes to applying for publishing jobs, do your research. Understanding the types of books you’ll be working on is really important, whether it is from an editorial, marketing, publicity or rights perspective. Try to learn as much as you can about the book market. You can’t possibly read every book that’s published but by diversifying your reading list and reading widely, you should be able to get a good understanding of the book market. The Amazon top 100 list is also very useful, so check it regularly! Trends are a thing, so the more you’re aware of them, the more you’ll be able to talk about them in your interview.
You can follow Hany here: https://twitter.com/Bookfairyx
For the next page one scheme please keep an eye on http://www.johnsonandalcock.co.uk/page-one