Procrastination

I'm writing a post tonight while I should be writing something else. I have a press release that's due Monday and it's still in the very rough stages. I write press releases occasionally for another publishing company, on a freelance basis. I get paid a modest sum, but I do need the money, and it's great for honing my writing skills. The problem is--this time I didn't like the book. I wasn't engaged and had to force myself to read it, which is bad because I normally devour fiction. (I just finished a great novel this week, but more on that later.) So here I am. I just need to remind myself that it's only my opinion; it isn't a bad book. In fact, the writer is pretty good (or so said the Times) and can write circles around me. So who am I to decide whether or not it's a worthy read? Oh wait, I am getting paid to convince people it's a worthy read. Hmmm...

A lot of people work as freelancers in New York, especially in publishing. Money has a lot to do with it, since salaries aren't particularly large, but it's also a very connected business. What I mean by connected is that everyone knows several people at other houses. We don't necessarily see them as competition, sometimes we even work together. (For example, I am trying to organize an event with my author and an author from a different publisher. That way, we can hopefully attract twice the audience, and sell more books.) This interconnected environment makes it easy to find out about freelance jobs, whether they are for writing, copy editing, or design. It's also great if you're ever looking to change jobs because you have great networking opportunities. (There's those connections again, BF)

Publishing is a very interesting business. Not least of all because of the free books! I had one land on my desk the other day called Then We Came to the End*. It's a funny read about a group of people working in an ad agency, one that's having to conduct major layoffs. The staff gets paranoid, hilarious antics ensue. OK, this is probably the worst book review ever written, but it is a great book. I mention it here not only because I like it, but because it's a book about work, and what a crazy environment it can be. Saying it will help prepare you for the workforce may be a bit of a stretch, but it will give you a laugh. Until next time!

*I feel compelled to mention that this is not a book published by my company. I have no ulterior motive in talking about it.