Because Pictures Say A Thousand Words

It's sadly now time to end my BK experience, my time in San Francisco and along with it my blog. Rather than getting all sentimental here, I've decided to end with a collection of my favourite photographs taken over the last 3 months. So (in no particular order), I'll begin...

The picture below is hard evidence that I embraced the slightly crazy cultural side of SF. Here, Dana (my supervisor at Children's Book Press) and I are getting involved in an interactive drag art instillation we went to see at City Hall as part of the SF's Ethnic Dance Festival. Just a normal lunch time in SF really.

This photo was taken on one of my first nights in SF at the Top Of The Mark. Amazing views, live music and cocktails.













When my bf came to visit we went over the Golden Gate Bridge on a beautiful (but freezing day):

This is the standard photograph that everyone who visits Vegas takes...I won 79 cents in the casinos.

For some reason we thought it'd be a good idea while in Vegas to get into a teeny tiny plane and fly very high over the Grand Canyon...uuurgh, great views but it's something you only need to do once. I don't think anyone on our bus looked the normal colour afterwards. This video gives you a sense of the ridiculously small size and the ridiculously loud noise of the plane:

Really amazing view from hotel room in Santa Cruz (to make up for the dreary Greyhound coach on the way down):

 

Jeevan (the smartest dressed man in publishing and supervisor extraordinaire):

Bonnie hanging out with the BK interns...

The parentals came to stay!



On my last weekend I road-tripped down the coast to Carmel and Big Sur with my housemate Martina and her friend, Gozzy, not a bad way to end my trip...

The Beginning Of The End

It's almost time to take down my Guernsey teddy and other Guernsey memrobila that has been cluttering up my BK desk for the last 3 months...(photographs of Gsy cows, cuddly toys of Gsy cows etc etc) (Gsy is famous for its cows in case you were wondering, I don't have some weird cow-obsession, my mum kinda took the one idea and ran when I asked her to send me some things from home...).

Anyway, this week I have had the task of training the new editorial intern, Chloe, and passing on the metaphorical editorial gauntlet to her. I found this a bit sad at first, but then I realised I could also pass along the very real pile of proposals to be looked at as well...which didn't feel half as bad. 

Training went well, although I had planned a full day of stuff which I managed to get through in about 2hrs, but I'm told this happens...so we just chatted a lot and I told her other important editorial intern stuff like how to handle Jeevans pre-lunch grumpiness, and which BK events she would be guaranteed complimentary food at etc. I also enjoyed asserting my power and allowing Chloe (and myself) to both go home a bit early as a first day treat ;o) The joys of being in charge...

Had my farewell editorial lunch today as well, and now there is only one Author Day left and I'm gone from the BK world forever (although I may well take up David's suggestion of becoming the BK London correspondent...!, or more realistically doing some blogging for BK from time to time)

For those who are interested: the Guernsey cow is fawn and white in colour, and known for the rich flavour of it's milk, it's hardiness and docile disposition:

MTV Gave Me Unrealistic Expectations of Life as an American Intern

During my first week in San Francisco, I stayed in a downtown hostel while searching for accommodation. It was a perfect location and great to have finally made it to San Francisco.

However, it was also tedious, stressful at times, and the hostel was overrun with excited computer geeks attending some mysterious conference in the city (don’t you agree there are some people who can DO animation, and there are some people who are GIFTED at animation?...and other such compelling debates took over all common areas).

As I was trudging up the stairs back to my sixth floor hostel room, after another evening apartment viewing, I couldn’t help but compare the beginning of my internship experience with that of Lauren Conrad’s in The Hills (please don’t laugh, I'm heading towards a point...).

Lauren had arrived in LA to begin her internship and had driven straight to her fully furnished apartment (I bet she even had a washer and dryer – gold dust in American rentals), to find her best friend waiting for her by the communal swimming pool (!)

Lauren’s placement began and she soon became BFFs with a fellow intern, with whom she shared a private office and therefore the two never had to worry about any interruptions from pesky supervisors actually giving them any work.

Not only this, but Lauren’s entire friendship group suddenly appeared to have moved to the same city, and she went partying pretty much every night with no concerns over money/ people to hang out with/preparation work for the next day.  

