#SYPConf20: A department insight on… Production

Posted on November 10, 2020 in London

After previously studying English Literature at Edinburgh university, Rebecca Bonallie graduated with an MSc in Publishing from Edinburgh Napier University in 2017. She is currently Production and Inventory Controller at Canongate Books, having started her publishing career there as a Production Assistant. You can find her on Twitter @rabonallie.

What was your journey into the publishing industry?
I started my Masters in Publishing at Edinburgh Napier University in 2016 and graduated in 2017. In December 2017 I started working at Canongate as a Production Assistant. After taking on various additional responsibilities within the Production department, including inventory management, I was promoted last April.

What is your current role?
My current role is Production and Inventory Controller. I oversee production of both frontlist and backlist titles, which involves maintaining schedules, costing titles, managing files and doing some file work, as well as sending books to print and liaising with the printer about any issues that may come up.  I also do inventory management, including checking stock levels and organising reprints accordingly.

How has your job changed during COVID19?
Like many, I have been working from home. This has been a completely new experience for me and while being in my own comfy space has its perks, I have had to adjust to a completely new way of working. All my meetings now take place over video call, for example.  Another change came about with Canongate making use of the government furlough scheme. A lot of our departments were running at reduced sizes which meant people were dealing with increased workloads and responsibilities.

More recently, printers have seen a big increase in orders because there are lots of titles that were pushed back at the beginning of lockdown that are now being sent to print. This will no doubt affect warehouses and bookshops, too, and this means it is even more important than ever to hit those key dates in the schedule to get books out on time.

Please discuss which departments you work closely with, and what you work together on?
One thing I love about working in Production is that it’s so varied and that we work so closely with other departments. We particularly work closely with Editorial and Design in order to get both the text and cover files print-ready. I also work quite closely with our Sales team as I rely on their knowledge of the market when it comes to things like organising reprints, for instance. We also collaborate a lot on logistical things like setting up deliveries.

Briefly discuss a project you feel proud to have worked on:
This Summer, I worked on Matt Haig’s new book, The Midnight Library. It was fun to work on this title because there were many different components to juggle. We did various special editions that each had their own specifications. For instance, a limited edition for indie bookshops had a bespoke stamp on its title page. Another special edition required a specially-designed slipcase. The final product turned out nicely, too. The book’s case was fully green and plain so that it would match the description of the books in the eponymous library. The endpapers also had a cute design featuring a library card. Overall, it was definitely a project that everyone who worked on it could be proud of.

Please discuss any difficulties you face in your role
One challenge of working in Production is that plans often change, and you need to be able to adapt to these changes. A book may suddenly need to print much earlier, so the schedule may need completely revising. It’s really important to keep cool and remain on top of things when this happens.

In my role, I have to make sure I know what is happening with every title under my control and what needs to happen to it next. This can involve a lot of chasing, so the books stay on track and so I any resolve any issues. Of course, this can be a lot to handle but as long as you are organised and good at communicating, everything should pull together in the end!