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In an effort to get to know our Oxford University Press staff better, we’re featuring interviews with our staff in different offices. Read on for our Q&A with Alyssa Bender, marketing coordinator for our religion and theology Academic/Trade books and Bibles in New York.

When did you start working at OUP?

July 2011.

What is the most important lesson you learned during your first year on the job?

Take notes on everything! From training sessions for programs to meetings where I had no idea what anyone was talking about, filling up my notebook (and constantly revisiting later) was my saving grace.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve found about working at OUP?

How many books we come out with every year. Never could have guessed we publish the volume that we do.

What’s the least surprising?

While it surprised me at first, it really shouldn’t have—everyone here is so intelligent and talented. It’s likely that those are just the type of people who are drawn to work at university presses, but it’s still great to work with such smart people every day.

What drew you to work for OUP in the first place? What do you think about that now?

It was a job in publishing! Those are hard to come by when you’re first out of school. Luckily, it turned out to be an awesome job with a great team. Still is.

What’s the first thing you do when you get to work in the morning?

Open my inbox and sort the emails by priority.

What is your typical day like at OUP?

Lots of answering emails. Also, lots of meetings. In between emails and meetings, there’s creating marketing plans, pulling sales reports, gathering social media content, proofing newsletters and catalogs, updating website copy, submitting review copy requests, making flyers…the list goes on.

What is the strangest thing currently on or in your desk?

A 3D paper pear made out of note paper. A gift from my manager, who brought it back from her trip to Japan.

What’s the most enjoyable part of your job?

Seeing my efforts pay off when a book does really well.

What’s the most difficult part of your job?

Determining reprint quantities. No matter how much research you do, you can still be way off in your estimates. It’s one of the many aspects of my job that only gets easier the more experience you have doing it.

What is the most exciting project you have been part of while working at OUP?

Helping to launch the @OUPMusic Twitter, back when I still worked on the music team. It was really fun to be a part of the strategy conversations and learn what goes on behind the scenes of company Twitter accounts. It was also fun to be behind some of the tweets and interact with the followers.

Tell us about one of your proudest moments at work.

Pulling off a successful American Academy of Religion/Society for Biblical Literature conference this past November. As the team leader for the conference, I was responsible for organizing almost every detail about our presence there, from deciding the booth layout, to determining the books we would bring (and how many of each), to making sure enough people were present for set-up/tear down. It was my first AAR/SBL, and my first large meeting in general, and I was really happy with how it all turned out.

What will you be doing once you’ve completed this Q&A?

Cleaning my desk! So many piles of paper, bookmarked galleys, meeting notes, books, and folders everywhere!

Alyssa Bender joined Oxford University Press in 2011. She is currently a Marketing Coordinator for our religion and theology Academic/Trade books and Bibles in New York.

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By Alyssa Bender

We print many different types of bibles here at Oxford University Press, one popular line being our Book of Common Prayer. While this text is used worldwide, you may not know about its interesting history. From the fact that there are a half a dozen books in print with this title, or perhaps that it is not so much a collection of prayers as a sort of “script” to be used, there is much you may not know about this text. Take our quiz below to learn more.

Alyssa Bender is a marketing coordinator at Oxford University Press. She works on religion books in the Academic/Trade and Reference divisions, as well as Bibles.

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The post The Book of Common Prayer Quiz appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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I seem to read alot of posts about people complaining about agents or the agent subbing process. Who's professional and who isn't.

Well oh contrare mofrare....

I've always said Alyssa rocks and she so does. In every way. (don't hate me!)

After another great conversation today, I decided to count the ways and document them for you all to see.

Because I love my agent, so let me count the ways...

1) She is positive - trust me you need this!

2) She knows her stuff. I find myself going "wow I didn't know that" every time we speak or email. And i think I'm pretty up on the industry as much as I can be. She is a bundle of information. I'm talking like she is the dictionary for the publishing industry.

3) She loves my book and my writing. That makes 2 of us :) Not counting my mother or my dog of course!

4) She cracks me up! Wanna know her brilliant thoughts about book rejections -"It always sucks when someone says your baby is ugly." (funny right!)

5) She is (currently) not into the whole social networking thang. Which I find refreshing since I am all in everyone's business. (Pssst. I am determined to convert her! She just doesn't know it yet)

6) She is passionate. I love this about her because it shows.

