As a neurodivergent person, these videos about the norms, culture, and expectations in publishing are SO helpful. This industry acumen does not come easily to me and I am chronically embarrassing myself in social situations lol. I really do feel better equipped to not make a fool of myself 😂 thank you book auntie 📚
Generally I think someone (not me haha) should create a "Millennial to Gen Z" bridge program just for communicating corporate business norms in a chill, but direct way! I've heard things are... slightly rough rn w/ a lot of new hires.
@@AlexaDonneare you familiar with Avatar the Last Airbender? It’s a kid tv show but it has a lot of great writing and a great magic system. I think you’d like it.
What you said about being mindful of how you speak to whoever your point of contact with the publishing company is advice that can extend to any worker within a large enough company. I've worked in several public facing roles and it absolutely sucks to be on the recieving end of angry and frustrated members of the public when the reason for their frustration is entirely out of my hands. The vast majority of the time all I've been able to do is forward the complaints to the relevant people who can actually act on them. Even when you are speaking with someone in a complaints department who can actually resolve the issue, they aren't the person who caused the issue even if they are currently representing the larger corporate entity that did screw up. It's always worth taking a moment to breath and reminding yourself that in the moment you are communicating with another person and not a faceless corporate entity
i would honestly listen to you talk about and explain this stuff for HOURS, it helps a lot of things make more sense for me! i think specifically because im really used to the way you speak, from years of watching your videos. i really appreciate this topic! id love to hear more, esp since im someone who really struggles with this kind of stuff due to being autistic
I have experience working finance in a marketing/finance business as well as finance in healthcare, I've been the one in the positions of those corporate employees and your insight helps me understand them better and relate to them better. PnL's, marketing, budgets, overhead, revenue cycles, ect I'm all too familiar with and have been frustrated with for my corporate career. I'm wanting to pursue traditional publishing myself and this video I've saved to my "I Promise I'm Just a Writer" playlist to save as part of my toolbox. Thank you for being you!
Thank you for your insight! These things are learned through experience so thank you for sharing this. I am a young teacher transitioning to the corporate world and writing as a hobby.
As someone "high up in the funnel" this is great. Having to teach my new employees HOW to email is a task in itself. I get HUNDREDS of email a day, and any email I get more than a short paragraph is going to get bottom priority. I'd so much rather get a one line email that's as dry as the SAHARA but that tells me what I needed to know than a multiple paragraph epitaph detailing everything that led up to the current item with all the niceties of a Victorian garden party invitation.
Alexia most of this is excellent advice for any business or business-like correspondence. Maybe you should write a book on business communication etiquette! Well done
It's the same as any job, if you are dealing with a co-worker or customer and they are being a birch or a Karen for no reason, they will be ignored. Whether the customer is right or not, there are ways of dealing with things without shouting like a horn. It is easy to be calm and nice, it all falls into place, it runs a lot smoother for everyone. Speeding up stuff just creates a paradox that causes everything to slow down. It is a good idea to take your time as you will be here for a while.
Your video was very helpful for me to understanding the big corporate publishing world. I can see it would not be a good fit for me when I'm ready to publish my work. I do not share your views on capabilities. However, I do work in media on the ground level. The companys clients tend to over share information on the back channels that can be entertaining.
While watching this video and your last video I kept thinking that these are GODSENDS. Groups of people like authors, who are more likely than average to be neurodivergent, socially naïve or unskilled (and have the attendant marginalisations that will make them less familiar with corporate norms etc. etc.) badly need these skills but often don’t have them. Making this sort of advice freely available levels the playing field in a way I've genuinely never seen before from writing advice. Thank you for all the work you do. 😄
Please make a video on what makes an editor incompetent at their job. I think most are obviously busy and overwhelmed, but at times, it feels like there's a lot of gaslighting and excuses going on, and it's difficult to distinguish these too for us authors. We're always told to be easy to work with and not burn bridges, and this gives some bad actors an excuse to treat us poorly.
