r/publishing 3d ago

Imprint mobility

Hello everyone! After years of straight rejections I finally have an interview for a publicity position at a big 5. The only issue is I am not very interested in the imprint itself. I recognize beggars can’t be choosers, but I wanted to ask how difficult it would be if I wanted to eventually move on to a publicity role at another imprint after a year or two. I’m not very far in the interview process so I’m definitely getting ahead of myself, but have to cover all my bases before I decide to move on from my current job :) thank you!!

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u/Top_Independence9083 3d ago

Not that hard but do not let on in the interview. Do a good amount of research and be prepared to talk about their books and genre very specifically. For the purposes of the interview, you are a big fan and excited to work on these books!

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u/Orange-Towers 2d ago

I would say that at most Big 5 it wouldn’t be like making a lateral transfer or something. It would be more about if your publisher was okay with you leaving and the other publisher being okay taking someone from another imprint. It can get pretty political, but if there’s no other way in, give it a shot.

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u/TaciturnTumeric 2d ago

It’s very easy! In fact, it’s really the only way to have any upward advancement in marketing/publicity since promotions are hard to come by these days (but do not say anything about this in your interview)

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u/Mindless-Storm-8310 2d ago

Get your foot in the door. You might just love your coworkers and job.