My Time In Denver

As I talked about in previous blog posts, I went to Denver for grad school. I was enrolled in the Publishing Institute, and I thought I'd share some of what I learned.

Publishing is the "Accidental Industry"
Apparently, most people in publishing, up until more recent years, didn't set out to be in publishing. They fell into it. Even for people who had gotten into it in the last 20 years, many got their break largely because of good timing. Yes, they were doing something to advance their career- moving to New York, working at a bookstore, going on informational interviews, etc., but they were in the right place at the right time and that's how they got the job.

Everyone Wants to be an Editor
One of the primary goals of the program was to convince people to look at other areas of publishing. People who choose to go the editorial route spend a long time paying their dues to move up. It's also the hardest area to land a job in, because of the competition. I was slightly frustrated with this aspect of the program. As I came in with almost no interest in the editorial side, I felt that they spent far too long on it (nearly half the program!) and not enough on everything else.

Diversity is Harder to Achieve Than I Previously Thought
The publishing industry is overwhelmingly filled with white women. Books with authors of other races are often seen as not having mass-market appeal, only to people of that culture. Unless the author is a celebrity, of course. Without people of color entering the industry to fight for those authors, I fear that those voices may not get heard. Looking at my class at DPI, we reflected the industry. There were 98 of us- 92 were women. Of those 92, maybe 5 or 6 were WOC.

These Are My People
Look, I know myself. I can be kind of an awkward human. I don't always bond the same way other people do. But I didn't meet a single person in the program that I didn't like. If they're representative of the industry, then I can rest assured that this is the industry I want to be in. These are the people I want as my bosses, my coworkers, the people I interact with daily. And I think that was the most important lesson of all.

The Return of Sam

Hi guys! Been a while, hasn't it? I said that I would post irregularly over the summer, but without a deadline, I lost motivation. Oops. You'd think I'd know that about myself by now. There were just so many other things to do, books to read, shows to watch, jobs to apply for...

But I really stopped doing this weekly because it took too much of my creative energy, leaving not enough for my weekly vlogs. Well, I've got videos scheduled for the next two months now and I could use another creative outlet especially since I'm unemployed and have all the time in the world.

So, what have I been up to? Well, I've been reading, obviously. Not as much as I should be. Netflix and YouTube are just such great distractions. Plus, I can do that while I'm cooking or cleaning or doing laundry.

I got a lot of books at the Denver Publishing Institute. I should probably dedicate a whole separate post to my time there. I learned a lot about the publishing industry, and I remain firm in my resolve that it is the industry for me. I also met some really cool people, and I hope I'll have the chance to work with them in the future. Anyway, I'm currently working my way through the books. I'm actually reading a nonfiction book that isn't a memoir right now, so that's a first. With each one I read, I think of a friend or two who might like it, and have been sending it to them for their birthdays. I've never been particularly good about giving people gifts, but I think this is a nice gesture.

I've been trying to start going to book events in my area and make some contacts. I've been to two so far, but it appears that authors aren't traveling with their agents or publicists or whatever. However, I think that attending these events gives me a better understanding of how a book tour works, and thus I will eventually be a better publicist for it.

I think that's quite enough for my first blog back, but I will return. I've got a few ideas of stuff I want to talk about, so keep your eyes peeled.