I work in Corporate Finance and this really resonates with my job. Especially the comment about CCing someone's boss. Luckily my Boss is wonderful and will immediately defer to me and you will be on my shit list for forever.
Pro-tip: when writing the angry/upset/zinger of an email response write it in a new email and DO NOT enter anything in the recipient field. This prevents you from screwing up in the heat of the moment and sending it before you've had a chance to cool down. Also prevents Outlook/GSuite from helping and automagically sending it on your behalf. When you've penned said screed, let it sit in drafts for at least 30 minutes or an hour (though my preference is overnight for the ones that really get me), and then revisit it when perhaps some of the steam has dissipated. Doesn't solve everything, but usually helps quite a bit.
I've beem in my industry for 16 years, in my current role for 3. I know what's going to get me fired, I know what answer to get someone off my back. These skills are just as important as the technical skills. My favourite email to send when someone complains about delays is "It's with an internal team. I will provide an update when I receive one." I use this sometimes even if I am the one responsible for the next step. Our corporate policy is not to apologize but rather use "let's make this right"; never use the word "unfortunately".
Gotta love when people harp on capitalism when they're really talking about human greed. Human greed is the issue that plagues every system of economics and always has.
heyyyy i m 13 and i m gong to publish my first novel in around 2 months.. i wanted to ask if this pacing was right. here's a extract- “Dude, what’s your problem? I’ll tell Mom it was just a joke!” I shouted, panicking. We had only 30 minutes left before we had to leave for school. Without a word, Asher quickly hid his face and bolted into the bathroom. Confused, I walked over to the cupboard to get dressed. That’s when something caught my eye. There was a damp spot under Asher’s pillow. So, he was crying all this time? The thought hit me hard, and guilt began creeping in. But just as my mind started to spiral, a sudden shriek from Aunt Bea snapped me out of it. I bolted downstairs, and Mom and I rushed into the kitchen. “What happened, Aunt Bea?!” I asked, my heart pounding. “What’s going on, Bea? What’s all this noise?!” Mom demanded, equally frantic. Rio flew in, babbling in incomprehensible gibberish. Before we could make sense of anything, Dad rushed in behind us, his face pale with worry. “What happened?!” he asked, fear in his voice. Aunt Bea pointed at Rio, her face red with anger. “That stupid bird just pooped in my favorite, special, legendary stew!” An awkward silence hung in the air as we all stared at Rio, who seemed completely unfazed by the chaos. “Really, Aunt Bea? That’s why you screamed so loudly and woke up the whole neighborhood?” Mom asked, clearly frustrated. “Can’t you just make it again?” Dad chimed in. “Yeah, you old hag,” Rio added, squawking from his perch. Unable to contain my laughter, I sprinted upstairs and buried my face in a pillow, laughing uncontrollably. Tension filled the air as Aunt Bea argued with Mom, while Dad sighed in the background, trying to stay out of it. Rio firmly sided with Mom, echoing her points with a calm "yes" each time she spoke. This only fueled Aunt Bea’s anger, her face turning red with frustration. Then, without warning, she snapped, "I don’t want that bird in my house, and no one’s getting lunch today!" Her voice cracked with emotion as she stormed off to her bedroom, leaving a heavy silence in her wake. Aw man, I thought. I really liked the stew, and now we'd be stuck with some lousy canteen food. Asher came out, curious, and asked, "What’s going on?" I explained everything, and he couldn’t hold it in any longer-he started laughing. "Man, I love that bird," he said between chuckles. "The way it gets on Aunt Bea’s nerves is priceless." He kept laughing so hard that he had to catch his breath. I shook my head, trying to hide a smile, and headed downstairs to pack our bags. just provide some feedback for improvement somewhere:)
☿Rx♍ Really helpful video, and what great timing! This is so useful for any kind of communication, especially that part about streamlining emails. One of my own weaknesses.
