In Conversation with Rosalind Chua
Rosalind Chua is a history graduate from the University of Durham, UK, with over 25 years of publishing, ad agency, and writing experience. In 2013, she set up Clarity Publishing Sdn Bhd and has worked with many private and public sector organisations from a diverse range of industries and services. She is also the author of 13 books, as well as co-founder of Sivagurunathan and Chua Literary Agency.
In this interview, Tan Jie Ying (JY) will be talking to Rosalind Chua (RC) about her career in the publishing industry, influences, and the dos and don'ts!
JY
What would you say are the biggest challenges of a publishing career? If you had the chance to advise your younger self, what would you tell her?
RC
One of the biggest challenges (for me) was simply getting my foot in the door after I graduated. Publishing in the UK is a huge industry that attracts a high number of fresh graduates each year; competition for these jobs is intense. I should also add that starting salaries are a pittance so you need to be sure that this is something you really want to do. It took me about a year to find my first permanent job after countless interviews and rejections. In that year I was employed by a publisher but only on a contract basis so there was always this feeling of insecurity hovering over me, I kept stressing, “When am I going to find a REAL job?” London is an expensive city to live in so there was definitely a lot of pressure at that time!
I don’t think my younger self would have listened to advice from my older self and that’s probably a good thing. I think you need to make your own mistakes, learn from these and figure the rest out yourself. I can’t say I had much of a plan as far as my own career went, but I was lucky enough to recognise opportunities and make the most of these. I think in Malaysia we can be too fixated on monetary success and a linear career progression which may sound great in theory but will lead to a mid-life crisis (or quarter-life crisis!).
JY
As you mentioned in the School of English’s “Rambles from 25 Years in Publishing'' event, there’s much more to publishing than the editorial department. Can you name 3 publishing jobs/departments that you believe deserve more attention?
RC
International Rights — this is the department that works with publishers from all over the world to sell translation rights. For UK publishers, especially illustrated book publishers (i.e. lifestyle, F&B, art, design etc) selling rights is a major cash cow, often the largest contributor to a publisher’s revenue. If you enjoy traveling and working in an international environment, this is a great career. You’ll be at all the major international book fairs, networking, talking about books, learning about different markets, closing deals,, etc.
Design — probably a more specialist career route that requires a background in art/design and familiarity with design software (InDesign, Photoshop, etc). It does open plenty of doors though — publisher’s in-house designers could work on projects from book covers to more complex projects such as illustrated kid’s books or cookbooks. There are also plenty of design firms that specialise in book design or book marketing that require designers and art directors to work with publishers and turn ideas into books and successful marketing campaigns.
Production — this is the department that handles the printing process and ensures that beautiful books reach the shelves. Most people think that publishers also own printing presses, but this is not the case. All printing is outsourced to specialist printing houses. Production and design tend to work fairly closely to create the most suitable ‘look’ for a book — from paper quality, print quality, special finishing touches i.e. foil stamping, special binding, etc. then they will source for the right printer to produce the book. It’s a fairly technical job that requires common sense and an eye for product design.
JY
All writers are influenced by their predecessors to some extent, but we rarely hear about the publishing professionals who work behind the scenes. Is there anyone who’s become a huge influence on your own career?
RC
Two people spring to mind instantly. The first is my very dear ex-boss Kirsten Schlesinger (sadly departed) who taught me so much and was incredibly patient with me when I was young and very foolish. Having a great boss who is prepared and willing to mentor you is worth its weight in gold. Anyone about to start a new job should really think carefully about the type of boss that they want, it can have a huge influence on your career.
The second would be Benedikt Taschen (I’ve never met him though) of his eponymous publishing company. He’s a publishing visionary who has produced amazing books that constantly push boundaries.
JY
If publishing is considered a world shrouded in mystery, the world of literary agents must be buried in it. Where should an aspiring literary agent start if they want to enter that world?
RC
I don’t think publishing is shrouded in much mystery anymore, everything you want to know about publishing can be found online these days. I would certainly recommend that anyone considering a career in publishing does some basic internet research.