7) She has the confidence to put me in my place. "Um, you need to relax." (true, so true)

8) She answers all my questions - in detail and doesn't mind. She even asks me if I have any questions! That never happens to me. Usually people are running from my inquisitive nature. Either that or cowering from my Spanish Inquisitions.

9) She works hard for me (and I'm sure all her clients). She turns around revisions in record time. Like before I can breath. I always tell my hubby that my book is like a boomerang with her. Just as I send it out...bam...it comes back all marked up with great suggestions.

10) She has great ideas! I think I might have to list her as a co-author.

11) She watches as many movies and TV shows as I do. Which makes for fun conversations. When we are trying to compare scenes, we constantly throw around references. That's rare to find.

12) She is the fastest emailer in the NYC area. Almost as fast as me and trust me - that is lightening fast. She always responds so quickly even when I know she's slammed.

13) Did I mention, she loves my writing?

14) She always has time for me. On phone or on email.

15) She is a great editorial agent. I know that if she likes my book, it's good. I love knowing when my book goes out, it is clean and to her standards.

16) She makes me a better writer.

So, when you are looking for an agent, use this as a checklist.

I've heard horror stories about agents and how they treat their clients. How they rank their clients by advance amounts. I've heard of people regretting taking on their agent and dumping their agent because they didn't support them.

This is not my experience!

I'm so lucky to have Alyssa. Just in 6 months, my writing has gotten so much better. I obvi

Hi Alyssa, I know you are extremely busy, (especially helping me edit my book :) so thank you for taking the time to share your tips with us.

I know- just from talking with you - you are very conscious of how an author and a book needs
to be positioned in the marketplace.

So before we get started, tell us a little about yourself and Trident.

I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and The Radcliffe Publishing Course. I worked as an editor for over seven years at Simon & Schuster’s Books for Young Readers imprint. In December of 2006, I joined Trident Media Group as an agent specializing in children’s books.

Trident Media Group was the number one in the world for sales of book contracts in 2008, according to Publisher's Market Place. Com. This is the eighth year in a row for Trident to retain the number one position in sales of all Literary Agencies.


Based on your publishing and agency experience, what are the top 3 things every author should and must do to promote their book?

In today’s climate, I definitely think it’s helpful for authors to maintain websites through which readers and fans and those seeking authors for speaking engagements can reach them.

For many authors writing for children and teens, I think blogging, Facebook, Twitter etc. are incredibly helpful in reaching one’s readership since kids and teens spend a lot of time online.

I also think a willingness to go to book festivals, signings, and other events where books are sold (as well as classroom visits) can be enormously helpful and definitely sends a message both to the publisher and to the readers that the author is doing everything in his or her power to connect with readers.

Of course sometimes all the promotion in the world cannot guarantee a book’s success in the marketplace, and it’s important that writers don’t get so caught up in the promotion that they in turn don’t have enough time or energy to write the next book! For that reason, I think Skype is a great and cost-effective invention, and one that enables authors to connect with a book club or a group of readers, without needing to leave the comforts of their own homes.


In your opinion, how important is social networking?

I think connecting with readers and other authors in all of the above ways can be instrumental in establishing an online presence and a reader fan base. I’ve had authors tell me that they love connecting with their readership in the less formal and more fun Facebook context because they get to know the way their readers talk and think and what makes them tick.

Some have even told me that this type of communication helps inspire their writing! And whereas when I was growing up it might have taken a very long time to hear back from an author whom I wrote a fan letter to, now technology can enable more direct communication that makes an author feel less like a fossil in a museum and more like a real person.

Some authors of course are a little more shy in nature and don’t necessarily feel as comfortable with sharing on Facebook or Myspace or through blogging, because they feel like they have to write a whole long entry, when they might simultaneously be on a tight deadline to finish their next book. Twitter, for this reason, I think is a fantastic invention. It has brevity that enables authors to multi-task and still stay connected, but in seemingly doable increments.


Do you feel it is beneficial for authors to team up and promote books as a group?

I’ve seen much good cross-promotion result from collaborative efforts. I’ve read very impressive blog interviews in which authors standing in more established shoes do everything to champion debut writers in whom they believe. And I’ve read several good news articles about authors that are linked for one reason or another (all debuts, all writing in the same genre, all in the same age range), and the newspapers or magazines might have been less likely to run those stories if they focused on just one author as opposed to three or four.

