A letter from the Founder
Dear WritingCommunity.ca followers,
This has been a whirlwind year that has ultimately resulted in what will be a dream come true for me.
About 12 years ago, I handed out my first round of resumes in the “big city” as I tried to break into the publishing industry. I had a business diploma and was working on my English degree, so I thought perhaps I could start out at a magazine or literary journal. I knew little to nothing about the industry back then, but I was determined to break through.
That round of resumes got me nowhere.
I didn’t give up though. I finished my English degree and continued to apply for jobs. Unfortunately, due to family concerns, my plans to move to “the big city” were quashed. Remote publishing positions were a rarity back then, so I managed to get the next best thing: I started a job in communications. I wrote business plans, grant proposals, marketing copy, and website content for a couple of years. This scratched the creativity itch just a little.
Eventually, I broke out on my own and began freelancing. This allowed me to take on additional types of work, like writing copy for creative outlets, editing people’s manuscripts, and teaching workshops on storytelling. It felt like the perfect marriage of my business and creative backgrounds.
Years went by, however, and I made zero headway breaking into publishing. While I enjoyed freelancing, I’d always pictured myself in the “book business.” I saw myself helping writers take their books from concepts to actual published books on the shelf. I applied for multiple internships with literary agencies and publishers, without ever even getting an interview. I couldn’t understand why, with my qualifications, I wouldn’t at least get a chance to talk to someone in the industry.
Then, finally, came what I thought would be my big break. I was selected for a junior internship with a small Utah-based press. I learned about acquisitions, editing, and book promotion, and received accolades across the board. I was looking forward to moving on to a senior internship with the company the following year.
But January came with an announcement from the Publisher: their internship program was being cancelled. Not much explanation was given, but a few months later, the publisher virtually disappeared. Sad as I was, I thought I would be okay, because I finally, FINALLY had an internship on my resume. I’d be a shoe-in for a position somewhere else!
I was wrong. I applied everywhere I could think of, scoured job boards. I couldn’t even get an interview… again! This was right around the start of the pandemic, and remote positions were opening up everywhere. Still, crickets.
Finally, after what felt like the 1000th rejection with no explanation, I reached out to an agent through Twitter to ask why I hadn’t even gotten an interview to be her assistant. She told me she had received over 200 applications! I guess I wasn’t the only person out there desperately trying to break into publishing. She also told me that, generally speaking, interns at the organization usually get the entry-level positions that open up at that same organization, not anyone from the general public. Get an internship somewhere, she told me.
Mmm hmm. I’ll get right on that.
I didn’t give up though. I continued to apply. I managed to get a couple of interviews even though they didn’t result in job offers. I reached out to another agent who didn’t hire me and asked for feedback. I had all the qualifications. What could I do? She told me something that was encouraging and heartbreaking all at the same time. She told me I was super qualified. Overqualified, in fact. Internships are designed to benefit the intern, and she didn’t feel like she had anything to teach me. Using my salesman savvy, I then suggested she should hire me as an agent then. She said one: she didn’t have the bandwidth to mentor someone at the moment, but also two: those positions are usually reserved for the interns.
Oh. My. God.
I was in a catch-22 situation and didn’t see any way out. It was the closest I had ever been to giving up and forgetting my dream of working in publishing. With my 40th birthday not far off, it felt like maybe my day would never come.
But that agent did give me useful advice. She said, “Don’t apply for positions. Reach out to people who don’t have jobs posted and offer to help them in any way you can. Create a position for yourself.”
So that’s what I did. I pulled from my reserves of energy and hope, and called back on my experience in sales, and started cold calling literary agencies. I started with the Canadian agencies, of course. A few weren’t hiring, some never got back to me. Finally, a man named Sam Hiyate (a HERO in my book) emailed me back and asked to set up an interview for the next day.
I am not too proud to admit, dear reader, that I shed a few tears.
That interview went swimmingly, and Sam offered to hire me on as an editorial assistant. I began working for The Right Factory the following month and haven’t looked back. Within a year, I was promoted. I can now say, with great pride and excitement, that I am a LITERARY AGENT.
There’s so much more I can say about this journey, but you’ve already given me enough of your time. I just want to say thank you to all the folks who supported me in getting here: my family, my clients, my writer friends at 12×12, SCBWI, and over on Discord, and even all those people who said “no” along the way. They showed me I have what it takes to succeed in this industry: perseverance, thick skin, and a dogged determination to hear the word, “Yes.”
With thanks,
Jes
