St Hilda's College
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2024 Barbara Pym Literary Internship

3 October 2024

Ruby Bailey-Proe

"I have always wanted to pursue a career in publishing, but did not know the ins and outs of the industry, so this placement gave me insight into how the publishing world works. I was mainly assisting the Agents’ assistants in reading submissions. I was astounded by how many people submitted manuscripts to the agency and the breadth of subjects they covered. For the first week, I focussed mainly on fantasy submissions, writing reader reports detailing which submissions I thought should be sent to the agent. It was a different reading experience from what I am used to: I had to focus not only on what I thought was good but also on what the agent and publishers were looking for. I loved being able to read all day and delve into new worlds with exciting characters. I found it interesting to see what trends and tropes were cropping up in the market as well as learning more about how the submission and proposal process works.

I also sat in on meetings with publishers and scouts which gave me insight into how agents work within the publishing world. I did not realise how important networking and building relationships with different people was. It is important to know who to pitch your project to and when is best to do so.

My favourite part of the placement was talking with the Agents and other members of staff. Throughout the two weeks, I sat down with each person to talk through their role. Not only did this expand my reading palate and awareness of the markets, but I learnt so much about the different aspects of publishing a book. I became fascinated by contracts and royalties (unusual for an English student I know!) and found myself constantly asking questions about different rights and clauses. This deepened my knowledge of how book deals are conducted behind the scenes and how contracts are refined.

Everybody at FBA was incredibly friendly and happy to take time out of their day to talk to me and answer my questions. The team dynamic felt like a family, and it was such a supportive working environment. These two weeks taught me so much about the publishing world and I feel confident in my knowledge of the inner workings of the industry which I can carry forward into my future career. I am so thankful to FBA and the Barbara Pym Society for this opportunity."

Ruby Bailey-Proe, English, 3rd year