Behind every Hodderscape book there is a team of passionate readers working together to bring you the best that the SFF genre has to offer. Our Meet the Team series give us the chance to introduce you to the people behind the imprint, what they do, what they love and why they got into publishing.
From editorial to marketing, publicity to design, we're celebrating the many voices that help shape our list. And where better to start than with our Editorial Director, take it away Charlie . . .
What’s your role at Hodderscape, and what does a typical day look like?
I’m the Editorial Director for Hodderscape, which essentially means I get a lot of emails, read a lot of books, speak to a lot of people, and generally have a great (but busy!) time. I commission across YA, New Adult and Adult SFF, though I am particularly keen on romantic fantasy across all these age categories and across all sub genres. I know it’s cliche to say, but no one day is the same (except for the emails – that is a constant battle). If I’m not evaluating different manuscripts, I’m editing, or discussing different strategies and campaigns – or, if a shiny exciting project comes through it might take all of my attention for the week, and it’s part of my job to get everyone in the team excited.
What drew you to publishing – and how did you get started?
I always wanted to work in publishing. Always. Ever since I was young, when I finished a book I would always read the acknowledgements at the back, thanking everyone who was a part of the process and I thought: I want to be one of those people. I didn’t know which part of the process I wanted to work in, I just knew I wanted to be one cog in that machine. After (not) a lot of thinking, I knew editorial was for me because I wanted to get into the nitty gritty of the thing. I first started my integrating myself into the space even before I started university, getting to know authors online (as a reader, as a fan), requesting proofs and keeping up to date with what the publishing industry was doing. Then, when I graduated from university, I applied for everything I could find that interested me in the publishing space – whilst working in a bookshop as I did so. I got my first role as an Editorial Assistant at Pan Macmillan, working on Middle Grade, YA, Non-fiction and poetry, and it was the start of a very lovely career.
What book made you fall in love with SF&F?
I have always loved SFF, and was absolutely that kid who was reading every single middle grade and YA fantasy series I could get my hand on – Twilight, the Hunger Games, the Selection, Divergent, Shiver, Matched – you name it, I read it. That feeling of reading my favourite book (or discovering a new favourite!) has never really left me, and it is something I try to recapture every day. I think the book that made me fall in love with SFF specifically was probably the greats – Twilight and Hunger Games, or even the upmarket speculative fiction like The Time Traveler’s Wife or Outlander - in that it shifted my understanding of what a great SFF book could be, with a focus on romance and characters as well as worldbuilding / the mechanics of any specific lore. Epic fantasy always overwhelmed me. My brain wanted to UNDERSTAND IT ALL. And I couldn’t.
What is the best thing about your job?
The books! The people! The stories that I get to jump into every single day. That, and I absolutely love helping an author unlock a sticking point in their story – I’m a very hands-on editor. And getting to collaborate in this way is why I’m here. Or indeed, when we present a beautiful cover that aligns so perfectly with the author’s vision. It’s a really beautiful moment seeing it come to life.
What are you most proud of in your role?
This is a difficult question, and one I pondered over for a while. There are several moments in my role where I feel proud – proud of my authors when they deliver that manuscript they’ve spent so much time on; proud when I hold a finished product in my hand; proud when a title hits a bestsellers list. But, ultimately, I am proud of the work I do to curate a brilliant list here at Hodderscape. I am proud to be my author’s biggest champion, and I am proud of my colleagues, my boss and my assistant, who encourage me, enable me and push me to do the best work I can.
What is your top tip for someone wanting to get into the publishing industry?
Don’t give up. Get as much experience as you can doing admin (there’s so much admin!). Work in a bookshop and get familiar with how to hand-sell books. What do readers want? What makes them tick? Read across the market, but especially in the area you want to work in. Make connections!
Upcoming Titles from Charlie's List:
