Blogging for Love (and Maybe Money)

Bloggers Sarah Wendell, Jennifer Hart, David Gutowski, Rachel Deahl and Sarah Weinman at NYU's Summer Publishing Institute

“When it comes to social media, I fly by seat-of-your-pants airlines. I have a lot of miles there,” quipped Sarah Wendell, who runs the well-known book blog Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.  Wendell was participating in a blogging panel at the NYU-SCPS Summer Publishing Institute.  The moderator was Sarah Weinman, who created the blog Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind (currently on hiatus) and is now a reporter for Publishers Lunch. Under her deft guidance, the conversation turned to the need to change and adapt to a constantly evolving online landscape. Four bloggers, who came from all corners of the publishing and blogging landscape, were eager to share their thoughts.

When asked how publishers’ relationships to bloggers have changed in the last ten years, Jennifer Hart, Vice President and Associate Publisher of HarperCollins and the creator of the blog Book Club Girl, didn’t hesitate with her answer: “Tremendously!” she said, noting that bloggers are invited to parties, author events and receive galley copies. “Publishers really rely on them to be our word of mouth in the world.”

The Other Side of Publishing: Alternatives to Corporate Life

Ami Greko, Rebecca Fitting, Lorraine Shanley (back), David Nudo, Sandi Mendelson

As the Summer Publishing Institute wound down and students scrambled to complete projects and find jobs, an esteemed panel of publishing entrepreneurs helped to put everything in perspective. “We are all in this room because we are passionate about communication,” said panelist David Nudo, former publisher of Publishers Weekly and co-founder of Literati-A-Go-Go, validating every student’s desire to go into publishing. By sharing stories of their own career trajectories and advice on how to build a successful career, each of the panelists offered a refreshing look at what it means to be a part of the publishing industry in this new digital age.

Spotlight on M.S. Publishing Alumni

Three notable graduates of the NYU M.S. in  Publishing program recently spoke with current student Seth Harris, a digital business development analyst at Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., about their newest roles within the publishing industry. They also discussed how they are applying aspects of the program to their current jobs, and advice for new and current students.

Till Wirth was recently promoted at Random House.

Till Wirth recently was promoted to manager of digital content and product development at Random House Children’s Books. He began working at Random House as an intern while a graduate student in publishing at NYU, where he received the program’ s Oscar Dystel Fellowship and  2008 Excellence in Achievement Award in Book Publishing. Before coming to New York, Wirth managed his family’s book publishing house in Germany.