Ali is the children’s and YA agent at The Rights
Factory. She began her career as a
literary agent as an intern at the same company and, in her own words, “just
never left.” Her job takes her around
the world: to New York, London, Frankfurt, and Bologna for book festivals. During our chat, she talked about The Rights
Factory agents as a family, explaining that they actually rent the same
apartment every year for the Frankfurt Book Fair, and now share an apartment in
New York as well. I can only imagine
what it would be like to be a part of such a work community!
She also talked about other jobs in publishing. For instance, as in the sporting industry,
publishing has scouts. These are people
who work for publishers, read books, and report back to the publishers about
which authors are going to be big.
Sounds like a dream job to me!
Alternatively, with my legal education almost complete, there might be
opportunities in the contracts department of a publisher. While big Canadian publishers don’t have
in-house lawyers to handle the legal aspects of printing (but instead keep big
firms on retainer), there are people in charge of contracts on a smaller
scale. There are also in-house lawyers
in the US and UK, though (if I decided to go that route) I’d need to look into
dual citizenships or work visas.
Ali gave me a lot to think about as my graduation from law
school looms (six months left!) and an articling position remains elusive. Whatever happens in 2013, I’m going to keep
writing. I just hit “send” on an email to
Ali, to which I’ve attached Beyond Reason. Never having received a response from an
agent regarding this book, I’m feeling a little like a parent shipping their
first-born off to school: nervous, but excited, too. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks! I’ll let you know if and when I hear back!
All the best to everyone in this new year! Here’s hoping it's full of good health, happiness,
and great books!
