Day in the Life (Remote): Chelsea Abdullah
Marketing Associate, Astra Books for Young Readers
Day: Tuesday, February 7, 2023
9 – 11 AM: And so the work day begins! Because today is a work-from-home day (my company has a hybrid work model), I don’t have to worry about commuting. I can launch right into work, which starts with a comb-through of my inbox and catching up on more administrative tasks.
11 – 12 PM: Because today is Tuesday, our children’s imprints have our status meeting. The production department spearheads this meeting, checking in about the status of our manuscripts and art across seasons. As I work in marketing, I check in about the status of early review copies and marketing materials.
12 – 12:30 PM: This is a smaller stretch of time, so I’m using this thirty-minute period to clear my inbox of more time-sensitive inquiries from coworkers.
12:30 – 1:00 PM: Lunch break!
1 – 2:00 PM: With this longer stretch of time, I’m able to dive into more time-consuming tasks, like working on outreach for a book mailing, preparing a book order for an upcoming conference (which marketing exhibits at), and working on copy for upcoming ads.
2:00 – 3:15 PM: It’s time for one of our imprint’s weekly editorial meetings! During this meeting, editors bring in manuscripts for potential acquisition and the team determines whether it’s a good fit for our list. The editor discusses editorial direction while marketing provides potential marketing strategies.
3:15 – 4 PM: Now, I have a check-in with my boss. This meeting is essentially a time for the two of us to discuss upcoming projects and deadlines. This may include ads, events, conferences, mailings, pitches, and other related tasks on our To-Do.
4 – 5 PM: I’m using this time today to wrap up some email correspondence, iron out details for a blog tour, and work on a multi-part award submission. Because Tuesdays are heavy meeting days, I tend to be doing a lot more juggling with my workload throughout the day. Today was one of the busier days—but it was also a very productive one!