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my internship at BK, where I have gained invaluable experience and had a lot of responsibility. However, if I have one complaint it's that my internship has been rather lacking in the ‘drama’ and glamour that MTV and Lauren Conrad portrayed as a pre-requisite for any internship worth its salt in the US workplace.

It is a sad fact that alongside the useful publishing skills I’ve gained from my internship, I have also learned that MTV somewhat exaggerated in their portrayal of American internships.

In my heart of hearts I guess I always knew this was the case. But I do find myself sometimes sitting at my desk, still hopeful that one day another intern’s glamorous ex-boyfriend will charge into the office, make an awful scene, cause a massive fight and restore my faith in MTV.   

Authors Say the Nicest Things...

Lately I've reviewed several proposals from places far far away, and therefore have emailed (rather than called) several authors with my feedback (to save BK phone bills, and also to ensure I'm not waking authors up with my feedback at 3am, which would be a bit weird...)

As a result I've had a number of very friendly emails back from authors which (I'll admit it) I keep re-reading every now and again. 

However, they're beginning to annoy me now and clutter up my inbox so before I delete them forever I want to share some snippets with you:

1.) Dear Holly,

Your informative answer shows that Berrett-Koehler is different. I would certainly like to write about you some day. You are right we should have a big name... Thank you again. Let us hope we can cooperate someday.

Best regards

2.) Dear Holly:

Thank you so much for your prompt and extremely insightful reply to my proposal.  You have really helped me.

While I am naturally disappointed not to have the opportunity to work with you at this time, the points you raise about breaking into the US market are valid and I can see your logic...

Again, thank you for your feedback.  One day, I hope to publish with Berrett-Koehler – it’s a publisher I really admire because I love your values as a company and the unique business model that you have evolved.

Kind Regards

3.) Dear Holly and Jeevan,

I want to thank you for your letter, Holly, and for the communications I received from both you and Jeevan. I can honestly say of the half dozen or so publishing companies I have been in communication with you really stand out from the rest in key ways. Firstly in your prompt response to approach from author. Remarkable, within about 24 hrs. Nextly, in your personal follow through and phone call inquiry, within the next 24 hrs or so. Your brisk, friendly and respectful approach is welcome and reflects well upon your company. Your taking the time to write a personal note of further explanation about your decision is most appreciated too. In other words, you really handle people well. That aspect of your company shines. It says a lot about you and what you care about.

Thank you again so much, I am really positively impressed with your company and will look for opportunities to speak well of you and refer people to you when I can,

Sincerely,

The American Resume and The English CV

This week I've been working on (and stressing out about) my English CV to send out to people in London. It hasn't helped that my most recent CV at the moment is in the style of an American resume, which could not be more different from its English counterpart if it tried. 

Apparently, also, this is not a commonly known cultural difference. I learned this after receiving several baffled emails back in response to my American resume, which I'd sent out to English acquaintances to read over....why is it only a page?, (they'd ask) why have you not put your A-levels on? (they'd be horrified) Why have you listed what you did in each placement rather than the skills you learned? why? why? WHY?

I personally didn't have any idea about the differences myself until I began initial research. But I didn't care back then, why would I get stressed about re-writing my CV when I was about to go off on an adventure to a sunnier climate, where the clothes were so much cheaper, and the junk food was so much better?

Now, however, as the prospect looms of going home, finding a real job, and putting my currency converter away for good (I just love how everything feels cheaper when you converter it), I'm finding the whole resume to CV thing a bit more trying...luckily there are lots of freshly baked cookies everywhere to cheer me up :o)

Hayek vs Keynes (the rap)

As well as learning about publishing, Jeevan likes to ensure his interns engage with discussion of broader issues, such as: the nearest Starbucks to the BK office, the superiority of English over American tailoring (this one could have been just for me), and the economy. In terms of the economy Jeevan argues that all economic debate boils down to the argument between Hayek and Keynes.

