The Hamilton Career Center hosted a Find Your Futures Alumni Panel on the Publishing industry Feb 27. Three Alumni spoke with over fifteen guests in attendance. Editorial assistant Stefanie Chin ’20, Illustrator Tom Booth ’06, and literary agent Paula Weiman ’18, discussed their day-to-day obligations, the perks and pitfalls of the industry, as well as advice for the student attendees.
The panelists’ everyday tasks varied in interesting and surprising ways. Booth explained that as a freelance illustrator, his work day is “wonderful and also complicated” because “when you love what you do you just kind of do it all the time.” He emphasized his passion for his work, from children’s book illustration, to video game design, to movie animation. Chin described that editorial work is more than just reading all day. Chin described how there is “a lot less editing than you think, a lot of emailing, a lot of admin work, and a lot of filing, and a lot more math than you’d think.” They all expressed passion for their specific roles within the publishing industry. As a literary agent, Weiman’s role of reading queries and deciding to represent books requires the passion to advocate for a book to sell it to publishers. “I love finding those books and then being the one who fights for them,” Weiman said. Similarly, Booth noted that he quite simply “couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” Win’s experience working with personal heroes sparked an excitement that was palpable even through Zoom. “It’s crazy to meet a person that you grew up reading,” Win shared. “Authors are really just people, and it’s really fun to work with them from the ground up.”
However, the panelists shared how this passion can be used against them through underpaying and overworking employees. Win explained that “the work life balance can be really tough because it is a passion industry,” a sentiment that Weiman echoed within Literary Agencies as well. Win concluded on a hopeful yet cautionary note. She said, “Hopefully we’re moving in the right direction, as companies have been working out pay increases over the next couple of years. This industry is focused in New York City, which is of course incredibly expensive, so there are some financial burdens to this industry to be aware of.”
All of the alumni agreed that the Hamilton experience and network has helped them throughout their publishing career. Booth explained that he was a cartoonist for The Spectator, as well as a History and Studio Art major. Booth reflected on the confidence that her time at Hamilton instilled in her: “the thing that continues to be valuable to me. I could confidently walk into a room and talk about who I was and what I was interested in coming from Hamilton.” Chin echoed this sentiment, commenting on how Hamilton’s open curriculum prepared her for the different types of writing she does for her editorial work. “Being able to write for any type of situation is huge,” said Chin. “I wear so many hats depending on who we are communicating with.” Chin’s experience at Hamilton also provided her with the perspective to succeed as an editor.
Chin noted that “Being a good editor is so firmly rooted in understanding human connections and experiences, and the open curriculum is a way you can grow that aspect of yourself right now.” From communications skills to the merits of open curriculum learning, these alumni emphasized what skills they learned while still on the Hill that they rely on now in their professional pursuits.
Additionally, the panelists stressed the importance of the Hamilton Alumni network. Weiman explained that she originally “thought of networking as a way to get a job, and I think that is the wrong way to look at networking.” Instead, she emphasized the importance of learning from alumni and their experiences, and not solely focusing on trying to get a job from them. Similarly, Chin also used the alumni network to learn more about what departments to apply for jobs in. Chin said, “the alumni network helped me figure out the differences between different publishing jobs, like marketing, publicity, and sales. It helped me figure out what these positions did without having to apply for them, which was huge.”
The panel covered a variety of careers within the publishing industry, from internships, first jobs, career changes and helpful do’s and don’ts. The perspectives from creative illustrators, editors and agents, provided interesting insight into different roles in the industry.
