Week 2: The Life of an Intern

The second week is easy to summarize and doesn't deserve the detail of a daily analysis. I almost only work on what is referred to as "slots", which is looking through all newspapers (monday to sunday) and picking out anything that has the potential for author or book publicity. This could be the 60 second interview in the Metro, or any other celebrity snippet to be found in a newspaper. Potential for interviews, profiles, articles, reviews, etc. all has to be taken into account. Although it has been beneficial to learn about papers and specific journalists, it can feel very soul destroying when the only other thing to be done in between is mailing out hundreds of books, press releases and book jackets.

On friday I had to do something slightly different, which in this case felt incredibly exciting, only because it was that little bit of variety that can make all the difference in staying positive and resigning one's self to extreme cynicsm and pessimism. The task required that I make some show cards for a book called "The Hike" by Don Shaw, for his local library where he will be due to give a talk and sign his book. This involved taking big poster boards and putting all the neccessary information on it, such as the date, an attending fee, time, etc. I also had to find a creative way to use the jacket (front and back) to make the board look attractive and interesting. My visual creativity is usually non-existent but I guess as a reaction to course of the week I surprised myself. Maybe a stifling, boring, soul destroying environment really is the ultimate creative catalyst? Then again, maybe it is only the routine of the life of an intern.

M.M.

Day 5: The Beginning of the End

Today is the last day before I will be relocated to a new table without a computer. That means a lot of the same old thing I fear. Probably doing a lot of mail outs, photocopying and all the usual stuff associated with a placement. It remains to be seen.

Using the computer and the in-house database system I complete my Da Vinci Code mailing list. Once I compiled the list of about 120 addresses I print it out on the official press release paper. All this is of course after Caroline checked it and gave me some useful advice. Since there are no jackets to send out all there is to send is a photocopy of the jacket along with the Title Information sheet from the system written by the editors. Because Fodor's guides are written and produced in the U.S., there will be no proofs and proper jackets to mail out until a couple of weeks before publication. This doesn't really seem to be a problem though as Fodor's guides are aimed at more up-market people and can in a way guarantee to be sold by bookshops, as they don't really have to compete with Lonely Planet, Rough Guides or DK. They are a category of their own really, almost like Zagat guides.

Other than that there are random mail outs to be done throughout the day. A regular friday I guess and to be honest there isn't much to say. All in all I would have to say I have enjoyed the first week and look forward to next week. I doubt I can handle all the socializing and 'lovely voiced' phone conversations. Wait and see I guess and hope its not the beginning of the end.

M.M.

Day 4: Entering the UK

The routine continues. Separate and deliver the papers in the morning. Ideally try to alternate who gets what although most people don’t really seem to read them. I guess they don’t have the time. This doesn’t really take long and after this I get to work on my second mailing list. This one is also a Fodor’s guide but the mailing list needs to be a lot more specific. The title is “The Travelling Marathoner” and as the name suggests it is about marathon running and sightseeing (simultaneously?) in the United States. I cannot imagine that many people are waiting for this book but there is some crazy stuff out there. Loads of running, marathon and specifically American tourism magazines exist that I would have never imagined. I also did not send a press release to the normal travel editors or literary supplements, as it is important not to swamp someone regularly with everything you are going to publish. They will just disregard it in the end or even worse associate you with one of your weaker titles. God knows how many titles and press releases they are send every day.

The rest of the day was spent doing some random mailings and working on my Da Vinci Code mailing list. There are now two of my press releases going around the UK.

Day 3: Getting There

I continue dividing up the newspapers at the beginning of each morning. Caroline has taken some time in the morning to sit down properly with me and look over the Press Releases I have come up with. She likes them and tells me I have done a good job. I was worried that too much of the information had either come straight from her sample or the title information sheets but she seems to have thought that it was ok. (I made sure I couldn’t be done for plagiarism.)

The next thing that Caroline showed me was a program called Mediadisk, which is a database containing very in depth media information. From regional Scottish newspapers, to local radio programs, freelance journalist and broadsheet editors. This program is used to compile a mailing list and can be adapted depending on the book in question. It is therefore relatively simple to get into niche interests, as well as mainstream consumer ones. The program is impressive and I began making a mailing list for the press releases I made of the Fodor’s guides.

The normal amount of mail outs were done throughout the day, as well as odd favours for Sara like sending individual proof copies to specific individuals. I ended the day helping the editorial department out again. This time I was looking at three of the major picture libraries to find black and white illustrations for a book pitch that the illustrated book department is doing for Marks & Spencers. It was short term but unfortunately there wasn’t much out there. I can’t remember the actual names of the libraries but will try to find out for future reference.

