An interview with Christina Demosthenous (Penguin Random House) on how she came up in the industry, the moments that changed her, and what she looks for in new authors...
Great. the “hookiest hooks” line is a very useful thing here for anyone querying right now, a pitch that fits under a minute and still lands. Worth testing every version of your own logline against that exact bar before it goes anywhere near an inbox. Thanks.
Thanks as ever for your smashing interviews! (Interested to read a side by side comparison of PRH and Hachette cos my wife works for hachette and I was at PRH!)
Oo, thanks Christina and Phoebe, this is so interesting...and makes me curious...
Christina, do you still look at debut books from agents, or do you pursue a favoured, established author, with the hope of getting them on your list? Or neither, and you work with your team, who find books they love?
Another fab interview, thank you for this! It’s just so fascinating to get a peek behind the publishing curtain and see how Christina’s career has formed. It really does sound an endlessly interesting job! As someone with a similar non-private school, working class background as Christina, (although not in London) it’s really lovely and heartening to think that the industry is valuing these perspectives.
This was such an interesting interview. As an aspiring writer, I’m always curious about how I should understand the publishing industry’s perspective if I hope my stories might one day find a home beyond Substack.
I also found Christina’s career journey fascinating. It says a lot about commitment that she was willing to start with work experience placements and then a job in the post room before moving into editorial. I also completely agree that having people from different backgrounds in publishing is a huge strength for literature and for the stories that eventually reach readers.
Another amazing read. Well done Phoebe! In recent weeks and months, I've seen a few Bookseller articles on things harming the industry (i.e. AI, shipping costs, different imposed business tax rates etc). What's the business reality for publishers beyond what authors see, and given it is the national year of reading, is publishing making its case to the government and the general public?
We are working with many organisations on the National Year of Reading yes, but I still think we could be doing more to make it more prominent in areas and sectors that may not be as aware. The reality is that publishers are still selling lots of books and the big publishers are doing well enough but the costs are also going up so we are having to be careful when it comes to costs and as a publisher I do have to make difficult decisions at times around what we can and cannot invest in :)
Great. the “hookiest hooks” line is a very useful thing here for anyone querying right now, a pitch that fits under a minute and still lands. Worth testing every version of your own logline against that exact bar before it goes anywhere near an inbox. Thanks.
Always interesting to learn what goes on behind the scenes, the workings of publishing and the people in the industry. Thank you 🙏🏼
Thanks as ever for your smashing interviews! (Interested to read a side by side comparison of PRH and Hachette cos my wife works for hachette and I was at PRH!)
😂😂 rivalry!
Heated Rivalry but make it publishing.
Love seeing this side of things!! Thank you for sharing
Thank you Kirsten, I’m glad it was interesting!
Christina stepped in when my editor on my last book went on mat leave and it was a joy to work with her. She’s a diamond.
She’s brilliant! Thanks for reading.
Wonderful interview. Thank you both so much.
Thank you Diana!
Oo, thanks Christina and Phoebe, this is so interesting...and makes me curious...
Christina, do you still look at debut books from agents, or do you pursue a favoured, established author, with the hope of getting them on your list? Or neither, and you work with your team, who find books they love?
She does a mix of both :)
Thanks Phoebe...might just be quietly forwarding this link... 💥🙌👀
Amazing 🤩🫶🏻
Another fab interview, thank you for this! It’s just so fascinating to get a peek behind the publishing curtain and see how Christina’s career has formed. It really does sound an endlessly interesting job! As someone with a similar non-private school, working class background as Christina, (although not in London) it’s really lovely and heartening to think that the industry is valuing these perspectives.
Thank you for your lovely comment!
This was such an interesting interview. As an aspiring writer, I’m always curious about how I should understand the publishing industry’s perspective if I hope my stories might one day find a home beyond Substack.
I also found Christina’s career journey fascinating. It says a lot about commitment that she was willing to start with work experience placements and then a job in the post room before moving into editorial. I also completely agree that having people from different backgrounds in publishing is a huge strength for literature and for the stories that eventually reach readers.
Thank you for reading and commenting :)
Another amazing read. Well done Phoebe! In recent weeks and months, I've seen a few Bookseller articles on things harming the industry (i.e. AI, shipping costs, different imposed business tax rates etc). What's the business reality for publishers beyond what authors see, and given it is the national year of reading, is publishing making its case to the government and the general public?
We are working with many organisations on the National Year of Reading yes, but I still think we could be doing more to make it more prominent in areas and sectors that may not be as aware. The reality is that publishers are still selling lots of books and the big publishers are doing well enough but the costs are also going up so we are having to be careful when it comes to costs and as a publisher I do have to make difficult decisions at times around what we can and cannot invest in :)
This is a fabulous post!
Thank you for reading!
Love this - just brilliant! X
Thanks Jill! X