I’ve attended panels and heard of SCBWI weekends that were wonderfully successful because the authors who attended pitched themselves together to book the gig, and this nurtured a robust, funny, tag-teaming kind of Q&A presentation.

At the same time, it’s always important to consider the number of hours in the day, and I do think it’s similarly beneficial for authors to brand themselves as individuals, too. Even though Dorothy Parker used to hang out with the other authors at the famous Algonquin Round Table, we still remember her name alone.


What other advice do you have for authors/writers regarding marketing?

I advise authors to market in whatever style best suits their needs and their lifestyles while taking cues from their publishers about what is most beneficial and most appropriate at each juncture. Sometimes authors feel the need to start working on marketing over a year before a book’s publication. And while it can be highly useful to start thinking about and implementing website designs or book trailers, and establishing a blog or creating an e-mail contact list that far in advance, it’s not necessarily an ideal time to talk to local reporters.

Remember much marketing and publicity is geared towards getting consumers to buy the book itself, and for that the book must be available. Also, if you are a more private person or one who does not thrive on blogging or twittering or Facebook it doesn’t mean that your book is destined to be a friendless failure. Just as every writer work hard to perfect a voice that is all his or her very own, I encourage cultivating a marketing style that feels similarly authentic, comfortable, and unique.


When evaluating whether to take on an author or book, do you ever google them to see if they already have a web presence or platform?

Very often. When you spend all day sitting in front of a computer it’s easy and fun to Google the name at the bottom of a compelling query and see if you can find out anything intriguing about the person who wrote it. There have been times I’ve stumbled upon potential clients websites and been so impressed by the wit, the clarity of thinking, the online presence or other impressive skills that I think to myself, “wow this person’s got a really compelling package.”

Of course no matter how wonderful the website or the blog, the manuscript itself needs to entice and intrigue me, and make me certain there’s a sale potential there. I’ve also signed on several authors whom I’ve sold in successful deals who did not have websites or blogs or platforms to speak of at that time, but they had great manuscripts. And the fact that they did not have a web presence ahead of time really just created more of an air of mystery before we had that initial "get to know you" phone call.


What are you looking for? What are you interested in?

I’m always on the lookout for great, commercial novels. I would personally love to find more mystery for tweens and young adults—it’s one of those genres that sometimes authors shy away from because it’s often very plot-driven and meticulous to write and therefore not as “freeing” as more voice-driven pieces can be, but it’s an area that I love and many editors have told me it’s a genre with room to grow.

I’m also a big sucker for YA romance that is not paranormal, but contemporary set or even epic, in the vein of Nicolas Sparks and The Notebook. I also personally love manuscripts with a strong sense of place and a regional flavor about them—from Dairy Queen, to Peaches, to my newest fave, Kathryn Stockett’s women’s fiction masterpiece, The Help. I’m indeed a sucker for a strong sense of place.

Finally, finding a select number of author/illustrators to add to my list, both in the picture book and graphic novel-inspired vein, is something I’m on the watch for.

Thank you for stopping by!

Thanks Shelli! Now get back to work. :)

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O.K. So it is now official official.

I have an agent! wow! I still can't believe I am typing this. It is still a blur.

One day I didn't have anything.

One day I got lucky.

One day I got a email.

One day I got a phone call.

One day I had a few agents who wanted me. (BTW I did not wake up expecting this day to be "the day")

Then suddenly, I found "the one".

Finally today, I can tell you the story. Since the Agent Agreement is signed, my agent can't back out now (at least not for a year :). For the last week, I have been almost sure she would come to her senses and change her mind. Right? I mean she's crazy right?

Surely she called the wrong Shelli. Right?

But it is really happening.

We both have signed in blood so it is irreversible. O.K. so her name was signed in pen, but I signed mine in blood, sweat, and tears. It's a done deal and I am thrilled and so lucky and so grateful for my journey.

And so grateful that my agent believes in me and sees so much in me - like I do in her.

So here is my story.....when I was born in 19??..... ( JK! I won't go back that far - thank god! I hear you sighing with relief.)

In the beginning.

I started writing my first book in 2004. As many of you know, I was an executive at a Consulting Firm and International Bank until I started my own marketing company.

