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ECC Town Hall Recap | August 3, 2016

by Janine Perez (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)

For our July Town Hall Event, members of the ECC had the opportunity to discuss the entry-level experience in the Children’s Publishing Industry. The night started out with a fun panel of representatives from various houses and departments, including editorial, marketing/publicity, and managing ed.

Patrice Caldwell of Scholastic, Melissa Croce of Macmillan, Orlando Dos Reis of Abrams, and Marisa Finkelstein of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers joined us for a rousing discussion moderated by by ECC Chair Hillary Doyle. Our panelists spoke openly about the rewarding and challenging aspects of life on “the lower rung,” and related anecdotes, tips, and tricks on how to keep pushing ahead in the fast-paced world of publishing. The event gave attendees a chance to ask peers their most burning publishing-related questions, and the audience and panelists alike relished the opportunity.

What followed was a mixer of epic proportions! Interns and entry-level employees exchanged their thoughts on dress codes, how to collaborate rather than compete with coworkers, and the best and worst book-to-film adaptations. New friends were made, laughs were had, and a new appreciation for awkward questions was formed. The interns seemed happy to interact with entry-level employees in a casual environment, while the entry-level employees enjoyed espousing some sage advice to their younger peers. When you have to force people to leave a work mixer by the end of the night, you know that you’ve done something right!

Thank you to everyone that joined us – to send us any feedback or suggestions you may have about this ECC event or others, please contact alexa.frank@cbcbooks.org. Until the next time ECCers!