Profile: Jennifer Pricola

What was your major at Georgetown, and how did it influence your career choice?
I majored in English and minored in psychology. I am a firm believer in majoring in an area that really interests you, rather than picking a subject because you think it will lead to a good job. This isn’t always easy- when relatives heard I was an English major, the first thing they asked was, “So, you want to be a teacher?” Teaching is a great profession, but I was pretty sure I didn’t want to pursue it. I was convinced I could put my English degree to a different good use.

What did you do as an undergraduate to explore your career options?
I had been a pre-med English major for a while, and when I realized I did not want to pursue medicine, I did some research and depended on trial and error to find a new career. I loved to read and write, and I knew from both my coursework and my experiences as a writing center tutor that I was a good writer and editor. It seemed that publishing, journalism, perhaps marketing were good potential fits. So I started interning. I spent a summer working in the publicity department of a business-book publisher; I found the publishing world fascinating but thought my day-to-day responsibilities were not particularly exciting. Then I worked during a fall semester reviewing unsolicited manuscripts as a literary agent; I enjoyed reading the various manuscripts and considering their potential for publication, but, again, I knew this wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. Finally, I spent a year interning for a magazine called Teacher. Fact-checking, though essential to the publishing process, was not at all glamorous, but I enjoyed writing short articles and proofreading. When the executive editor called me into his office one morning and offered me a full-time job as an assistant editor, I took it.

What is your current job, and how did you find it?
I am a production editor in the children’s division at Simon & Schuster. I applied through a contact at the company after I saw the job posted on Publisher’s Marketplace (www.publishersmarketplace.com). I often have difficulty describing my job because I am intimately involved in all aspects of a book’s production, but I don’t work directly with authors or illustrators. I manage about ninety books a year, creating and maintaining production schedules, copyediting, proofreading, reviewing all interior and cover art, approving proofs and blues, and so on. I work with editors, designers, freelancers, marketing, even legal.

What attracted you to publishing children’s literature?
My love of books and reading began when I was a kid--The Little Engine That Could, Charlotte’s Web, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Little Women, to name a few favorite works- and as an undergrad I was able to approach these same titles in a new way. In the spring semester of my senior year, I took a children’s literature course with Professor Fisher. In that class, I discovered the tremendous influence publishers exert over children, and I learned to read children’s books with a  critical eye. I was hooked.

What is the best part of your job?
There are so many great aspects of my job! I love feeling that I am doing something worthwhile when I go to work in the morning. I love working with language and being surrounded by books every day. I love the mix of working independently and contributing to a team effort. Perhaps one of the most satisfying parts of my job, though, is having a tangible finished product, taking a manuscript and seeing it through to completion until I have a bound book in my hand. It’s kind of like cooking- starting with raw ingredients and finishing with a full meal.

What is the worst part?
That is a tough question for me because I really do enjoy my work. I think a downside is probably all the hurrying up and waiting. We make, revise, and re-revise schedules. Even so, manuscripts can be late, art can be late, printers can make errors, delivery services can lose packages, etc., and we still have to meet our deadlines as best as possible despite these snafus. As a result, I can have an incredibly busy week, followed by a couple of very slow days.

Do you have any other advice for Georgetown students?
Don't be afraid to trust your interests and instincts; you'll be much happier in your job if you enjoy going there every day. Pursue as many internships as possible. You really can't know what types of jobs are available to you until you know what they're about, and you may be surprised by your level of interest- or lack thereof- in a given internship. Plus, the hands-on experience will help you stand out from the plethora of other applicants when you’re ready to apply for full-time employment.