Being mindful of what I say? Ha. I am so bad at that. I speak my mind alwayss. Anyway. The publishing house is like a game, you navigate the levels, gain and collect stuff as you deal with all sorts until you come to the final boss.
Hi everyone, hi Alexa. I watched all your videos in which you talked about fanfiction and word count, and how word count matters, and how to make your book longer or shorter depending on your problem. I am a fanfiction writer, I am 30-years-old and even if, in this video, you don't talk about fanfiction, it's your most recent one, so I deided to ask a question even if I'm out of topic. I apologize for that, but I really need to know. Is anyone writing fanfiction here? Do you think that word count matters even in longfiction? I have a longfiction and all the plot written, all the haracters, the setting, and the plot is grounded. I am at the bginning of chapter 23 now and I'm at 133,257 words. Do you think that word count matters even if you post stories online and even if your plot is strong?
Not Alexa but I'll throw in my 2c. I think so long as the story is progressing and you have an idea where you're going you can write as much as you want. Fanfic is a different medium. Some people only write for themselves, some people write for an audience. If you're writing for an audience, take their feedback into account
I am wondering why it is so difficult to find an agent. You have to buy a VERY expensive (in my country) book to get agent details. Why do agents not just advertise themselves on the net - writers are their bread and butter afterall.
![Megan Thee Stallion - Mamushi (Remix) [feat. TWICE] [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5c0_u9PsrsQ/mqdefault.jpg)
As a neurodivergent person, these videos about the norms, culture, and expectations in publishing are SO helpful. This industry acumen does not come easily to me and I am chronically embarrassing myself in social situations lol. I really do feel better equipped to not make a fool of myself 😂 thank you book auntie 📚
I've worked in corporate for 15 years as well. This video should be mandatory training material for new hires! This is so on-point! ❤
Generally I think someone (not me haha) should create a "Millennial to Gen Z" bridge program just for communicating corporate business norms in a chill, but direct way! I've heard things are... slightly rough rn w/ a lot of new hires.
@@AlexaDonneare you familiar with Avatar the Last Airbender? It’s a kid tv show but it has a lot of great writing and a great magic system. I think you’d like it.
What you said about being mindful of how you speak to whoever your point of contact with the publishing company is advice that can extend to any worker within a large enough company. I've worked in several public facing roles and it absolutely sucks to be on the recieving end of angry and frustrated members of the public when the reason for their frustration is entirely out of my hands. The vast majority of the time all I've been able to do is forward the complaints to the relevant people who can actually act on them. Even when you are speaking with someone in a complaints department who can actually resolve the issue, they aren't the person who caused the issue even if they are currently representing the larger corporate entity that did screw up. It's always worth taking a moment to breath and reminding yourself that in the moment you are communicating with another person and not a faceless corporate entity
i would honestly listen to you talk about and explain this stuff for HOURS, it helps a lot of things make more sense for me! i think specifically because im really used to the way you speak, from years of watching your videos. i really appreciate this topic! id love to hear more, esp since im someone who really struggles with this kind of stuff due to being autistic
Alexa you are SPOILING us and I am HERE for it!! Thank you for another video :)))
As a writer who is also a middle manager in corporate finance a lot of this hit home for me.
Incredibly helpful video! Thank you for sharing 🙏
I have experience working finance in a marketing/finance business as well as finance in healthcare, I've been the one in the positions of those corporate employees and your insight helps me understand them better and relate to them better. PnL's, marketing, budgets, overhead, revenue cycles, ect I'm all too familiar with and have been frustrated with for my corporate career.
I'm wanting to pursue traditional publishing myself and this video I've saved to my "I Promise I'm Just a Writer" playlist to save as part of my toolbox. Thank you for being you!
Great video, really sensible advice. Thanks Alexa.
Interesting topics I haven’t heard anyone touch on before!
Thank you for your insight! These things are learned through experience so thank you for sharing this. I am a young teacher transitioning to the corporate world and writing as a hobby.
