What a Book Marketing Publicity Coordinator at Penguin Random House Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Publishing Industry
Rylie, a Book Marketing & Publicity Coordinator at Penguin Random House, notes the unpredictable nature of the role, stating that "every day in a publishing house is so different," with each day presenting unique challenges and collaborations due to the diverse personalities and niche topics involved in book promotion; this unpredictability is mitigated, however, by Hay House's unique approach of using the Enneagram to understand and navigate the varied personalities within the workplace, and even incorporating this into author-publisher relationships.
Communication, Problem-Solving, Teamwork, Personality Differences, Varied Day-to-Day Tasks
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Rylie Walsh
Book Marketing & Publicity Coordinator
Penguin Random House
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University Chicago, MBA
Communications
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Communication and Marketing
Honors Student, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Every day in book publishing is different, and you will face a wide variety of unique challenges and situations.
2. Working in book publishing involves collaborating with many different personalities; understanding personality types can help improve teamwork and communication.
3. The industry requires adaptability and the ability to handle unexpected events and shifting priorities.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
Every day in a publishing house is so different. You never know what author will have something come up that requires you to focus all your energy and effort on.
The tasks you're dealing with become unique and niche daily, as they relate to specific topics you're promoting. You also work with many different personalities.
Hay House really values something I think is cool: the Enneagram. Like, you take the test and identify your type. We'll even refer to authors by their type in meetings.
We have authors take the test too if they're interested. We even had Dr. Eggerton, who writes books about this, come and do sessions with us. She administered the test to us.
While it's not the definitive answer for every personality trait, it's interesting that we study the different types of people we might work with. You don't know until you're in a full campaign if you'll find certain aspects harder to deal with, or if you're too similar or too different.
It's really cool that we have these discussions about personality differences. Every day is so different, and learning from and working with various types of people is really rewarding.