We chat to Jen Castles, Submissions Editor at A&U to get the inside scoop on what makes a manuscript stand out!
A&U: Hey Jen! Thanks so much for chatting with us. First up, can you please give us a little introduction to yourself and what you do at A&U?
JC: My official title is Submissions Editor and I work in the Books for Children and Young Adults department. A big part of my job is overseeing the review process and follow-up for our Friday Pitch unsolicited submissions. The publishers also get me to do first reads and second opinion reads for submissions that come through local and international agents. Basically, I write reports for the publishers and responses to authors and the rest of the time I’m reading.
A&U: Can you tell us a little about the journey you went on to get your job in book publishing?
Like many in this business I started out in a completely different career. I trained and worked as an actor and in between gigs I did jobs like reception cover at Allen & Unwin every Christmas. Leaning towards publishing I began studying Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT while employed in a little bookshop where I observed what customers were buying and did my best to work out why. Then Publisher Sue Hines offered me the position as her very part-time assistant at A&U Melbourne. I learned the ropes doing adult non-fiction titles and when Sue moved to Sydney I joined the Children’s team.
A&U: A question on behalf of the budding authors out there, what makes a manuscript really stand out to you?
A fresh, relatable voice. Story from the heart. Vivid imagination. Wicked sense of humour. Inventive imagery. New take on a topical subject. One, some or all these elements make me sit up and take notice! But no matter how much I am drawn to a manuscript, when I pitch it to the publishers there are still no guarantees that they will like it too.
A&U: What is your favourite part about working in book publishing?
Book people are my people.
A&U: And finally, if you could go back in time and give a younger version of yourself some advice regarding their career in the book publishing industry, what would it be?
I didn’t set out to have a career in book publishing – lucky for me it just kind of happened. I wish I’d had the confidence in the early days to start writing my own work and reviewing other writer’s manuscripts. I was intimidated by ‘literariness’ and thought my opinions weren’t smart enough and therefore not valid. I would advise my younger self to trust my instincts. A lifetime of reading widely with open-minded curiosity has made me eminently qualified to do the job I do. I AM the readership!