Posted 01.09.14 by prhcareers
As the Group Commercial Sales intern for Penguin Random House, I work to analyse and promote our titles within the international e-book market…amongst other things!
On a day-to-day basis, I check how our titles are doing globally across platforms such as Apple, Google, Kobo and more. I liaise with other departments as well as other territories to make sure that our titles are visible and that we are doing our best to increase our sales potential.
On top of this day-to-day work I have a few specialised projects that are proving to be very interesting, like researching e-piracy and some possible areas for business expansion. I had fun creating a monthly highlights newsletter about exciting upcoming titles that went out to what felt like everyone in the international digital book trade.
As everything we do is on an international scale, some projects can seem pretty daunting at first, but the more I’ve got into it the more I’m really fascinated by all the possibilities – as well as the challenges!
I graduated last summer with a first in English and French. I also speak Italian and am about to start German classes again. Having a few languages has proved invaluable whilst working in the international market – although I’ll be in trouble if I ever get asked to cover Japan…
Before this internship I was working for a major multinational electronics company across a couple of roles. I have a strong background in sales, though my employment history is ‘colourful’, with jobs in PR, hospitality and even a year’s teaching in France. As competitive as the industry is, ‘publishing’ is such a large term that I think the most important thing is to be flexible and work to your strengths. There’ll always be a department that could use your talent.
Wanting to make the most out of my time here, I’ve managed to worm my way into so many great meetings and events that I wouldn’t have otherwise got to go to. I especially loved the International Sales Conference held at a lovely hotel in Bristol. It surprised me how much of a sense of community there was amongst the wider international sales team. This was also my first time meeting some really big, inspiring authors, including Ian McEwan.
I like selling books better than anything else I have sold in the past, because there’s just so much more to them. The same can be said for the publishing industry. No two jobs are the same, and the best part of being an intern is that you have the potential to tap into as many of these different departments as you like.