Searching for jobs as a book-lover...

[al28894]

So after 7 years in corporate, I am slowly trying out finding a job that I can love (aka. anything relating to books) and two days ago I sent an inquiry to one of the largest bookstores in Malaysia.

Yesterday, they replied back. There are no job openings at present.

Noooooooooooo!!!

Comments

Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Bookstores, museum or zoo gift shops with a book section, libraries, book-related museums, publishers, book printers, author collectives ... that's off the top of my head. You might also look around your area to see if there is a gap that you could fill. Sometimes if there isn't a job opening, it's easier to create a new job for yourself that meets an unmet need. Some folks are getting into book repair or bookbinding as hobbies or home businesses.

Re: Hmm ...

[al28894]

Yeah, I'm starting to see if there's any places around my area where I can branch out and be belated to books. I hope that they accept someone who understands better English than Malay.

Never heard of author collectives! Will try and see if there's one nearby.

Re: Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Yeah, I'm starting to see if there's any places around my area where I can branch out and be belated to books.<<

Good luck with it!

>> I hope that they accept someone who understands better English than Malay. <<

Check areas near tourist or other international traffic. English is a world language, making it highly valuable at, say, an airport bookstore or a downtown museum in a big city.

>> Never heard of author collectives! Will try and see if there's one nearby.<<

An author collective is a group of writers who band together for mutual support. The most common goal is publication, but they may do other things like book signings, tours, readings, workshops, and so on. It's a huge advantage to have a group of folks writing about related topics, especially if those are underserved by mainstream media. So for instance, a lot of early women's literature was published that way because men wouldn't touch it.

The challenge is that, well, most writers want to spend their time writing. A collective may or may not have someone who is also good at and interested in proofreading, content editing, layouts, or other parts of the publishing process. The bigger the collective, the more likely they need someone to coordinate things like press releases, schedules, a website and social media, phone calls with a printer, etc. Your corporate background could serve you very well in that regard. Think about things you already know how to do that would be useful in that context, so you can shape a pitch around them. At least here in America, writer collectives are commonly found near universities or other creative centers, but any big city may have them. Conversely artist colonies, writer retreats, or other off-the-beaten-path communities sometimes have them.

The main idea is to spend time around people who love books, and keep your ear open for problems they are having that you could solve.