Hello Readers!
This summer has been a whirlwind of exciting things, both at work and outside of it. One of my favorite things about New York City is that there’s always something new to explore. I spent every weekend hopping from park to thrift shop to ice cream place and I definitely haven’t been everywhere! Maybe it’s only because I’m here for the summer, but I feel like I could stay for years and still discover new and interesting places every week. Even simple things like walking up 6th avenue instead of 5th on the way to work change the experience of a day so much. Not to say that a one-block difference is as far afield as I went this summer—quite the opposite. I went all the way up to the Cloisters and down to Coney Island, exploring pretty much every bookstore I passed along the way. As much as I loved the things I planned (the Coney Island Cyclone holds up to the hype!), some of my favorite things happened purely by chance, like stumbling across a street fair or seeing the same adorable dog on the subway and later on Governor’s Island. From conceptual ice cream bars to hole-in-the-wall record stores, I never knew what to expect when I set out wandering.
In much the same way, I never knew quite what to expect when I came into the Beaufort & Spencer Hill office—and I’m just as happy about that! From visiting printers to proofreading manuscripts to hunting down addresses for reviewers, it’s been a busy summer, and I’ve enjoyed it all. I came in thinking I wanted to go into publishing, but now I know I do. I like the everyday chaos of working at a small publisher, from first submissions, corrections, and cover design, to ARC buzz, the excitement of pub date, and royalty statements. This might be a bit obvious, but it really does give me an appreciation for how many little projects go into the making of every book on my shelf. And I’ve not only gotten to see how things work, I’ve gotten to do many of them. I came up with keywords to help our titles be found in search. I’ve helped out with submissions. I finally learned how to use Instagram and Twitter! I’ve learned a lot this summer and I’m genuinely excited to explore the industry further.
When I go back to school in a couple of weeks, I know I’ll miss a lot about New York (like the many excellent restaurants on my block), but hopefully I’ll be back one day. And until then, I can always read about it in one of many fantastic books.
Sea you sometime,
Beauseidon
This is a shared blog post for Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press.
Tags: Beaufort Books