Today I'm delighted to welcome
JULIA SILK
What and when was your first job in publishing?
As an production editor
on medical journals at Chapman & Hall. I had no medical background
at all but I learned a lot and got very good at diagnosing the patients on Casualty and ER before the characters themselves did!
How long have you been working in your current job/role?
I’ve been an agent for 14 months, working in association
with MBA Literary and Script Agents.
Which books have you worked on recently/are you working on?
The books I’ve sold in my first year include a pregnancy
book that will empower women to advocate for their rights in pregnancy and childbirth;
a brilliant dual-timeline reimagining of Wuthering Heights; and the first two
titles in a heartwarming new women’s commercial fiction series by an author I’d
been watching for ages and who became my first client when I made the move from
publishing to agenting. I also have a client who’s writing a thriller that I’m
really excited about – we’re describing it as Apple Tree Yard meets The
Night Manager. She’ll be delivering her first full draft in September and I
can’t wait to read the whole thing! And
I have two completely amazing literary fiction titles out on submission at the
moment, about which editors are so far saying lovely things, so fingers crossed.
Which qualifications/life skills/experience have helped you
get to where you are today?
Mostly perseverance. Also learning to just go ahead and do
stuff, rather than asking permission; learning to exceed my remit, to take the
initiative. I’ve worked in lots of different areas of publishing – bookselling,
production, editorial – as a result of which I can usually see situations from
all sides, and I really enjoying finding solutions to the kind of problems that
often arise from people not seeing things from all sides! And I’m very
sociable, which is pretty crucial in this business, and equally interested in
the detail and big picture.
How do you relax after a busy working day?
Ah yes, relaxing, I remember it well. I have two small(ish) children
and by the time the oldest is in bed I don’t have a huge amount of evening
left. I’m often catching up on work reading as I’m always behind on submissions
but I’m also addicted to Netflix, and will often stay up too late watching my
latest fixation – this week I’ve been mainlining season one of Top of the Lake
so I can catch up with season two on iPlayer next week.
What was the last book you read for pleasure?
I’ve just been reading Lucy Caldwell’s linked short stories,
Multitudes, and I’m recommending it
to everyone – it exposes so much we prefer to keep hidden about ourselves. It
feels almost as if she’s in your head – quite painful but also compulsively
readable. Also, I finally read Renée Knight’s Disclaimer, which I thought was so clever and multi-layered, and
the way she constructed the ending was masterful; a lesser author would have
left off earlier, but she just kept building and building to it. It pleased me
greatly. Non-work reading is just as important as reading submissions and
client work – your judgement is compromised if you don’t have context.
Describe your job in 15 words or less...
Reader, editor, business manager,
hand-holder, catalyst.
What have been the highlights of your publishing life so
far?
One highlight was launching Orion’s digital crime imprint
The Murder Room – it folded after three years or so, but I learnt SO much in
both practical terms and about myself. But the best thing for me was probably
making my first sale as an agent in a six-way auction to Penguin; I always
finish that story ‘and then I woke up’.
If you could try out any other job for one day (with no
limits on money, travel etc.), what would you choose?
Dressmaker. I love the magic of a well-cut garment, how it
can change the way you feel, transform your whole day. Imagine having the skill
to do that for people.
If your publishing life was a book, what would the title be?
It would be called Try
Again. Fail Again. Fail Better. Publishing people love to quote Samuel
Beckett’s famous line, because this industry is as much about failure and
rejection as it is about success – and each enhances the other.
Thanks so much for taking part, Julia!
Look out for more MY PUBLISHING LIFE features coming soon.
If any literary agents, publishers, publicists or editors would like to take part, contact me through my blog or Twitter for the full list of questions.
Fascinating post.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Another agent one coming up plus hopefully some editors and publicists in the future too.
DeleteLove this new series idea and this is a great kick-off interview!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea and very helpful for those of us that are thinking of looking for an agent.
ReplyDelete