#SYPConf20: A department insight on… Audio

Posted on November 10, 2020 in London

Katalina Watt is Audio and Online Assistant at Canongate Books and Podcast Director at khōréō magazine, with previous roles in Audio for Little Brown Book Group and across copywriting, bookselling, and events for independent bookshops. She studied English Literature at The University of Glasgow and obtained an MSc in Publishing from Edinburgh Napier University. You can find her on Twitter @KatalinaWatt.

What was your journey into the publishing industry?

My first publishing role was in Audio with Little, Brown Book Group through Creative Access. This was an invaluable experience because I was given support throughout the recruitment process and throughout my time with Hachette through mentorship and networking opportunities, not only within the company also the wider publishing industry. My role was a fairly new one for the team and they were onboarding new systems and processes, as well as rapidly expanding the audio list, so it was a great way to dive in. The Audio department worked interdepartmentally and across divisions, so it was also a useful way to gain an insight into the holistic and symbiotic nature of the workflow.

What is your current role?

Currently I’m Audio and Online Assistant at Canongate Books, working across our audiobook and e-book list co-ordinating audiobook production and managing key accounts for both audiobook and e-book retailers.

How has your job changed during COVID19?

Our company is working from home and our collaborations with studios and narrators pivoted to more remote production. I was incredibly impressed with how smoothly and quickly our team and partners transitioned to these processes and implemented measures for increased safety and distancing for in-person recordings. Digital and audio workflows were already working mainly online and with the capacity for remote processes prior to Covid-19, so it hasn’t been much change. Of course, we’ve also seen a huge uplift in sales for digital formats, and my role involves implementing and monitoring e-book promotions with our retail partners. It’s also been great to be able to work closely with our Campaigns team on new ways in which we can create even more buzz for our digital list.

Please discuss which departments you work closely with, and what you work together on?

The audio team sits within Sales at Canongate, so I work very closely with the rest of Sales to ensure we are working synchronously on our upcoming titles across all formats. I also work with our Editorial team to ensure we are familiar with the title from acquisitions throughout its development and to plan any audio adaptation needed for the text. I liaise with our Rights team on contracts, our Campaigns team to integrate the digital formats into the book’s overall campaign, with Production on critical path, and Design to create the audiobook artwork adaptations.

Briefly discuss a project you feel proud to have worked on:

This is a title releasing in January 2021: Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden, a powerful and unique book which presented intriguing challenges and exciting opportunities in the novel’s experimental style and Godden’s poetry background. We always ensure we work closely with the author when we can, and it was a delight to bring this work to life in the audio format.

Please discuss any difficulties you face in your role:

Every book requires different levels of adaptation for audio and certain titles will present more challenges than others! Canongate is an independent publisher, so our team is passionate but small, which means we are sometimes limited in what is logistically or financially viable for certain projects. I’m always keen to find new ways to make processes more efficient and innovative, as well as make the industry more representative and accessible, however publishing can be slow to change which can be frustrating. However, I remain optimistic and it’s important to feel like you are being heard and your feedback onboarded.