Career options

In my quest to find the perfect job, I've been looking a lot into the industries in which PR is important. I've recently applied for a job with Chronicle Books, a really creative, forward-thinking small publishing house in San Francisco.

Now that I have a decent (albeit limited) understanding of the publishing industry thanks to the world wide web and Google Books, I've recently taken the plunge and added publicist/marketing/promotions in publishing onto my short but distinguished list of dream jobs.

It's great for people who like to write but don't want to be journalists, enjoy a team environment, and want an ongoing liberal arts education.

Check. Check. And check again.

So in honor of this recent revelation, I thought I'd share some interesting little publishing related nuggets I've learned in my research as of late. I thought they were fun. Hopefully you will too.

1. Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol.

Admit it. You like his books. Don't worry, you're not alone. The author of the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons could publish his grocery list and his fans would go running to Borders to reserve a copy. But if you're not Brown or his publishers, you wish it would just go away. People are saying that the book could actually be bad for publishing, some even calling it a "book killer."

--People will run into bookstores to buy this book: eye on the prize, never stopping to browse at other selections. To add insult to injury, they won't likely be paying full price.

--Media attention to The Lost Symbol will steal attention away from other books, and also eat into their sales. More insult to injury: the number of media outlets covering books is down.

2. Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert gets a rebuttle.

From her husband. The one she left at the beginning of the best selling "single woman adventure around the world" memoir.

It will be called Displacement, and if it does well, it's only because he's riding the coattails of his ex-wife. Publishers call it "dueling memoirs" and it's been done before. Over and over.

3. Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Horribly Hilariously Wrong.

Have you seen this? You HAVE TO. Just a great example of a woman who writes for fun and makes a living doing it. The website is awesome. And the book is due out soon.
These two came very highly recommended. I hope you laugh as hard as I did:

Cake phone orders and Fireman

It excites me at how excited I get looking through publishing related news and controversy. Maybe it's because I don't get out much.

But hopefully it's because there's something great in the works.