My First Year in Book Publishing: Real-World Stories from America's Book Publishing Professionals

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Summary: Healy's book could be your inspiration, or a warning!
Review: Lisa Healy has done a marvelous job of collecting personal essays from professionals who want to give future industry hopefuls a start. Gregory Giangrande's summation of what it takes to make it in the publishing industry, "You start out at the bottom, pay your dues, learn the trade, and make yourself so invaluable that you leave the company no choice but to promote you--or lose you to the competition," seems rather simple on the surface but the stories that follow give body and soul to the statement. This is the bottom line to making it in the publishing industry and a few of those who have made it are gracious enough to give us a glimpse into their own personal struggles.

I am always amazed at the amount of sheer luck in the beginnings of careers, and publishing is no exception. Kimberly Wiar of University of Oklahoma Press writes about a friend, working in Chicago, who called her in California to let her know about a secretarial opening at the press where she was working. The friend suggested Wiar come and apply. Wiar packed up, moved to Chicago and set up an interview. This is where luck runs out and hard work begins. Wiar was hired for the secretarial position and spent the next year absorbing everything that came across her desk, learning to interact with others in the industry through the actions of her boss, and asking about anything she didn't understand.

Wiar was lucky in having an excellent supervisor, Morris Philipson. She saw Philipson prove time and again the qualities he promised in the interview: he showed her how to use office equipment and was patient through her learning process; he explained trade jackets, galleys, editing, design and page proofs; as promised, he assigned her manuscripts to read and "evaluate" when she was ready for the extra work; and above all he encouraged her natural talents and abilities. It was within this supportive environment that Wiar pushed herself beyond her daily secretarial duties and learned the business from the ground up, earning a promption to acquisitions editor at the press.

Healy's book is filled with stories from people like Wiar who have struggled to gain their foothold in the industry, at times clawed their way through departments and sometimes from house to house, in order to find their niche within the industry. Once there, though, you would be hard pressed to find people in other industries who are so completely satisfied with their work and themselves personally. That first year will prove whether you belong in the publishing realm. This book is an inspiration to those who do, an enlightment and warning to those who do not.