Luckily Jeevan has had 10 years experience at training and trying to keep the attention of interns, so has some tricks up his sleeve. This YouTube rap video perfectly outlines the economic debate we were discussing, and (as economic rap videos go) is pretty funny:

It's Time To Call An Author...R-E-L-A-X

Probably one of the tasks I find most intimidating at BK is having to phone up the authors and explain why we won't be publishing their book. This is not common practise in publishing (I understand why, authors looooove to talk on the phone, no-one would ever get anything done if publishers just spoke to authors all day), but it's all good experience for me. In fact, now I'm over the absolute fear I had at the beginning, I have to admit I'm actually beginning to enjoy my chats with the authors and find them considerably less intimidating. Mainly for the following reasons: 

a.) Authors are so grateful that a publisher has contacted them, let alone phoned them up to offer feedback. When authors have worked so hard on a manuscript it is nice to at least acknowledge it. 

b.) Although authors are often extremely successful in their field, they generally know nothing about the publishing industry. Therefore I've learnt not to fear them quizzing me on their business book, but am instead now confident we'll just discuss publishing

c.) Authors in general are very interesting people who love to talk. I've ended up discussing topics as obscure as the best sight-seeing places in London to the benefits of a healthy morning routine to the latest film releases.

Therefore when it's time to ring an author, I've learnt it's time to relax and enjoy.

I'm Going to Vegas In 2hrs 26 mins!!

Therefore this summary of my crazy busy publishing week will be short:

BK meetings - Linkedin is the way forward. I don't think it's quite taken off in the UK yet to the same extent as over here in the US...but it's a networking essential and I'm going to keep working on my Linkedin profile until it's up to scratch.

Book Builders West Crash Course - This was an all day (literally 8am-4pm) workshop where 6 guest speakers spoke for an hour each about their role in the production side of publishing. The key message from the workshop overall was communication, communication, communication. To get things done, communication with clients and amongst different departments is essential. For me a highlight was also when Bill Ralph (speaking on printing and paper) used cut up potatoes to demonstrate how letter pressing worked. 

PGW educational session and cocktail party: I disappointingly learned that even though it may be a 'cocktail' party this does not guarantee that 'cocktails' will actually be served. However it was valuable experience in how to juggle a drink and a plate of free food in your left hand, so that your right hand is available to shake hands with all the new people you meet. Tricky business.

"I'm Not A Very Good Business Person"

Says the man who has opened a book (singular) shop.


That's right, the book shop only has lots of copies of one book.


An interesting concept that made me laugh, read the full article below:


http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/a-bookstore-thats-book-singular/

Oh Kindle, Where Were You During My Degree?

I had an interesting thought today, which I thought I'd share.

During my three-year History degree I always found the weeks leading up to the Easter holidays very stressful, as during out Easter break we always had essays to write at home, using a minimum of 15 books. 

This is all fair enough as I was doing a History degree after all. However, problems arose due to the fact that my parents lived in Guernsey, and I had to somehow figure out a way of transporting the required material home on a plane from Bristol (whilst avoiding crazy airport excess luggage fees).

Usually I would phone my parents and request once again that they just stop faffing about on a silly Island, move back to England and come pick me up (plus all my books) in a car like normal (loving) parents.

This never went down too well, so I was always forced to run around photocopying material, scanning articles and checking online whether books I needed were held in Guernsey (they never were, just incase you were wondering) (Seriously, not even once).

I fear that writing this blog entry is stirring up old feelings of resentment towards the lovely Isle of Guernsey and it's widely inadequate library service, so I'll move swiftly onto the pubishing/book industry point I want to make...My life would have been so much easier with the Kindle. 

I always used to laugh when my mother told me how, when she was at university, she used to queue up in the corridor (along with dozens of other girls) to use the one payphone in the building to call her parents once a week. I used to listen to this smugly holding my mobile phone.

I have a strong feeling that one day, if I have children, they will almost certainly laugh incredulously at my tales of having to lug real books home to complete essays, no doubt smugly holding devices of the future from which they can access every book ever published. I'm jealous already...! 

Why A Free Lunch Is Good For My Career

I’m going to be honest with you now. The days I choose to work at BK are generally dictated by the days when a free lunch is on offer. This is the sad, but very real truth about the thought process of an unpaid intern.