As someone "high up in the funnel" this is great. Having to teach my new employees HOW to email is a task in itself. I get HUNDREDS of email a day, and any email I get more than a short paragraph is going to get bottom priority. I'd so much rather get a one line email that's as dry as the SAHARA but that tells me what I needed to know than a multiple paragraph epitaph detailing everything that led up to the current item with all the niceties of a Victorian garden party invitation.
I can’t wait until your next upload! ❤❤❤ new subbie
I've been looking for a video like this for a while!
this is incredibly helpful, thank you!
Alexia most of this is excellent advice for any business or business-like correspondence. Maybe you should write a book on business communication etiquette! Well done
YESSSS I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!!!!
It's the same as any job, if you are dealing with a co-worker or customer and they are being a birch or a Karen for no reason, they will be ignored. Whether the customer is right or not, there are ways of dealing with things without shouting like a horn. It is easy to be calm and nice, it all falls into place, it runs a lot smoother for everyone. Speeding up stuff just creates a paradox that causes everything to slow down. It is a good idea to take your time as you will be here for a while.
Your video was very helpful for me to understanding the big corporate publishing world.
I can see it would not be a good fit for me when I'm ready to publish my work. I do not share your views on capabilities.
However, I do work in media on the ground level.
The companys clients tend to over share information on the back channels that can be entertaining.
While watching this video and your last video I kept thinking that these are GODSENDS. Groups of people like authors, who are more likely than average to be neurodivergent, socially naïve or unskilled (and have the attendant marginalisations that will make them less familiar with corporate norms etc. etc.) badly need these skills but often don’t have them. Making this sort of advice freely available levels the playing field in a way I've genuinely never seen before from writing advice. Thank you for all the work you do. 😄
Alexa videos are the HIGHLIGHT of my day 😊
Please make a video on what makes an editor incompetent at their job. I think most are obviously busy and overwhelmed, but at times, it feels like there's a lot of gaslighting and excuses going on, and it's difficult to distinguish these too for us authors. We're always told to be easy to work with and not burn bridges, and this gives some bad actors an excuse to treat us poorly.
I work in Corporate Finance and this really resonates with my job. Especially the comment about CCing someone's boss. Luckily my Boss is wonderful and will immediately defer to me and you will be on my shit list for forever.
When I tell you this video couldn’t have come at a better time 😭
46 minute video HOLY GUACAOMOLE LETS GO
Pro-tip: when writing the angry/upset/zinger of an email response write it in a new email and DO NOT enter anything in the recipient field. This prevents you from screwing up in the heat of the moment and sending it before you've had a chance to cool down. Also prevents Outlook/GSuite from helping and automagically sending it on your behalf.
When you've penned said screed, let it sit in drafts for at least 30 minutes or an hour (though my preference is overnight for the ones that really get me), and then revisit it when perhaps some of the steam has dissipated. Doesn't solve everything, but usually helps quite a bit.
I've beem in my industry for 16 years, in my current role for 3. I know what's going to get me fired, I know what answer to get someone off my back. These skills are just as important as the technical skills. My favourite email to send when someone complains about delays is "It's with an internal team. I will provide an update when I receive one." I use this sometimes even if I am the one responsible for the next step. Our corporate policy is not to apologize but rather use "let's make this right"; never use the word "unfortunately".
29:37 Yeah, be careful on how you treat people on your way up because you WILL meet them again on the way down and it can be a very bumpy road.
Gotta love when people harp on capitalism when they're really talking about human greed. Human greed is the issue that plagues every system of economics and always has.
Amen. I don't think they really mean capitalism per se, it's more of a catchy word that means "all dem corporations we hate." Corporate greed.
heyyyy i m 13 and i m gong to publish my first novel in around 2 months.. i wanted to ask if this pacing was right. here's a extract- “Dude, what’s your problem? I’ll tell Mom it was just a joke!” I shouted, panicking. We had only 30 minutes left before we had to leave for school.
