Taking Andrea Reece from Books for Keeps' advice, I wrote emails to the following people:
Rona Selby at Andersen Press rselby@randomhouse.co.uk
Kate Wilson at Nosy Crow kate@nosycrow.com
and Janetta Otter-Barry at Frances Lincoln janettao@frances-lincoln.com
Here is a copy of one of them. I used the same letter for each person. I felt it helpful to write to key individuals rather than at random. I know then that the email will be received by the right person. Whether or not they reply is up to them. I also felt it right only to ask for one day each, as I fully appreciate how small teams find having a work experience person with them at busy times of year. In my reporting role, I have helped numerous individuals on work experience and when you are up against a deadline, it can be quite stressful making sure they are OK as well as getting the work done.
Dear Ms Selby,
Hope you don’t mind me dropping you a line, but Andrea Reece from Books for Keeps suggested I contacted you. I have been working in the media industry for 26 years as a journalist for newspapers, magazines and for the BBC as a broadcast journalist in radio and television, but have recently diverted my career towards illustration. I am currently doing a BA Hons Degree in Illustration at the University of Gloucestershire and wondered if I could spend a day with you to get a better understanding of the process involved from initial ideas and proposals to production, particularly regarding children’s books.
As a mother of five daughters, I wanted to expand my communication skills with the aim of writing and illustrating a book, really as a legacy to them, as well as adding illustration to my skill bank.
Andrea will be sending some picture books for me to review for her website, which will assist my understanding and appreciation of the competition and market; but I felt it would be beneficial to talk to those within the industry too.
I appreciate it must be a busy time leading up to Christmas, but if you could a spare a day, whereby I interviewed a few members of staff to ascertain the different roles played by a publishing team, I would be most grateful.
I have attached my CV and a couple of illustrations to give you an idea of my work. I have also put the link to my website, which includes my writing work.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Kind regards
Tracy Spiers
07766024375
01453 764110
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