The upside of this for my fledgling publishing career, however, is that the free lunches generally coincide with Author Days. So, as a result of my free lunch scheduling habits, I've had some great opportunities to closely observe/interact with various authors. 

This experience has led me to understand what it means to be a BK author today. This differs greatly from the author I had pictured in my head: shy, reclusive, happiest tucked away writing in a darkened room (maybe with one little window high up on the ceiling), and generally preferring to avoid human contact at all cost. With this in mind I did wonder why on earth BK made the author present his book to the entire company? (Pretty cruel, I thought).

It didn't take me long to realize how mistaken I'd been however. All BK authors I've met so far (over a lovely free lunch, of course), have been self-confident, charismatic, successful, interesting, and friendly individuals. Also, they love to talk about their books (in fact, I have heard many requests to go on Oprah).

This taught me that today reclusive authors just don't cut it. This may seem harsh, but publishers must be able to guarantee book sales (especially with today's economy). Hence authors generally need to have followers in place already, people who are going to buy the book. I guess this explains why there are so many celebrity novels/autobiographies published today.  

So there you go, my quest for free lunches has helped increase my knowledge of the publishing world. Lovely.

Does Anyone Work Fridays in Publishing?

I have sent out three emails to three different BK staff members at various points today to try to arrange meetings with them. It really amused me that I got three out of office replies. I had heard that people in publishing don't really work mornings or Fridays, and I'm quite excited to find that there may be some truth in that statement. 

On that note, time for the weekend :-D

YouTube + Cat Videos = Never A Dull Moment At BK

Giggling and cackling can often be heard from the BK editorial team as staff members regularly share their favourite 'funny cat videos' on YouTube. 

I don't completely understand this (but then again, I don't understand a lot of things about America: like why does everyone insist on leaving the letter 'u' out of so many words, and why is 11.30am considered a normal time to eat lunch?). 

Anyway, regardless of my slight confusion, I am happy to get involved in the fun, and thought I'd share with you some of my favourites so far, enjoy!

Surprise Kitty (adorable)

Sleeping Kitten 

Winston is somewhat of a celebrity on the YouTube cat circuit. In this clip he takes a bath.  

Cute Roulette

Maybe I Should Become A Janitor?

At a recent Author Day two soon-to-be published authors showed the true importance of the lunch time author presentation. The authors told an 'inspirational' story of how a CEO, realising money was not the answer to life, wished he could trade places with his friend who was a janitor, and only earning $6,000 a month (so nothing to be jealous of, the authors told us).

Woops. This clearly wasn't the right thing to say to a room full of people working in the publishing industry (which is famous for it's scandalously low pay). Whispers went round the room 'that's more than I earn'...'me too!'...'I wonder where the janitor works?'...'do you think they have any vacancies?'

Quick calculations on my phone allowed me to convert that this would be an annual earning of 44,000 pounds a year in England (apologies, pesky American computer doesn't have a pound sign) (this amount of money is more than the national average earned in England). 

In all seriousness though, mistakes like this are good to make within the safety of BK's boardroom. The author day presentation to BK staff is the author's first attempt at pitching the book to an audience, and the marketing/publicity meeting straight afterwards begins with feedback on the author's pitch. In this instance, the faux-pas will be mentioned, the pitch straightened out, and all will be right in the world again thanks to a BK Author Day. Hurrah! 

My Favourite Article

Following on from my last post in which I mentioned the media's obsession with analyzing the current changes in the publishing industry, I thought I'd post my favourite article so far. This is an interview with Margaret Atwood in the Globe and Mail. In the chaos people seem to be whipping up around the publishing industry at the moment, I find her to be reassuringly calm on the topic.
 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/no-e-books-without-authors-atwood-reminds-us/article1943785/page1/
 
I also like the quotation below about how the publishing industry differs from other businesses:
 
"When people say publishing is a business--actually it's not quite a business. It's part gambling and part arts and crafts, with a business component. It's not like any other business, and that's why when standard businessmen go into publishing and think, 'Right, I'm going to clean this up, rationalize it and make it work like a real business,' two years later you find they're bald because they've torn out all their hair. And then you say to them, 'It's not like selling beer. It's not like selling a case of this and a case of that and doing a campaign that works for all of the beer.' You're selling one book--not even one author any more. Those days are gone, when you sold, let's say, 'Graham Greene' almost like a brand. You're selling one book, and each copy of that book has to be bought by one reader and each reading of that book is by one unique individual. It's very specific."

