Meet the next generation: The futuRE of publishing isn’t all diRE
I RE:cently brought on two incRE:dible executive editors to join the RE:BOOKS team, and immediately questioned why they’d ever want to break into publishing. Given the diRE state of our industry, I think it’s a reasonable question. So after my highly unconventional and extensive interviews, and the offer letters were signed, I had to ask: what are you THINKING? They very kindly answeREd, sharing their thoughts on the industry below, along with the personal journeys that brought them to RE:BOOKS.
Why I got into publishing
by Chloe Robinson
I remember the first piece of writing I “published.” Rather, it was a small, 20-page magazine I wrote at the tender age of eight years old. I spent a week interviewing everyone in my family on different subjects, ranging from plumbing suggestions (thanks Dad!) to the family pets. My dad remembers me bounding up the stairs, and eagerly asking him to use his computer and printer. The cover was hand-drawn, with pages roughly stapled together. I am a creature of habit, and this publication became a common occurrence. At some point, I began charging a toonie for each magazine when I presented it to my family and friends. Imagine the look on their faces!!! It was a sneaky way for me to earn extra change to spend on new CDs and candy, but I respect the hustle of my business-savvy childhood self. In retrospect, I realize now that I enjoyed creating publications before I even knew about the concept of the publishing industry itself.
Evidently, writing and reading has been a part of my life since I was a young girl. When I wasn’t writing new stories, I had my nose constantly buried in a book. This eventually led me to pursue a degree in English Literature at Ryerson University (now known as Toronto Metropolitan University). With this program, my love of literature only grew. However, after graduating in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a certain sense of impending doom soon came to a front. Even without the pandemic layer added to it, I found myself lying awake at night wondering: How the F*** am I going to make money with an English degree?! I certainly didn’t see myself as a teacher (FYI: It STILL pains me every time I tell people my university degree, and they immediately assume I went into teaching. Don’t be this person!). With the pandemic, I also found myself struggling to find purpose. If the world is ending, was any of this really worth it?! Did I just waste my last years of freedom?! I tend to indulge in the dramatics in most areas of my life, but even so, it certainly seemed like the world was ending at that moment.
Alas, my uncertainties of the future lingering led me into an Internet deep-dive, during which I discovered the world of publishing. Everything seemed to click. Publishing felt like the perfect fit for me, and I went on to complete a graduate certification in book, magazine and electronic publishing at Centennial College. All of this landed me here— interning at a new publishing house, and falling in love with the industry more each and every day.
In my short time in publishing, I’ve learned a few things. Number one: publishing is dominated by a whole lot of old, white guys, and I’m looking to change that. Why is 68-year-old Tom judging the merits of a BIPOC teen romance novel?! Number two: publishing may be a gamble sometimes, but it is not a total shot in the dark. There are tools that increase your chances of success, and the best publishers know how to utilize these. And finally: you don’t go into publishing to make lots of money. That’s a by-product that may or may not happen. But if you have a passion for books and writing, working in publishing will make you excited to stroll into work each and every day to tackle some amazing projects (or in our digital age, log onto your laptop in your pajamas). According to a study completed at Gettysburg College, the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. What’s a life worth living if you’re not spending those precious hours doing something you love?
My Publishing Experience
By Emilee Corry
My path all throughout high school and university was law. I took all my classes in preparation for going to law school and becoming a lawyer. I studied for and wrote the LSAT, I took prep classes, I applied to every Canadian law school, and I even got into a few. However, after eight years of hard work and dedication to this subject and future career path, I came to the very hard realization that it wasn’t for me anymore.
The pandemic affected the last two years of my undergraduate degree, right as I was applying for law school. At the time, I didn’t think it affected much more than moving my classes online, but looking back I can see how it affected a whole lot more. A lot of people (subtly and not-so-subtly) suggested I lost my drive and had gotten lazy when I told them I didn’t want to go to law school anymore, but that wasn’t true at all. The COVID quarantine allowed me some time to figure out what my priorities were for my life, and law just didn’t fit.
I have always been a reader, a writer, and a lover of literature and the fine arts. If you asked anyone who knows me what I like to do, everyone’s first answer would be reading. I don’t think I surprised anyone when I told them I was redirecting my career path to something to do with books, specifically editing and publishing.
At first glance, it might seem like publishing is a dying business. After all, with the rise of digital media and the decline of print sales, it's easy to think that books and magazines are on their way out. But the more I learned about publishing, the more I realized that there is still so much potential in this industry. Even on social media (specifically TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter), there are large communities of readers who dedicate their accounts and so much of their time to talking about, reviewing, and recommending books.
One of the main things that drew me to publishing was the idea of helping to bring new ideas and stories to life. As someone who loves to read and write, I have always been fascinated by the power of books and the impact they can have on people's lives. Whether it's a memoir that inspires someone to make a change in their own life or a novel that transports them to a different world, books have the ability to connect with people on a deep level.
Another aspect of publishing that appealed to me was the creative and collaborative nature of the industry. From editors and designers to marketers and publicists, there are so many different people who come together to create a book or magazine. I love the idea of being part of a team that works together to bring something new into the world.
With all of this in mind, I decided to pursue a degree in publishing. I enrolled in the publishing program at Centennial College and took courses in everything from editorial and design to marketing and sales. As I went through the program, I learned so much about the industry and the different roles and responsibilities of the people who work in publishing.
The number one lesson I learned in the post-grad program was the importance of adaptability. The publishing industry is constantly evolving, with new technologies and trends emerging all the time. In order to be successful in this field, you need to be willing to learn and grow, and to be open to trying new things. This lesson was reinforced when I started my internship at RE:BOOKS. I quickly realized that the skills and knowledge I had gained in school were just the beginning. Every day I encounter new challenges and opportunities, and I have to be ready to adapt and evolve in order to keep up.
Another important lesson I’ve learned is that publishing is a gamble. I don’t think anyone in publishing has said they’ve gone into it “for the money.” Some books will do well, some won’t, and some will hit it off the charts… and it’s always the ones you don’t expect.
I’m still uncertain about where my future will lead and where I’ll end up, but I’ve never been more certain of the choice I made, both to go into publishing and to do my internship at RE:BOOKS. I feel grateful that I followed my instincts and didn’t let anyone else influence my decision, otherwise I’d probably be writing a paper on legal ethics and finishing an exam on constitutional law. Every career will have its challenges, but despite them all, publishing remains a vibrant and exciting industry, full of talented and passionate people who are dedicated to bringing great ideas and stories to the world, and I am so grateful and excited to be part of it.