Hello readers! This post is bittersweet, as it’s the last one I’ll write for Beaufort and as Phoebe Beauffay. One of the most important things I’ve been able to do during my time in NYC and at Beaufort is make discoveries: about myself, the publishing industry, a new city. I was hoping this experience would be a good way for me to reach out of my comfort zone and that I’d learn a lot from it. I’m glad to say it was a success. Before my farewell, I wanted to share a bit about what my time here has taught me. I firmly believe we should always be looking for opportunities to discover and grow. We’re all stories in progress with never-ending opportunities to learn, and I’m especially grateful for my chapter set here in NYC.
On one of my last days, I was able to sit down with Megan and Karen and talk about things I wanted to learn more about and ask plenty of questions. It was a highlight of my internship because I had the opportunity to sit down with my supervisors and ask real questions about what it’s like to work in their industry. We discussed how they got into publishing, acquiring books, working with authors, foreign deals, and contracts. One of my biggest takeaways was that small publishing companies really can do it all (or at least have a big role in it all)! My brief internship alone has given me the opportunity to wear many hats, and I’ve loved it. What’s a good story without variety?
Some of our topics were publishing specific, and others could apply to any industry. We talked about important interview tips: send a thank you note post-interview, ask questions, be sure to ask what the interviewer likes about his or her job, and find out what the company is like. I hadn’t really thought to ask about company culture in an interview, and now it’s something I’ll never forget. After all, characters and setting are critical to any story.
I learned that publishing is a field I might really want to pursue further as a career. This internship was the first step in finding out if this field is the one for me. I may not have made an absolute decision on my future career, but I came away with a lot of knowledge and the desire to learn even more. The more chapters we read, the more we know about the story, and life experiences work the same way: the more we have, the more we discover. It’s always sad to close a chapter, but there are always more to be read. And when those chapters close, there are entirely new books. I’m so grateful for the pages filled by Beaufort and Spencer Hill.
One last happy reading and best wishes to you all,
Phoebe Beauffay
This is a shared blog post for Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press.