The Publishing Industry - Sick, Dying, Dead?

No one with any interest in the publishing industry could have failed to notice the amount of media coverage that has, over the last few years, discussed the decline of (or even the anticipated death of) the book publishing industry.

There is obviously no doubt that the publishing industry is changing rapidly. David Marshall, the VP of Digital and Editorial at BK, said in a recent meeting that people are anticipating 25% of book sales to be digital by 2012, and 80% to be digital by 2020. Observing the amount of people already replacing newspapers/books with digital devices on public transport today, this prediction seems entirely plausible. I myself managed to complete an entire MA degree in History by only once venturing into the library to read an actual book, the journals I required were always available online.

Yet I don’t really understand how people go as far as to equate the rise of e-books with the ‘death’ of the publishing industry? People are still reading content written by authors and edited by publishers, it just so happens that this content is presented in a different format.

I admit that I still find some aspects of how the publishing industry relates to the new digital wave fairly confusing, and it is a topic I want to talk to more BK staff members about during my placement. Those I have spoken to so far have left me feeling less anxious about the industry’s future however, as they have unanimously said they are 'excited' about changes in the industry.

This is reassuring. It has also led me to understand that those who try to fight the digital changes in publishing will be left behind. Therefore, if I want any chance of entry into/survival in the book publishing world then I will have to become 'excited' about the digital changes too!

So, what do you think of Kate Middleton?

Strangers in America have been approaching me with this question for some time now (mainly in supermarkets and banks in case you were wondering).

In the beginning I used to reply with the truth: ‘I’m sorry I don’t know her’. But I soon realised this could be perceived as quite rude.

I therefore have lately changed tack and have begun trying to draw out a longer answer, ‘ummm yeah I’m not really that into the royal family I’m afraid but ummm yeah she seems fine and everyone in England gets a bank holiday so that’s cool’.

At this point most excited-American-strangers look a bit disappointed. I think they were expecting a bit more from my English accent, something along the lines of me jumping up and down and demanding champagne to toast the happy couple there and then.

Most excited-American-strangers then try and prompt me to respond more adequately by reiterating how excited I should be: ‘but the big days getting close isn’t it, surely you’re excited?’/ ‘do we know who is designing her dress yet, surely you’re excited?!’

I regretfully shrug: ‘I’m sorry I really don’t care’

Nine times out of ten the excited-American-stranger is seriously confused by now, ‘but Kate is the biggest thing since Diana, surely you care?’

At this point I tend to start shuffling slowly away sometimes calling apologetically behind me ‘she does have really nice hair though!’

Rain, Rain, Go Away.....................pretty please?!

So the weather reports for the San Francisco area this weekend are rainy and bleak (again), and last night there was even a flash flood warning in San Mateo County.

Having jumped on a plane and crossed the Atlantic to do an internship in sunny California (with a suitcase full of summery clothes and several pairs of sunglasses in tow I might add), I have to admit I’m beginning to feel a little disgruntled by all this weather malarkey.

My dreams of strolling around Golden Gate Park and aimlessly wandering around the city in the sunshine seem to be slowly fading away. Ok I'm exaggerating here, but they've certainly been put on hold. 

The irony being of course that England at the moment appears to be having somewhat of a small heat wave I hear. Ok so again I'm exaggerating but last weekend I spoke to my London-based boyfriend who was just on his way out to celebrate a friend's birthday with a BBQ in the park. Pardon? I looked out of my window at the torrential rain and sighed. I then tried to get hold of my parents but I later found out they'd been too busy cleaning and sorting out the garden furniture.

But it’s not all doom and gloom as Jeevan is making admirable attempts to drown me in book recommendations, so at least I have something to do until the sun comes out!

Author Day

Followed Bill George and Doug Baker through their author day today as they had a whistle-stop tour of the editorial/production/digital communications and marketing/publicity team.

