The Top 10 things I learned about publishing by David Sanger

5 April 2016

It runs on a love of books. It might seem an obvious point but publishers really do love books. I loved talking to colleagues about books and being able to call it work and it ultimately led to my decision to try and write one.
The more involved you are, the better. Especially when working in publicity. I spent my days being a real pest to authors - going to events and interviews with them, sometimes dressing as a dinosaur. It really is an opportunity because…
There's a lot to learn from authors. Whether you want to be a writer or not, speaking with and listening to the authors is so important. I felt I gained a real insight into why they write, which ultimately led me to my own reasons.
Trust the publisher. This is perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from publishing. Whilst there have been bumps in the road about a minor plot point or a cover detail, I've always aimed to trust my publisher and have been lucky enough to have them trust me. They are the experts and, despite the separation anxiety, handing the book over to them can be the best thing that happens to it.
The author is part of the package. Despite working in publicity for six years, it still feels unnatural to promote myself and the book on Twitter. But working in publishing has shown me just how much of the promotional process the author can be.
If you want to write, you'll find the time. Publicity in particular can be very time-consuming - the events, late nights in the office … drinking wine. But I found writing was the only thing that could get me to a library for two hours after a long day. I knew I wanted to be a writer when I opened the laptop after work and felt excited, not exhausted.
The smallest meeting can lead somewhere big. I shrink from the term networking but just being approachable and curious can go a long way. I met someone at an ex-colleague's leaving party and then a year later she was my amazing agent. I find publishing is a very open world and so supportive that embracing this can only be a good thing.
How supportive everyone can be. Another huge reason publishing helped my book is the support. Not just from Quercus but from Scholastic where I worked. The words of those I worked with meant and still mean a great deal. Their support continues to make all the difference.
Being on the other side is strange… When I saw my name on a trade announcement my first reaction was to go for a long walk and my second was to buy a lot of biscuits. I still get fizzy with disbelief whenever I see my name on a bookseller website
…but it's ultimately amazing. I never once thought about how all of the above support and joy you have when working in publishing would transfer to being published. To be on the other side; to have people share their time in helping you achieve your dream; to have an amazing publisher turn your writing into an item - it's something extraordinary.