In May published a Q&A guest post with Rosie Crofts, Social Media Manager for Pen and Sword Books. It seems many are interested in the publishing industry so today we are excited to bring readers an interview with Amy Jordan, another of the Pen and Sword family! So, if you would like to know more, grab a drink, get comfy, and keep reading.
Tell us a little about yourself
Hello, I’m Amy! I work at Pen & Sword Books as a commissioning editor, but also in the production department, which is where I started around 7 years ago. I’m an avid reader who loves history, coffee, Taylor Swift, dogs, a TV series binge, and a National Trust/English Heritage day out.
What inspired your interest in history and the publishing world?
My parents have always inspired a love of history in me, taking me to historical sites from being young, and as a 90s child, I used to devour Horrible Histories books from the Scholastic Book Fair, before going on to love studying History as a subject. These days I absorb history in all forms (podcasts, documentaries, historical sites, books) and I’m lucky enough to be able to enjoy that enthusiasm as a part of my job. In regards to the publishing world, I actually studied Law at university and admittedly, even though I’ve loved reading since I was small, I’d never considered a career in publishing. My job at Pen & Sword was a happy accident as I live locally and had a friend who recommended me for the job.
What does ‘a day in the life of’ look like in your role?
It varies day to day but, largely, a lot of emails! My production work means taking books from submission through editing, design, going back and forth on proofs with all alterations from authors and proofreaders, until finally sending the books to press, so I’ll deal with anything that is required there. This can be if, for example, an edit has been completed, I’ll send the book over to the designers, or if I’ve had the proof copy of a book from the designers, I’ll send that over to the author and to a proofreader. Basically making sure everything is moving along the process.
As a commissioning editor, I spend my time looking through proposals that I’ve received and responding to them appropriately. If these are workable, it’s a case of making up contracts and moving forwards with the projects. I also spend time actively seeking new authors and topics to write for us, and reading through the books that have been submitted for publication, before the production part comes into place.
What is the best thing about what you do?
Being able to explore and commission on a topic that I’m really interested in and putting that book out in the world for people to read, and then seeing the book out ‘in the wild’. It’s also a joy working with authors to publish their books, and being able to send along that initial ‘yes, we’d love to publish your book!’
What is the worst/hardest thing?
The refusals! Sometimes a book might not work for our list and sending that news over is always difficult to do, as I never want to disappoint anyone.
Can you tell us your most memorable moment relating to your career
That probably relates to one of the first books I commissioned. The author was really great to work with and travelled up to see me after the book was published. He was kind enough to sign a copy for me and the note he wrote really meant a lot. I really felt the weight of the impact commissioning a book can have!
What was the last book you really enjoyed?
A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike, published 1 August 2024.
Born a vagabond in Tudor England, Tibb Ingleby has never known a home of her own, relying on her mother’s cunning to survive outside of society’s rules. Orphaned after a ‘trick’ gone wrong, Tibb encounters both kindness and danger from the people she meets as she continues to survive on the outskirts. When she and her friends devise a hoax to escape society's constraints, their trickerie takes on a life of its own, bringing both adoring crowds and dangerous enemies to their door.
What do you think is a common misconception about the publishing industry?
That it’s contained to London. It’s great to see that new publishing offices are popping up all around the country as branches of places like Hachette, but I’m very lucky to work at a publishers in my home town.
Are there other roles in the publishing world you would be keen to explore?
Digital marketing. I love how creative it can be, and how varied!
What piece of advice would you give someone wishing to start writing or break into the publishing world?
Take the leap and start writing! For anyone looking to publish, I’d advise browsing various publishers and looking at their catalogues to see if your book might fit. The Annual Artists' & Writers' Yearbook lists publishers and their specialties, so can be useful for this, but so can social media. A lot of fiction commissioning editors have accounts on X, for example, and advise when they’re open to submissions. Publishers generally have a form for submissions on their website, and these will filter through to a commissioning editor for consideration. I’d also say, as difficult as it is, don’t be too put down by a rejection. Largely it’s a case of the content not fitting the list of the publisher in question or that they might not have the market for the subject.
Where can people find you?
You can find me on Instagram @perhapsiwillread, where I chat about the books I read, and on X @AmyJordan_PS. I’m always happy to talk books and history, and of course if you’d like to contact me about any potential book submissions, I’d love to hear from you!
Thank you so much to Amy for joining us and answering all of our questions. If you enjoyed the post please consider subscribing as we have lots more guest posts, book reviews, and history content coming up!
Do you know when your books go on sale on Amazon? I think the Kindle version of Cecily Neville was on a great sale recently but sadly, I missed it.