How a Career in Marketing Found Me, by Kate Williams
Kate was selected for our Outstanding Industry Collaborator award for 2017/18.
I discovered an interest in marketing last July when I was lucky enough to be invited for a two week experience with Penguin Random House publishers.
Before then, I had only ever imagined working in the publishing industry – children’s publishing to be precise. I’ve wanted to write for children since I was a child myself and never expected to be sidetracked by any other ambition.
Over the summer, I spent nearly three months applying and reapplying for work experience with Penguin Random House until they had to let me take part. It was the only way they could stop me pestering them.
“The two weeks passed in a blur and left me with the knowledge that a career in marketing and communications was for me.”
Kate meets Malorie Blackman, OBE, who held the position of Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015.
Working in their office allowed me to try another side of the professional world, and it showed me how exciting a career in marketing could be.
The role was very creative, and the team moved fast, so I had to keep up! I was working for some fantastic children’s writers and one weekend volunteered to help out at the Young Adult Literary Convention (YALC). There I met Malorie Blackman, Patrick Ness and my literary hero, Darren Shan. The two weeks passed in a blur and left me with the knowledge that a career in marketing and communications was for me.
After a few more months of applying like crazy for internships, I was introduced to a role with a New York based company, Texter Communications. This is an agency that focuses entirely on marketing and allows me to work remotely, so I can be comfortably at home or holidaying in a far-away place while devoting time to my work.
Again, this role is incredibly creative but it also allows me to do what I always wanted - write!
As part of the TC team, I've researched and written for social media including blogs, bios and audits, and I’ve recently put together a marketing strategy for a new client.
The entire experience has been really exciting, and it was only through trying any and all routes into publishing that I stumbled onto the right career path for me. If you’re lost for ideas on starting your career then it can work for you too; try everything, because you never know what you might find out about yourself.
by Kate Williams