"When they told us at school that work experience was going to be hard and quite possibly scary, I was nervous to say the least. On the drive here on Monday morning I was petrified, worried that no one would like me, I wouldn't have anything to do and that it might put me off my career plans, taking me back to square one. But I was wrong.
I arrived to a warm hello from Kim before I was even through the door, we made a cup of tea (I think I've drunk more tea in the past two weeks than I've had in my whole life), and I was immediately put at ease. I had a tour of the whole office, was introduced to everyone, and then I was set to work.
During my time here I have been given an overview of all the aspects of publishing, from author submissions to sending off the final draft for printing. I was given the opportunity to sit in on meetings, meet some authors, use the still baffling VCR that contains every detail you would ever need to know about any book Veloce has ever published (wow …) produce my own sample chapters, and even create an interactive eBook. I was shown how a picture that isn't the right resolution can literally ruin the whole look of your book, and the lengths that the people here will go to to make it look perfect (I spent a whole afternoon scanning over 60 photos that may not even be used in the final layout (I think by the end of the day people were close to dying from the sound of the scanner,) I've seen how all the admin and accounts are done, how books are promoted, and even how they are packaged in the warehouse.
I now know that the publishing business is definitely not as simple as it seems, and that pieces go through check, after check, after check, by all the different people, back and forth between editor and author for weeks on end until both are happy. And surprisingly this hasn't put me off! I am even more determined to get an English degree and open my own publishing firm.
I can honestly say that the people here are genuinely some of the nicest people I have ever met, they have welcomed me into their place of work and helped me to realise that my dream of becoming a publisher can be achieved, so thank you! Especially to Kim who has looked after me during my time at Veloce, and really did an amazing job making sure I always had something to learn and do. Another big thank you to Rod and Jude for allowing me to have this amazing opportunity. Can't I just stay here and not go back to school?"
Tyler-Nicole Graham
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