The publishing industry is something that I learn more about every day in class but I still struggle to understand the scope of everything that it involves. Undertaking my placement at SmashBear Publishing has been eye-opening and has allowed me to really experience everything that goes into getting a proposed manuscript to a print product ready to be sold.

The first department we worked in was acquisitions and straight away I was pushed out of my comfort zone. The task for this department was to read the first three chapters of a proposed manuscript, including the author’s proposal letter, and then write an acquisitions report on whether the full manuscript should be requested. In all honesty, I had never put too much thought into how daunting the acquisition process can be. There I sat with a three-chapter manuscript and a full plot outline that had undoubtedly taken hours of work and care, and I was meant to decide whether I thought it had any potential. The imposter syndrome was real, who am I to judge anyone’s manuscript when I’ve never managed to finish one of my own?

Trying to get the most out of the placement as possible, I decided to stop questioning whether I had the ability to do this and put it to the test instead. I read and re-read the manuscript trying to apply every editorial skill that I had learned, stretching my mind back to my Higher English lessons (from six years ago…) thinking about plot character arcs, pacing and dialogue. Admittedly it was enjoyable to feel like I really understood what was working and what wasn’t. Focussing so intensely on the manuscript itself I was detached from the initial feeling of being aware that this was someone’s work. So, when I ultimately made the decision, that for several reasons, I was going to recommend SmashBear not request the full manuscript, the author didn’t initially cross my mind.

Regretfully the reality of a refusal didn’t sink in until later on when I was finishing up the report and I went to the author’s social media page, to make sure there was no harmful content online, and I saw a tweet about the manuscript they had written. The guilt crept in when I saw the name and face of this person whose manuscript I had just decided wasn’t good enough; Tweets full of hope about future book deals and I knew that I had said no.

Admittedly this almost made me change my mind, but it wasn’t for the right reasons. I thought for a moment well if I recommend that they request the full manuscript then it’s up to someone else to decide for me. That would get me off Scot-free, conscience cleared. But that’s not how this industry works and I knew if I wanted to work in that environment, I needed to start making the hard decisions now. The publishing industry can be ruthless and unforgiving at times, but it’s a business at the end of the day and businesses need to make profits and have quality products. So as much as I feel guilt and respect towards authors that don’t get the acceptance they were hoping for, I understand a bit better now the importance of knowing when to take the emotions out of it.

Image: Hannah Grace on Unsplash