Meet SYPinto Mentee Maleeha

Posted on July 17, 2018 in London

This week we will be introducing you to some of our SYPinto mentees. SYPinto is one stream of SYP London’s new mentorship scheme – aimed at supporting individuals with an interest in publishing, but not yet working full-time in the industry. We wanted to hear from our mentees how they view the industry they have chosen for their careers and what their mentoring experience with the SYP has been like so far.

SYPahead, the second stream of the mentorship programme dedicated to junior professionals in their first or second jobs, will be launching very soon!

I’m Maleeha. I’m a university student studying BA English and I’m obsessed with books. I love exploring London, drinking black coffee, eating M&M’s, visiting independent bookshops, watching plays at Shakespeare’s Globe and reading as many books as I can get my hands on.

The SYPinto mentorship scheme has been…

…an amazing experience so far. I’ve been given a unique opportunity to meet others in my position and network with professionals already in the industry. For me, the Scheme has been a real confidence-booster and a solid stepping-stone as I begin my career.
My mentor Georgina Green is Head of International Sales at HarperCollins and I have learned so much from her in such a short time. It’s reassuring to have a mentor who really understands the struggles of getting your foot into the door of publishing because of her own experiences. She offers me invaluable advice, gives me feedback on my CV and cover letters, and has become an endless source of knowledge for any questions I have about the industry. Her guidance has been vital in how I approach work and networking opportunities.

I strongly encourage anyone starting their career in publishing to apply next year. It’s a worthwhile programme that makes all the difference in the long run.

If I had to write a Beginner’s Guide to Publishing, my top tips would be:

I’ve learned some important truths as an aspiring young publisher struggling to enter the industry:
• Perseverance is key to pursuing a career in publishing.
• Rejection is part of the process – move past it, improve and grow a thicker skin.
• Networking is a core element of publishing and should never be underestimated – you could find a person willing to offer you a job!

Someone in the industry who inspires me is…

…Sharmaine Lovegrove – She inspired me with her enthusiasm, knowledge and dedication to diverse stories and authors during an Insight into Publishing day at Hachette.

In my opinion, the biggest misconception people who aren’t involved in the industry have about publishing is…

…that editorial is the only job in publishing – when a whole range of wonderful and hardworking individuals work in many different departments to create the books we love – marketing, sales, publicity, production, rights, design, etc. Non-publishing people don’t fully grasp the depth of the industry and what goes into creating a best-seller!

My 2018 summer read is…

Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi. It has everything I could hope for in a book – adventure, magic, love, the will to fight on and a sense of reality that causes the reader to think about the world.

Maleeha is on Twitter. Find her over at @Mmir08!  [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]