Interviews by Daniel Kalder

The 2008 financial meltdown cut a swath of destruction through many industries, and publishing was no exception. Today, Publishing Perspectives talks to three publishing professionals who were victims of the crash to find out how they coped, what they’re doing now, and how their experience changed their attitude to the world of books.

Liz Scheier

Until January of 2009, Liz Scheier was a senior editor at Ballantine/Random House. She acquired primarily for the Del Rey line, focusing on urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

PP: How did you feel when you lost your job?

Liz: I wasn’t entirely surprised. I was a fairly recent hire for Ballantine, having come from Penguin just a little over a year before, and we’d known for some time that a restructure was coming. Mostly I felt a bit at sea; I’d been an editor since a week after I graduated from college, and I had honestly never considered doing anything else. I knew I was going to have to gather up the skills I’d learned as an editor and figure out an entirely new career.

PP: How has your life changed since?

Liz: It’s been a fascinating year. I freelanced for a few months, and learned that I’m not the sort of person who should work from home — I went a little stir-crazy and worked insane hours. I called everyone in my contacts file and had dozens of interesting conversations about the careers other former publishing people had had, and what their paths had been. I found that people were very willing to offer their experience and advice, and I’m very grateful for it.

PP: How have you coped?

Liz: I gave myself three days to sit around in my bathrobe feeling extremely sorry for myself, and then I started making calls. I was very fortunate in that I had the skills to work on a freelance basis, which kept me involved in the industry and kept me busy. I also kept in close contact with everyone I knew who was doing something interesting, to remind myself how many wonderful opportunities there still were out there, and had a lot of tips/advice-trading sessions with all the other people I knew who’d been laid off at the same time as I. It really was a bloodbath in publishing around that time, and I had a lot of company!

PP: Has it changed your outlook on books and publishing?

Liz: It’s made me think a lot more broadly about the industry, and all my discussions with friends and mentors gave me a lot of hope that this is an industry that is changing and evolving.

PP: What are you doing now?

Liz: I’m now the Editorial Director of Digital Content at Barnes & Noble.com. It’s a dream position, because I work closely with publishing houses and authors, and work hard to have a real impact on the sales of the wonderful books available in the market today. It was certainly a year of many changes and challenges — but I’ve ended up exactly where I should be.

PP: Do you have any advice for publishing job seekers?

Liz: I’ve hired people and seen people get hired off of listings on Publisher’s Lunch, Mediabistro, and BookJobs; but I would guess that about 95% of publishing jobs, and probably closer to 100% of non-entry-level jobs, are matched through personal connections. I would urge readers to follow up on every possible connection they have, to make contact with their schools’ alumni associations, to speak to everyone they know who are connected in any way to their industry; you never know who will have a brilliant idea or know of an opening!

Judy Sternlight

Judy Sternlight was the main acquisitions editor for Modern Library and also edited front list and paperback reprint titles for Random House and Ballantine until January 2009.

PP: How did you feel when you lost your job?

Judy: Losing my job was painful and it felt surreal, coming so soon after one of my books, Peter Matthiessen’s New York Times bestseller, Shadow Country, had won the National Book Award. But when I saw the company I was in — the growing list of accomplished editors who had lost their jobs at major publishing houses — my inner confidence bounced back quickly. I was greeted by an outpouring of support from agents and authors I had relationships with, and I hit the ground running with some excellent freelance assignments.

PP: How has your life changed since?

Judy: As soon as I realized how much I was enjoying life as an independent editor I founded Judy Sternlight Literary Services (www.JudySternlightLit.com). Terrific projects continue to land on my desk and the variety (fiction, non-fiction, literary and commercial) makes my work feel constantly fresh and interesting. I’m still doing my favorite parts of being an editor — working closely with authors on manuscripts that excite me, and (ironically) spending more time brainstorming and socializing with publishing people than I was able to do as an in-house editor with a mammoth workload. Plus, I get to work at home with my collie snoozing under my chair and pulling me outside for healthy breaks.

PP: How have you coped?

