The Time Has Come Two Months In

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

-“The Walrus and the Carpenter” in Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll*

Or, in other words…the time has come for me to stay later at work.  As I reach my two month anniversary as an employed book lover, my boss’s quip that I should leave work early while I can “cause it won’t last” has come true.

Lately, I’ve found myself staying at work until 5:30 or 6.  Not much later than the required 5pm, but a little bit.  Sometimes it’s because I want to get something done that evening (like type up meeting notes before the weekend because come Monday I knew I wouldn’t be able to decipher my shorthand); other times it’s because I have plans for the evening in the other direction from my apartment and my midtown office provides a better departure point (but then I’m secretly glad I got another hour in at work before dinner plans).

In my two months as an editorial assistant at HarperCollins, I’ve become increasingly busy…and that’s a good thing!  Slowly I’m picking up on the cyclical nature of publishing seasons, and as I fill out certain forms a few times in a row, I’m understanding not only how to fill them out but why I am.  It’s definitely a step in the right direction!  The most exciting things I’ve been working on so far are writing cover copy (the blurbs on the back of books), drafting cover art book summaries, and reviewing agent submissions. Quite a bit of my day is spent on administrative tasks like filling out forms and doing mailings, but even as I figure out UPS verses DHL that process is getting faster, and I can spend more time with our amazing manuscripts.  More and more often I’m busy in the office and taking manuscripts home to read at night, but at least I’m doing what I love and it feels so worthwhile.

I’m glad the time has come.  Another time we’ll talk of many other things (not sealing-wax, but perhaps kings)…

* It was Lewis Caroll’s 178^th birthday yesterday, hence the inspirational quote.