Jaime T.
About me
| Jaime T. | |
| English and Related Literature | |
| Renaissance Literature 1500-1700 | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Halifax | |
| 2007 | |
| United States |
My employment
| Contracts Manager | |
| Thames & Hudson Ltd | |
| United Kingdom | |
| 2011 |
More about Jaime
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A day in the life of a Contracts Manager in the United Kingdom
My career history
Contracts Intern at Little, Brown Book Group, 2007; Senior Contracts Executive at Penguin Books Ltd 2008-2010; Contracts Manager at Thames & Hudson, 2011
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I hope to move away from Contracts eventually and perhaps into Rights or Sales, though being in this position gives me great insight into the publishing business.
My advice to students considering work
Work experience whilst you're still at university or shortly after you've graduated is not a bad idea if you're not sure about your career. Even if you're 100% positive about what you'd like to do, what you've envisioned in your head is not necessarily what your job will actually entail!
What I do
I am responsible for drafting and negotiating publishing agreements with authors, literary agents, publishers and literary estates. I work closely with the Rights and Editorial departments, advising on contractual issues and obtaining the best deal for us from a publishing business perspective. I advise on queries relating to rights, copyright, royalties and other terms that are standard (or not!) to publishing contracts. I am also responsible for licensing contracts, i.e. when we sell rights to other publishers or grant permission to publish a part or whole of our titles elsewhere.
Skills I use and how I developed them
I had previously worked in the Contracts Department at Penguin Books.
Degree skills:
Studying for my MA at York taught me how to be a creative problem solver - 90% of my job is about problem solving and exploring all possible solutions for a creative yet advantageous solution.
Extracurricular skills:
I was involved in the Graduate Students Association of my college at York and formed close friendships with my classmates on my course. Being personable and approachable is extremely important in the professional working world, so I think developing these skills is essential.
What I like most
My job is varied; on any given day, I may be drafting contracts or processing invoices or dealing with a particularly tough agent or author. It's really exciting when you're negotiating with a difficult agency or famous author - you get to see a lot of the "behind the scenes" elements of publishing and it's fun!
What I like least
It's frustrating when a deal doesn't go your way and it's easy to feel bullied by someone who wants to force you to accept their terms.
What would I change? Nothing!
Next steps...
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