It had been a 9am start and I had to admit defeat at 6pm and head home.

Good day, got some good information, received some good feedback but now I feel like I have to sleep for about 10 years to recover. Good night.

How many BK employees does it take to change a desktop screen?

The answer is about four, but it was well worth the effort as now my mac has a lovely picture of my cat ‘Fluff’ grinning out from the screen, and I’m at least some way on track towards personalising my office desk (as I’ve been ordered to do).

In other news I had a fun morning researching a book proposal I liked the look of. Jeevan wasn’t that keen, but I saw real potential in it so he encouraged me to do some more work on it. This consisted of reading through the author’s sample chapters, researching her businesses online and eventually speaking to her on the phone for 40mins. I still haven’t decided exactly how I feel about it yet, but if I want to discuss it with anyone further Jeevan is happy for me to arrange a meeting with his boss....so watch this space. However, even if it goes nowhere it’s been a fun experience to have my own project for the day.   

"Observing" Publication Board Meetings

This week I attended my first Publication Board Meeting at Berrett-Koehler.

PBMs are where the editorial team pitch potential publications to other departments (marketing, publicity, production etc), encouraging feedback/discussion from the group before then inviting everyone in the company to vote on whether the project should go ahead or not.   

I was observing the discussion and noting down questions to ask my mentor afterwards: some publishing related (such as, what’s a best seller marketing campaign?), and some just American-related (why do the chocolate biscuits being passed around have peanut butter inside?)

Anyway, I was enjoying listening into the meeting until my mentor, during the break, shouted across the room (Twiglets in hand, of course) ‘Holly you need to get involved’.

Ummmm................but I’m just an intern?

I told him I’d been making notes and observing how the meeting was structured, but apparently he didn’t care.

I had thought the role of an intern at a big company meeting was to sit there and learn, i.e. to be seen and not heard. Apparently this is not the case for BK interns, who are not only encouraged but expected to participate in the meetings.

This was interesting as I had actually held myself back from voicing my opinion on a title choice earlier in the meeting, for fear my participation would be a bit odd. This was especially so as I was sat next to Steve Piersanti, President of BK, when I myself had currently not even completed two full days in the office yet.   

Having had this cleared up, however, I did tentatively make one comment in the second half of the meeting, which is something I’ll just have to get used to doing more frequently from now on.

As an intern I have found it is sometimes almost too easy to sit back, take the easy route and not get too involved with any of the company’s proceedings. This means you have a relaxed placement, but also that you don’t necessarily gain as much from the opportunity as you could perhaps if you were pushed to get more involved.  

It is therefore quite refreshing to find that at BK the hands-off approach does not really appear to be an option.       

First day as a Berrett-Koehler intern...

I was welcomed into the building and immediately headed for Jeevan’s office, where he showed me the photo of his cross-eyed cat hanging lovingly on the wall and introduced me to the collection of toys scattered on my desk, left by previous interns. I also laughed (a lot) at Jeevan’s crate of Twiglets he ordered off Amazon, while in turn Jeevan spent some time looking up Guernsey online – laughing, calling it ‘magical’ and asking if the Island had unicorns.   

Formalities over with, Jeevan immediately threw me off guard by asking what I wanted to gain from my placement, and taking notes as I spoke. This was impressive as companies today often equate interns to free labour (someone to photocopy/run around taking lunch orders and doing little else). I was reassured that Jeevan was taking the time right at  the beginning to find out what I wanted to gain in return for giving up my spare time. Internships are about give and take, and it was good to know that BK recognises this.

Highlight of the day: reviewed my first book proposal, decided it was no good and drafted a rejection email (the author was in the UK so I couldn’t phone them). Having never reviewed a proposal before or observed how BK rejects authors, I was surprised that Jeevan did not want to review the email himself (I had been anticipating a lot of re-writing), and instead just told me to cc him in. It turns out I’d done a good job but had perhaps been a little too harsh in the last paragraph. This level of responsibility on my first day was both very exciting and a bit terrifying, but certainly bodes well for the tasks I’ll be allowed to undertake further into my internship.