Summer at BMC

Sun-soaked postcards from Bryn Mawr College

Alicia Ramirez ’15: Learning from the Masters

alicia_ramirezThe publishing world is a lot like New York City. It is fast-paced and is constantly evolving.

Throughout the course of my summer, I have attended seminars sponsored by the Association of Authors’ Representatives on different topics relevant to publishing. After all, a literary agent has to be in the know of the latest advances in the publishing industry. For those of you who are not familiar with the industry, the Association of Authors’ Representatives is an organization for literary agents and dramatic representatives. Literary agents work with books and dramatic agents deal with musicals, plays, television and screenplays.

For the past couple of weeks, I have gone to “toolbox” events on the legal aspects of publishing and sales, which have been insightful. However, at most of them, I was the only intern. What made the latest one the most memorable to date was that it was devoted to interns. I got to surround myself with aspiring literary agents like myself. The “Summer Interns Toolbox” panel was made up of the Senior Editor at Little, Brown & Co; the Editorial Director at Pantheon Books, the Vice President and Editorial Director at Ecco; and, the Senior Vice President, and Director of Sales at Penguin Young Readers Group. It was inspiring to hear the different stories of how these professionals jumpstarted their careers and how they are embracing the changes the publishing industry is going through. I learned that I have to be fearless, passionate, and most importantly, be willing to learn and improve.

It reassured me that I am taking the necessary steps to becoming a literary agent.

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