Posted 23.04.19 by Alex Watson
This had been my fourth time applying for work experience here with Penguin Random House – the moral of the story is to be persistent – and so, when the offer for this position finally came through, I was ecstatic. I’d never done anything in marketing or publicity before, but it sounded really interesting and so was looking forward to getting started and getting a glimpse behind the scenes as to how books are promoted and marketed.
On the morning of the first day, I was feeling a bit nervous (alongside being very excited) but as soon as I got to Penguin Random House’s offices I felt much more relaxed; everyone was so friendly and welcoming. An induction was the first thing on the agenda, which gave us a brief overview of the company, an introduction to some of its imprints and departments, but best of all: I got to meet the others here on work experience placement. This also meant that I didn’t have to travel to the Pimlico office on my own – which was nice! Throughout the placement, it’s been fascinating to hear what the others have been doing in other departments and imprints. Plus, it gave me someone to go to lunch with!
Once I finally got to the Ebury office, the work began! I’ve been given a whole variety of different tasks to do which has been really interesting and given me a fascinating insight into how a marketing office runs. I’ve done everything from writing tweets, posting out promotional material or proofs, reading manuscripts and writing copy for blogs. I have even had a go at planning out a marketing campaign for an upcoming release, which was amazing and gave me a good insight into how everything fits together.
One of the best things about working here at Penguin Random House has been the atmosphere around the office. Everyone is really helpful and keen to help me learn and make the most of this experience. Plus, you’re surrounded by and working with amazing books all day long, so of course the work is enjoyable. Though, writing out a tonne of addresses for posting can get a bit monotonous, I will admit. It is still good to do though, as it gives us a realistic idea of what the job might be like, not just all the fun stuff.
Overall, if I was going to give any advice to someone about to start work experience it would be to just get stuck in as much as you can. Oh, and ask questions. You really do get out what you put in.