In July I completed a two week work experience placement in Cornerstone Publicity at Penguin Random House UK (PRH) in their London office from the 10 – 21 July 2023. This was an invaluable experience that helped me define my future career ambitions and goals while also gaining hands on experience in a diverse and fast paced environment.
The two week placement is a part of a randomly selected programme that runs every 2-3 months, hybrid and paid London living wage for the duration of the placement. I applied in April for the placement and the application process was online through the PRH website and I answered three questions, chose my availability and chose the publishing houses under PRH and areas that I was interested in learning more about during the two weeks. I was intrigued at how this process would work and how the successful applicants are randomly selected. I was ecstatic when I was selected to take part in the placement in July working in Cornerstone Publicity. I wasn’t sure what to expect when joining the publicity department but it was very exciting to explore an area in publishing that I was unfamiliar.
First day, books and IT
The first day of my placement rolled into view and I was filled with a mixture of nerves, excitement and curiosity at what to expect, the first day was virtual where I learnt more about PRH, the publishing houses, the areas that make up the busy and diverse work force and what to expect throughout the placement. It was mentioned that there would be a department Q&A during the two weeks with different departments in PRH as an opportunity to understand the different roles within publishing. Unfortunately the Q&A panel was cancelled, which was a shame. After an interesting presentation about PRH and publishing I was entrusted with my first task of the day – ringing IT and logging into my PRH account. I organised a Teams meeting with my department host, attended Biblio training and started my first Publicity task for the department.The next day I was hopping onto the tube to Pimlico and making my way to the PRH office. The office is a bustling hub of imagination and books with lots of natural light, open spaces and an electric atmosphere! It is always daunting entering a new building or environment, especially one with a massive reputation like Penguin! Thankfully everyone I met throughout my placement were very friendly and eager to help. I was eager to meet the team and start immersing myself into the world of books and publicity.
During my placement, I undertook a variety tasks within the publicity department such as writing press releases, undertaking media research tasks, mailings, spreadsheet tasks and preparing for events. I enjoyed the fast paced and diverse environment that publicity offered and the opportunity to be immersed in the ‘action’. I worked three days in the office and two days at home on a hybrid structure that emulated the stereotypical day in the role of publicity assistant and loved the atmosphere of the office. During the placement I met with three other interns on placement in another publishing house in the building and it was insightful discussing our pathways into publishing, our favourite books and the tasks we were undertaking during our respective placements. I have a less direct route into publishing with a BA degree in English Literature and History and a MA degree in Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Culture. I have an eclectic CV of experience from museum and archive based to editorial and publishing. This highlights that the passion for books, imagination and dedication to learning new skills is just as important when working in publishing than having a clear and direct path. Through this journey of gaining experience since graduating, I have defined and gained the skills to help carve out the career I desire. This placement has certainly opened my eyes to a career path that I hadn’t been aware of before. Thank you Penguin and Cornerstone Publicity for this opportunity.
Final thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, it was intense but I learnt so much about what it takes to work within a large scale publishing house and the day-to-day duties of a publicist. I was overwhelmed by information and scared to blink just in case I missed something exciting. I am extremely grateful and privileged to have been selected to take part in this work placement and this has given me the foundations to pursue a career in publicity and publishing. I want to say a massive thank you to PRH and the Cornerstone Publicity team for creating a positive and valuable experience. I also have a reading list as long as my arm and I cannot wait to dive into reading new authors and intriguing titles. I am continually reminded at how much I adore reading and how important sharing stories are in our everyday lives. I am open to opportunities to continue my learning and develop my career. Now on to the next adventure!
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