You are correct about literary agents though, there aren’t that many around so it does add to the general air of mystery. For any aspiring job applicant, the first place to start is by doing some preliminary research - on the role of assistant literary agents (the most junior position on the ladder), what the job scope actually entails, etc. research the various lit agencies themselves (their focus, etc). Check out job postings in specialist publishing magazines/online sites etc. and/or sign up with specialist publishing recruitment companies (yes, you can do so even at a very junior level).
This would be considered the very bare minimum effort required, the next part is really your knowledge of the current book market. How aware are you of publishing trends, new authors, best-selling titles in various genres, etc? It goes without saying that you need to be very well-read in this game — not in the classic literature sense — but you definitely need a broad knowledge of different genres with a strong background in a single genre if possible (think of it as being a jack of all trades and master of one).
It’s very common for agents to come into the industry through a career in publishing, especially true of senior editors or publishing directors who seamlessly transition into lit agents. These guys would have had years of industry experience working with authors, they would know the market well and bring their commercial insights to the agency.
JY
As the saying goes, “avoiding stupidity is easier than seeking brilliance”. What are the dumbest mistakes that aspiring writers should avoid, especially once they start querying?
RC
1) Make sure you send your MS (manuscripts) to the right agent at the right lit agency. If you’ve written a fantasy novel make sure you’re sending it to an agent or agency that represents fantasy authors.
2) “Cross all the t-s, dot all the i-s” — poorly written submission letters and badly edited or proofread MS won’t win you any friends.
3) Don’t write a generic cover letter — take the time to express your ideas and convince the agent that you are the one.
4) Follow the submissions guidelines to the letter — if the agency asks for the first three chapters and a cover letter, just send that. Don’t send your entire MS!
If you’re submitting directly to a publisher (Malaysian publishers accept direct submissions) please do follow the same guidelines.
JY
For writers who seek brilliance anyway: what would you, a literary agent, love to see the most in a manuscript?
RC
As a history graduate I have a weakness for good historical fiction, especially if it’s rooted in Malaysian/Asian history/myths. Having said that, I do tend to get inundated with books set during WWII/Emergency period, so please, no more! (for now anyway). I would love to see more submissions set in pre-colonial times and modern day Malaysia.
I would also like to see edgier submissions — sex, drugs, rock and roll, okay not literally, but you know where I’m going with this — writing that pushes boundaries, is exciting and alive. It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you read it.
JY
A hard truth about writing is that getting published is not the be-all and end-all of a writer’s career. Any tips for those who dread starting the cycle all over again?
RC
When we talk about writing as a career we generally mean writers who are able to make a living from their writing. Very few fiction authors are able to sustain themselves on their royalties — there was a good article in The Guardian last year about this. Unless you are a reasonably big name author churning out a reasonably best-selling title every 2 years or so, you are not making any money. Almost all authors would have a ‘day job’ to sustain themselves. Of course, writers such as journalists, copywriters, etc are a completely different breed.
Getting published is not easy by any stretch of the imagination and potential; authors need to realise that writing their book is only half of the journey. Putting in the legwork to get it published will possibly be even more time-consuming and draining than the actual writing! We’ve only looked at traditional publishing from an agent’s or publisher’s perspective but there are so many different avenues open to writers today, including self-publishing on various digital platforms. There are numerous instances of writers who have been rejected by publishers who go on to self-publish, and then their next books are snapped up by publishers.
I think that aspiring authors who have been rejected by agents/publishers should explore non-traditional alternatives. Why not? Technology is opening new doors in terms of how we read, we just need to be open to the possibilities.
JY
Finally, as someone who’s worked in publishing for literally a quarter of a century, what kind of future do you see for Malaysian writers?
RC
Bones creak. I honestly try not to look too far ahead from the next book that we are publishing and it is impossible to predict what the world will look like in the next few decades. I would love to see more Malaysian writers becoming global household names for sure and I believe that this is realistic in the not-too-distant future.
Note: This interview was conducted via e-mail.