As a bookseller, I have been fortunate enough to meet many wonderful authors, interact with various publisher reps (including sale reps, publicists, and editors), and I get to see firsthand what readers want, love, and hate. The thing I love most, though, is that I have been able to dip my toes into the various aspects of the book-selling world. I've helped plan events, create new marketing strategies, and I edit customer-submitted reviews. What do these three things have in common? They resemble aspects of the publishing industry. I love that the industry possesses this sort of fluidity that allows its members to work in the different areas, yet still walk away with valuable experiences that can help in other areas.
So, my advice to anyone wanting to be a bestselling author, editor, agent, or cover artist is this: work at a bookstore. A job like that can give you incredible amounts of knowledge and experience, and besides, working with books is fun! :-) If you can't find a job at a bookstore, though, then I encourage you to apply for some internships. Check out Sharon's post on How to Become an Intern.
Not gonna lie, I work at GameStop now and have for two years, and I've also worked at a Books-A-Million and honestly, I HATED working at BAM. Maybe it was because no one I worked with liked me, or it was the fact that we were graded on how many discount cards we sold, or maybe it was just because the pay sucked, but I was miserable working for a bookstore. GameStop, which also has us sell discount cards, is a much better work environment in my experience. BAM just sorta sucked. The only good thing about it was the employee discount.
ReplyDeleteArianna: So sorry to hear your bookselling experience wasn't ideal, but I'm glad GameStop is working out! I work at an indie store, so the environment is probably different than a chain/franchise-type store like BAM. We have a very hands-on approach.
ReplyDeleteI WANTED TO WORK AT MY LOCAL BARNES AND NOBLE! But they aren't too keen on hiring :(
ReplyDeleteI love the customer service aspect of working at B&N. The conversations and the recommendations I've gotten from the customers that come in have been so great and memorable. That said, it is still a coorporation and I often feel like a blank faced drone working the salt mines there. Can't wait until I can quit and open my used bookstore/wine bar and no longer be under the thumb of "the man" ;)
ReplyDeleteOh how I wish. Every time I go to B&N I end up giving someone recommendations in the YA section. There's no one at that store who reads YA! They really should just start paying me :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how simply changing your robinet will have like a exciting, stimulating impact found on the decor of your robinetterie cuisine. The perfect amalgam of form plus fashion, these fixtures have managed to make the plaudits of homeowners all around the Robinetterie Antique.The new-age, quality Accessoires de salle are more than just generic attributes that perform their features inside an inanimate way. They spray, aerate, filter, scrub plus control temperature of Robinetterie Vasque with trademark efficiency plus consistency.
ReplyDelete