From Precious
October 2009

Jayde Lynch

Publicity Assistant,

Penguin Books

Precious: Tell us about your route to the job.

Prior to getting my current job, I did two work experience placements with Penguin both in adult and children’s publicity and had also worked part-time as a bookseller for both Ottakar’s/Waterstone’s for around 3 years.
I graduated this year from City University, London with a degree in Sociology and Media Studies. Following this I was fortunate enough to get a part-time position at Penguin as the Publicity Cuttings Assistant, where I had to organise and circulate all press coverage across the Penguin imprints.
Three months later, the opportunity that I had been waiting for arose and I was asked to interview for the role of Literary Publicity Assistant. The rest is history!
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Precious: Describe a typical working day.

A typical day in publicity begins with scouring the papers for reviews and mentions of our books/authors.
The job itself is fairly admin-based and as an assistant I am responsible for things such as forwarding author post, ensuring all stationery is in stock, ordering up titles for the office, sending out review mailings and basically supporting my team where needed.
I also get to go out of the office frequently, accompanying authors to events, stock signings and radio/TV interviews.
As time has gone on and I’ve built up more and more experience, I have been given the responsibility of handling my own publicity campaigns including the paperback publication of ‘Submarine’ by Joe Dunthorne, our Penguin/decibel anthology ‘The Map of Me’ and most recently the 50th anniversary re-issues of the Raymond Chandler titles.

Precious: What do you most love about your job?

That it’s never the same. The job is really varied and although there are the usual daily tasks that need to be carried out, there is always something new and exciting going on. I love meeting new people at events and launches and getting the opportunity to travel to literary festivals such as Edinburgh and Hay. .

Precious: Is there a person in your industry that really inspires you

Ooh – it’s hard to pick just one person! I’d have to say the team I work with. On a daily basis I work alongside them and witness the trials and tribulations of each of their campaigns, all of which inspire me to follow in their footsteps - taking on new challenges and developing on what I learn.

Precious: What's been the most exciting event of your career so far?

Gosh, it’s hard to pin down just one thing! I’d have to say just how thrilling it is to see a publicity campaign that you have put together take shape – from the initial planning to finally seeing the finished article in print or hearing it on the radio. .

Precious: How do you see your career progressing over the next five years?

I hope to rise up to the next level in the publicity rank, to the role Of Press Officer, taking on a larger responsibility over publicity campaigns for key titles and developing my knowledge of the industry.

Precious: What do you do to relax?

How could I not mention reading! Of course, like all of us in the industry, I love to read. Working on literary titles means that for a change I quite often like to read commercial fiction to relax, as a form of escapism. I enjoy going shopping or just hanging out with friends. .

Precious: What words of wisdom can you share with other women looking to get into your industry?

The key thing is work experience! Do as much of it as you think will benefit you. Even if it’s not in a publishing house, any office-based experience is really useful to have, as it is the basis for all entry level/assistant roles. Also, don’t give up…keep applying for jobs and attending interviews and you will get your dream job, as did I!