Day 2: Same Thing

Day 2:

I have been told that every morning I have to ‘do the papers’. This involves taking the bundle that gets delivered every morning (Telegraph, Times, Guardian, Daily Express, Mirror, Mirror and the Independent) and dividing it between the publicity department. As two copies of all papers are delivered, one of each has to go to the editor Joy. I enjoy doing this, as it gives me a chance to look over the headlines and how differently they are portrayed by the different papers. Some famous publisher once said that he could find at least one story worthy of being turned into a book by scrutinizing over the papers on a daily basis. Not sure about that but there are many reasons why one should be doing it I guess.

After that I was given the assignment of writing some press releases for upcoming travel guides from Fodor’s. They are up-market and very American, but the hope is that after they have been repacked and re-branded for greater commercial viability they should be a success. I had an example to help me from Caroline and I used the system to access ‘title information sheets’ to get specific product descriptions. This was slightly intimidating but also very fun, as it was an assignment that involved responsibility.

Other than that I did some general mail outs, which have to be done pretty much every day, at least now when summer is just around the corner and a lot of books tend to get published. I also did a bit of work for the editorial department, which was linking pictures with texts. It was tedious but necessary. A lot of big publishing depends on a lot of small details.

Placement

Day One with Ebury (Random House)

I start at 10 this once to let everybody settle in after the weekend and actually get a chance to assign me tasks. It seems that Emma, Sarah and Caroline will be my main contacts throughout this stage. For now I will be working on publicity related material, especially as Edward Griffiths will be on holiday this week and I can use his desk.

My first assignments included photocopying some Press Releases and Book Jackets to send out to Caroline’s mailing list, which was helpful as it gave me an idea who to send what to. In this case it seems to have been the main newspapers, as well as some regional ones and magazines. I also send out some proofs along with press releases, this was a smaller number and I imagine is based on positive feedback from the mailings or a similar point of contact. I spend a few hours filing spare jackets and went through some of the weekend and Monday newspapers looking for Ebury related material. My last task was to find out information on a book due to be published after the summer some time. The book was the biography of Kevin Pietersen, one of England’s recent Ashes heroes, currently playing against India.

I really enjoyed the first day but unfortunately I did not get to meet everybody at Ebury first. I did meet the head of Rights where I hope to spend some time while I am here. I like the fact that I was given various tasks by the three above mentioned members of the publicity team and was left to get on with stuff by myself.

M.M.

Technology, Publishing and Guiness

At last a sunny day, it does indeed feel positive. Can't help but think about two things: lots of beer in a nice outside pub and sweaty bike rides. I guess the positives do really outweigh the negatives and I am secretly looking forward to summer. A lot of things will happen before then I am sure.

The technology buzz seems to be as strong as ever, if not more so. The BBC have been granted some sort of licensing fee, which they will use to improve their interactive media. The Guardian has launched the first ever "collective comment blog by a British Newspaper." Today they even had a contribution by Noam Chomsky. Not many comments yet but will be interesting to watch it develop.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/index.html

Google also continues to make its usual news appearances. A few years ago estimated worth was around $27 billion I think. They have now been taking the publishing world by storm. Their so called "Google Print" has been renamed as "Google Book Search" and is a plan to have all books in the world available, for free, on the internet. Besides that it also plans to become the worlds "informational grid", containing everyone's information. Scary.

That's enough small talk for now. Shit Stories will probably from a lengthy delay. Excitement generally remains minimal but Guiness will be flowing come Friday.
Enjoy the light.
M.M.

Shit Stories: Part 1 Introduction

First and foremost I would like to thank my W T C Dowling for his worthy contributions and I must say that I look forward to hearing something of a weekly unkown, useless but highly amusing word definition. That's the stuff we like to see. Maybe you can actually teach me a thing or two about my blog because I did not realize that you would be able to post blogs on my page.
It's all good though, I am glad.

I must say that your little series of 'shit' poetry has really inspired me and so here is a little Shit Introduction to a shit little story that hasn't really been thought through and is very likely to not develop into anything other than...yes, shit.

So thank you Will for your inspiration and I don't really mind if this shit makes anyone cry, laugh, twitch or whatever. I found it and decided to share. This is for all those anonyms to tear into. What a beautiful sunny day, I will drop the blinds now and hide in a corner.

A Tale of Vast and Promising Proportions: Part 1 Introduction by: M.M. Ayala

It all started a long time ago. I don’t know exactly when but I am quite sure that it was a long time ago. Back then things were different. Not wholly different from the way things are today, but quite different nonetheless. It reminded one of another world somehow; of something long gone and irrevocably lost. But not forgotten and that’s the important part. At least that’s what I always thought. In reality, what one remembers is what one chooses not to forget. That’s what he always said back in the days when things still seemed to matter, to contain some kind of meaning.

I can’t afford to be late again; it would be the second time this week and today is only Tuesday. Mr. W. already ridiculed me in front of the entire class last week for having the worst attendance imaginable. University. I didn’t think they took attendance or cared for what you did.