I have always loved writing. I always did writing in my business. And I always dabbled in poems at home. But I never took it seriously. Never expected or even thought it could be a career. I think that is why I got into marketing copywriting b/c it was creative and I am good at business.

My first project

When I had my daughter in 2004, I went on 5 months of maternity leave and for some strange reason, got an idea about a fairy who couldn't fly. I sat down one day and started to write what is now titled On Tattered Wings. It all came pouring out of the blue b/c I never set out to do it. But I suddenly realized it was what I wanted to do. 6 months later I had a first draft. In late 2004, I queried some agents and some editors. This was before I started with SCBWI (oi!!!!!) and so I made so many mistakes. (if you have not already, join SCBWI!!!!! I would not be here without them!)

At that time, I did not get any requests from agents (they all seemed to want YA at the time - now I see why :) but there were 2 small publishing houses that requested the full manuscript. I was told my book was going to Acquisitions. I thought for sure I was in. Unfortunately (and rightly so) my book was rejected. I was so bummed. I mean didn't they know I was the next Harry Potter (blah blah blah)

But for now? my book sits on a shelf, collecting dust. Maybe I will get to revisit it someday.

A new book

I did not write for a long time after that let down. I was very discouraged with the process. I mean why did Ithink I could get published. I had no degree, no MFA, no experience. Nothing but a dream and an urge. I had a hard year in 06/07 - i lost a job, lost a baby, my son worn in o7 and was very sick for the first 6-9 months and my hubby had to have major back surgery in Germany for 6 weeks with a very long recovery. My hubby actually came up with the original concept of Grace Under Fire - a homegrown terrorist group training in NC mountains and a nature loving girl solves a mystery.

But I only dabbled in the book when I had time, which was very little with everything else going on.

Critique Group

In April 08, I managed to find time to attend the Spring Southern Breeze conference and got inspired. I met Jessica DeHart and we started an informal weekly critique group that included both of us, Sherri Dillard, Kelly Williams, and Betsy Delves. My special connection with these girls got me back on my path me. They offered to read a chapter a week of my book. Sometimes 2. This was invaluable to me and pushed me to finish in a few months. Something I'd been dabbling on for a couple years. During this time, I did have a nonfiction book of mine go to Acquisitions at American Girl only to be rejected.

Agent Subbing process

In general - 3 agents changed my book and my career.

By September 08, I was ready to sub. I did massive amounts of research and made list of my top 50 agents. I sent out 5 queries at a time and waited until I heard back on the query. I had several agents request fulls. In Oct, I got 2 very personal letters from 2 wonderful agents (Agent #1 and Agent#2) telling me that my premise was unbelievable and my characters needed some work. They said they loved my voice and writing and that I had potential. (PS. One of these is now my agent. Stay tuned!) This was promising.

Meanwhile, I celebrated with someone I met at a Southern Breeze conference. Lindsey Leavitt. she got a great agent and book deal while I was finishing Grace. When I met her for coffee, she gave me some great tips on the agenting process and encouraged me to restart my blog. I had met her the fall before and she was in the same place I was. Suddenly, she had catapulted forward in a flash. She and her story re-lit a fire in my belly.

Back to the drawing board

I went back to the drawing board and made some major changes to Grace, but looking back on it now, they were just not enough. Meanwhile, I was still getting full requests by almost every agent I queried so I kept waiting to see if any would stick. Out of 30 queries - I think I had 12 or 13 full requests but they always ended in a rejection. Lindsey told me something was wrong with my book b/c I was getting through the query and partials. So I figured it had to be the endings. I had in mind a huge change I needed to make to the book that would change it from a terrorist thriller to an environmental suspense but the changes seemed way too daunting and way too big. I just didn't have the time nor the energy. Did i?

Then another wonderful agent - Agent #3 (who I was referred to by a fabulous friend/client) provided me with even more specific that was exactly what I had been thinking through on the environmental suspense. meanwhile I got in the Quarterfinals in Amazon. So I knew I was on the right track, but I wasn't convinced the changes would make a difference.

I tried them anyway. And cranked them out in one month.

Round 2

When I finished, I resubmitted to Agent #3. I was happy with this new version. It was tighter, better, and much more believable. I felt like I'd fixed it but I wasn't sure.