Without a word, Asher quickly hid his face and bolted into the bathroom. Confused, I walked over to the cupboard to get dressed. That’s when something caught my eye. There was a damp spot under Asher’s pillow.
So, he was crying all this time? The thought hit me hard, and guilt began creeping in. But just as my mind started to spiral, a sudden shriek from Aunt Bea snapped me out of it.
I bolted downstairs, and Mom and I rushed into the kitchen. “What happened, Aunt Bea?!” I asked, my heart pounding.
“What’s going on, Bea? What’s all this noise?!” Mom demanded, equally frantic.
Rio flew in, babbling in incomprehensible gibberish. Before we could make sense of anything, Dad rushed in behind us, his face pale with worry. “What happened?!” he asked, fear in his voice.
Aunt Bea pointed at Rio, her face red with anger. “That stupid bird just pooped in my favorite, special, legendary stew!”
An awkward silence hung in the air as we all stared at Rio, who seemed completely unfazed by the chaos.
“Really, Aunt Bea? That’s why you screamed so loudly and woke up the whole neighborhood?” Mom asked, clearly frustrated.
“Can’t you just make it again?” Dad chimed in.
“Yeah, you old hag,” Rio added, squawking from his perch.
Unable to contain my laughter, I sprinted upstairs and buried my face in a pillow, laughing uncontrollably.
Tension filled the air as Aunt Bea argued with Mom, while Dad sighed in the background, trying to stay out of it. Rio firmly sided with Mom, echoing her points with a calm "yes" each time she spoke. This only fueled Aunt Bea’s anger, her face turning red with frustration. Then, without warning, she snapped, "I don’t want that bird in my house, and no one’s getting lunch today!" Her voice cracked with emotion as she stormed off to her bedroom, leaving a heavy silence in her wake.
Aw man, I thought. I really liked the stew, and now we'd be stuck with some lousy canteen food. Asher came out, curious, and asked, "What’s going on?"
I explained everything, and he couldn’t hold it in any longer-he started laughing. "Man, I love that bird," he said between chuckles. "The way it gets on Aunt Bea’s nerves is priceless."
He kept laughing so hard that he had to catch his breath. I shook my head, trying to hide a smile, and headed downstairs to pack our bags. just provide some feedback for improvement somewhere:)
As a corporate girly who also writes the cc a person's boss made me laugh
I have one "coworker" that we have to cc their boss to get anything done 😂
Ha I mean inter-office I totally get it. We all have those for SURE. The key, of course, is to play it off super innocently of course :P
@AlexaDonne oh yes and to get away with it I always add my lead and my supervisor cuz hey why not make it look like protocol while I'm at 🤭
☿Rx♍ Really helpful video, and what great timing! This is so useful for any kind of communication, especially that part about streamlining emails. One of my own weaknesses.
Being mindful of what I say? Ha. I am so bad at that. I speak my mind alwayss. Anyway. The publishing house is like a game, you navigate the levels, gain and collect stuff as you deal with all sorts until you come to the final boss.
🤪 sounds crazy
Hi everyone, hi Alexa. I watched all your videos in which you talked about fanfiction and word count, and how word count matters, and how to make your book longer or shorter depending on your problem. I am a fanfiction writer, I am 30-years-old and even if, in this video, you don't talk about fanfiction, it's your most recent one, so I deided to ask a question even if I'm out of topic. I apologize for that, but I really need to know. Is anyone writing fanfiction here? Do you think that word count matters even in longfiction? I have a longfiction and all the plot written, all the haracters, the setting, and the plot is grounded. I am at the bginning of chapter 23 now and I'm at 133,257 words. Do you think that word count matters even if you post stories online and even if your plot is strong?
Not Alexa but I'll throw in my 2c. I think so long as the story is progressing and you have an idea where you're going you can write as much as you want. Fanfic is a different medium. