Susan Feldstein is a literary agent and ghost writer. She loves the publishing world, and has taken many roles in her career: proof-reading, marketing, editorial and ghost-writing.
Getting into publishing
After graduating, Susan taught English as a foreign language in Paris. Applying for a job as a publishing assistant at Longmans, she found herself in an office on the Boulevard St Michelle, with proof copies of manuscripts arriving at her desk.
"Publishing is not writing. If you really want to be a writer, just do that. Don't work in publishing."
The only problem was she didn't know what to do with them.
“I would get these proofs and wonder why they kept sending me them and just sent them back. After a while the MD, a very nice guy, called me into his office and said, ‘Susan, I don't really think you know what you are doing.’ And I said, ‘That's true’”
Instead of casting her out as an expensive mistake, Longmans shifted Susan sideways into the promotional side of the company. Annoyed that she had botched a job that might have been really interesting, she decided to learn the production process. Susan enrolled in a course on Print and Production.
"It was actually that slight humiliation that made me want to find out what I was talking about. The course was six months long at the London College of Printing. It was well worth doing. There were about a hundred in my intake and everyone got a job."
Susan was taken up by A and C Black, the publishers of ‘Who's Who’ and children's fiction. She was employed to sell foreign rights to books commissioned in Britain. This required her to travel to book fairs, meet foreign publishers and invite them to get on board with forthcoming print runs.
From marketing to editing to literary agent
Susan is now on the editorial side of publishing, having taken an indirect route through the publishing industry.
"Publishing is a fantastic industry. But you need persistence and patience."
"It was best to get into the practical side instead of editorial. I almost think it was better to make my way into editorial that way because it gives you the overview of the practical process.
"People say there is a divide between booksellers and editors, because editors have the slightly ivory tower view, while booksellers have to actually sell the books. I think it was a useful way to get into editorial."
After two years in A and C Black, Susan came home to Northern Ireland and found work with Belfast-based publisher Blackstaff Press, marketing rights abroad and later commissioning new writers. From there she moved to the Dublin publisher Gill and Macmillan, commissioning new writers in Northern Ireland.
After three years, Susan met her future husband at a book fair. They decided to set up their own literary agency in Bangor County Down: the Feldstein Literary Agency.
Four tips for working in publishing
Susan has the following advice for those looking to work in publishing:
1. Publishing is not writing
“A lot of people move into publishing with the private ambition to be writers. If what you really want is to be a writer, then just do that and don't work in publishing."
2. Enjoy what you do
“You have to love this work; it's a tough road if you are just looking for financial reward. It is a fantastic industry and most of the people are not cutthroat and money grabbing. But you need persistence and patience.
You need to get pleasure out of doing the thing. It is too frustrating if you are just trying to make money.”
3. Get skilled
“I would definitely advise a newcomer to do one of those publishing and printing diplomas, to get overview and make contacts.”
4. Be flexible
“You don't have to go straight for the thing you want; whatever your starting point it will be valuable training for later.”