The bell rings. Damn. This university was different. I should have known. I should have known that this university has one course and one professor whose rules would be completely different. And I should have known that I would find myself in that class as the one student Mr. W. hated. The one professor that everybody loves.

“Mr. T. How nice of you to join us. I am gratefully put at ease that everything is in order and that you are unpunctual.”

I wince and force a sarcastic smile, looking at the floor the entire time. Never challenge Mr. W. Never. He will leave you reeling in self pity. To this day I will never forget how he embarrassed me in only the second week of the course.

“Thomas I don’t understand how you have managed to arrive late every day of this semester. If you have more important matter to attend to, which is hardly imaginable, then I suggest you don’t bother showing up at all.”
I start to answer, “At least four times I was late” by less than a minute and class hasn’t even…” but almost immediately I realized it was a mistake.
“I decide when class starts! You will hardly be successful in life if you can’t adhere to a simple schedule. Everybody else seems to manage just fine. Do you think you are special? Tell Mr. T. why did you join my writing class?”

I never got a real chance to explain myself and I don’t really remember the ensuing conversation. My face had gone bright red and I was facing the floor. I am not good at eye contact. He explained to the whole class why I would never succeed and why my first assignment – observing and describing a stationary object and making it the protagonist of a 250 word short short story – had so miserably failed.

My object had been a lamp. An omniscient observer able to turn night into day and day into night. Not only could it see everything at all times but it could decide who could see what when.

I had liked the idea at the time but have since developed something that might be considered a chronic fear of lamps and would revert to candles if my eye sight weren’t already terrible enough.

I took my seat towards the back of the class. Ever since that day I always sat in the back. “Only the rebels, and rebels without a cause I may add, willingly sit in the back of the class Mr. W. proudly declared to the class.”

Giggles ensued.

I hate hate this class. I despise these students. How did I end up here?

Only five guys in a class of thirty. One gay, two nerds, one zombie and me. The girls worshipped Mr. W. and he knew it. That fat ass. That over eaten gravy stuffed fatsoe.

The sun was shining, the leaves were wet. Reflections danced on the windows and even the trees that rustled in the soft breeze seemed amused by misery. “Today we will discuss what I refer to as pre post-modernism and narratives traces of the self in…”

M.M.

Bloggy Hell: Discombobulate

Weird Word of the Week: DISCOMBOBULATE
OED definition: "disconcert or confuse"
How to use it:
Try throwing this puppy in at cocktail parties, or when conversing with drunks on the street. For example, a sex-on-the-beach slurping bimbo approaches you, asks for your thoughts on the Iran situation; you could respond with: "I don't know. The world is a discombobulating place. This is a discombobulating party. Your eyes, they discombobulate me." She will, of course, make her excuses and mingle elsewhere. But remember this: you discombobulated that bimbo, and you did it with the weirdness of a word. Be proud. When it comes to chatting with alcoholics on the street, it always helps to speak loudly, with confidence. For example, a fellow approaches you clutching a half empty bottle of Frosty Jack's Extra Strong White Cider. He asks you for some money. What he doesn't know is, you're penniless yourself; you've spent your last £3.50 on half a lager in some West End toss-hole and you're in no mood for doling out charity. Try this: "I'm sorry my good man," and then, with vigour; "DISCOMBOBULATE!" He won't ask you anything ever again. You deflected his advances by the skilful wielding of a weird word. Be proud. But remember: if you do have extra money to dole out to drunks, don't be tight; get them in.

NEXT WEEK (or when I can be bothered): TRANSMOGRIFICATION

Spiked Books

The London Book fair is a great place to visit. Today on its last day it was open to the public and that could be noticed in the increased amount of people wearing jeans and hovering around stands in the hope of getting a freebie. I was of course in the throngs of things as I managed to get DBC Pierre’s latest book. Having said that, the manic people interaction had shown no sign of giving up.

Apparently Canongate had their famous party last night and an empty Canongate stand at around 9.30 am seems to have suggested that the party was successful. Later on, glimpsing at the Best Stand Shell Award 2006, which yes was Canongate, the crowd of publishers, agents and god know who else, were queuing to chat with Jamie Byng (known for his revival of the company.)

I however was just roaming through this place. It would easily take almost 20 minutes to go from one end of the hall to the other. Over 450 over some of the rarest publishers you could ever imagine. The only reason I go on about Canongate is because I think they are coming out with some of the best stuff at the moment. And they are independent. I might add some of their homepages actually.

In terms of adding links. You can read some of the finest blogs from Ronaldinho to Owen. Michael Owen the great. Yup. I have not for a second, considered these guys to be actually writing their own stuff. It could be a good lesson in ghost writing though.
A picture of the Canongate stand, complete with pierced books to follow.
M.M.