I decided to requery the 2 agents (Agent #1 and Agent #2) that gave me very personal rejections in the previous fall. It was risky and I know most agents say - "please don't requery" but I did. I wrote a very nice professional letter to them both reminding them of what they said about my writing, explaining how I had changed the book, and outlining how I had addressed their comments. I also pitched my new tween angel book (On the bright side) that I was currently writing as one liner at the bottom. Just so they knew I was not a one-shot wonder.

These 2 agents were very generous and allowed me to resubmit Grace. I was so grateful and for the first time, felt like something might happen for me. At this time, I also queried a few other agents - total of 6 agents reading my full manuscript.

Suddenly the 3 agents (who had given my personal feedback before) came back to me and also requested the beginning of my tween angel book. This was promising. It meant they liked my writing and voice.

One of the 3 quickly bowed out with very kind words of encouragement. :)

I waited. And prayed. And waited. And hoped.

The Calls

Then a couple weeks ago, Agent #3 came back with an formal offer. I was so ecstatic. I loved her and almost swiped up the offer without even thinking it through. But a couple writer friends encouraged me to email all the people who were still considering my full and let them know. I thought, "Ok but its not like they all want my book or they would have emailed me." Right?

Wrong!

When I did this, the floodgate opened.Suddenly, I had several agents interested in offering my representation on Grace. But lucky for me, 3 of those also loved the sample of Bright.

Now I got to schedule a few interviews and choose! what?! I had been begging people to look at my manuscript and love my writing for years. Now, I get to choose? How lucky was i?

I narrowed it down to 2 agents and thought hard about it. This was where it was tough. what if I make the wrong decision? what if one backs out? How do I know if i choose right?

I made many lists of pros and cons!!! many. But it was so close and they both are so good.

In the end, I went with my gut. It was hard because I loved both of them for different reasons.

The agent I went with was one I had a feeling about since last fall. It was the first agent who gave me constructive feedback in a personal rejection. It was the agent that had passion in her voice for my work. It was the agent who had a very specific plan for my career and each book's journey to market.

I don;t want to say who my choices were. But I will tell you who my Secret Agent is.

Wanna know?




My agent is.....


the fabulous Alyssa Eisner Henkins from Trident Media!!!!!!!

(what?! can you believe it?!!!!!!!!!!!!)


So, what's next?

My first deadline - real official deadline - is June 8th! We are going to market with the tween angel book (now a series!) hopefully in July.

Then we will focus on Grace which will require some reworking.


How did I do this?

I have no clue!

I think I have a unique voice. I think I tell stories well. I am a drama queen at heart so that part is easy. And just like many writers, I did not give up!

But there are a couple things, I tried to do during this process that I think pushed me forward.

1) One thing I have always done is celebrate each and every step forward. My progress. I always celebrated when someone requested a partial or a full. I always celebrated personal rejections (after crying of course) and took any small nuggets of advice to heart, looking for any way to improve. I celebrated my win at Amazon, even though I dd not get to the next round. I especially celebrated the agent who gave me a second shot to resubmit. Because it was a shot. These were all wins to me. I really have tried to focus on the small steps. As long as I took a step forward, I knew it was a matter of time.

2) I requeried the 2 agents that gave me feedback. I was actually expecting 2 "hell no we've already said no so go away" but it was not the case.

3) I did not focus on the end result. I focused on the journey. Not all the time, but it was where I recentered myself. My love for writing. I got to a place where I decided "I am going to write for me and if I get published great. If I don't, it doesn't matter b/c I will still write and be happy writing."

4) Lastly, I know this is a business. It is about what sells. I was willing to change my book to be sellable. I did not sell out, I maintained my voice. But i stayed open to drastic feedback b/c I wanted the book to sell. In the end I think it helps to remember, this is a business and we as writers have to find customers and a market for our books.

Whatever you do, if you know deep down that this is your calling, your purpose, your path. Keep going. Look for the little signs you are heading in the right direction. The letters, the requests, the connections, the moments of serendipity that sometimes come our way without us even recognizing them until they pass.

Doesn't mean it is easy. Doesn't mean it will happen tomorrow.

But at least you have hope and possibility.

If you quit, that all goes away.

So keep trying, I did.

I am still working towards my dream but for now I just want to.....Dance and Shout!

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