Judy: I decided to look at my sudden transition as a big, fun adventure. There were so many things to figure out quickly — how much to charge clients, how to generate work, how to use the photocopy machines at Staples, how to start my own business, what to do about health insurance, and how to use my new iPhone! But my background in improvisational theater and freelance communications had prepared me to embrace the unknown, and to look for positives. I also reached out to other independent editors, publicists and agents and have arranged some productive get-togethers. There’s a strong community of independent contractors in the publishing world and by trading information and job leads, we all help each other out.

PP: Has it changed your outlook on books and publishing?

Judy: My outlook on the publishing industry remains upbeat. Despite the economic downturn, I’m confident that great books — compelling, entertaining and useful stories — are a permanent part of our culture. And skilled editors will always be in demand, to help writers hone and polish their stories in order to reach their intended audiences. As resources at the traditional publishing houses have diminished, more authors are reaching out to freelance editors, publicists, website designers, and even marketing consultants, for focused support.

PP: What are you doing now?

Judy: Through Judy Sternlight Literary Services, I’m helping seasoned writers and debut authors to produce strong, cohesive books. Most of my work comes from agents who want their clients to have winning proposals or polished and appealing manuscripts. But assignments come to me in all sorts of ways, through friends and associates in the literary community.

PP: Do you have any advice for publishing job seekers?

Judy: Even if the number of traditional publishing jobs is shrinking, I think there are more opportunities to be nimble and inventive — to embrace the digital age, stay in touch with former and future colleagues and associates, and look for consulting and freelance assignments. These will keep you productive and lift your spirits, and they might well lead to additional opportunities. Old fashioned networking (where both parties find something useful to contribute) is still one of the best ways to land more work.

Judy Sternlight can be contacted through: www.JudySternlightLit.com

Kate Schwab

Kate Schwab worked for Borders Books for 21 years. Her marketing position was eliminated first in Feb 2007; she was rehired two months later and then found herself unemployed again in June 2008.

PP: How has your life changed since losing that job?

Kate: I’m more in debt than I’m used to being. I got 12 weeks’ severance from Borders, but I was unemployed for 11 months, after the second layoff. Now, I work for the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District, our public transit company here. I’m Assistant Manager of Marketing and Customer Service. How has my life changed? I like to say, “I went from books to buses!” And I’m happy to report, I’m VERY happy at MTD! The second time, I told people, “Heck, Borders did me a favor!” And I still believe that. It hurts enough to watch the company I helped build as it is seemingly going downhill. If I was still there, watching this decline…that would break my heart.

PP: How have you coped?

Kate: I NEVER slept late or stayed in my pajamas all day, or ate out of boredom or depression. In fact, a friend said to me, “How do you LOSE weight while unemployed?!?” I never wallowed in self-pity or depression. I also did not make my job hunt a full-time job, as is advised. I started my own little author marketing business which kept me busy, although it didn’t make me a lot of money. I worked as a consultant for a local theater company for a few months. Also, through connections and friendships, I was hired part-time by the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce. That all got me through the 11 months after Borders, before I was hired by MTD.

PP: Has it changed your outlook on books and publishing?

Kate: Nope — I’m still a big fan of authors and writers — I have total respect for those who can write and get published. I miss the “book world,” and all that comes with it. I even still shop at my local Borders — a store I opened 15 years ago, and ran, as General Manager, for 8 years. I do NOT have the same pride and love for the company of Borders…that’s over. But for 21 years, although I think I gave more to Borders than I got back, I do owe Borders a great deal. And mostly, I still very much value the many, many friendships I made while at Borders. I did a lot of great things, went to a lot of great places and met a lot of great people, all due to working for Borders. I’d be a teensy bit happier if Borders had acknowledged that, even a little bit. But mostly, I’m very happy with where I am now. And I’m proud of all the hard work and dedication I did for that company. You know, strangely, I love bookstores again. I used to be a bit of a snob when I was at Borders — when you work at such a great, huge, fabulous store, how could you spend even one minute in a “lesser” store. And with snobbery…I realized I “missed” bookstores. Now, I have the pleasure of browsing bookstores again!

PP: Do you have any advice for publishing job seekers?

Kate: I’d like to stress that I don’t do this kind of work anymore. But for those who do, I strongly recommend joining writer/publisher/author organizations and attending conferences as much as possible to make new contacts, and solidifying whatever connections you have.

Kate Schwab can be contacted at: kateschwab@gr8bks.com

DISCUSS: What are the hot publishing jobs of the future?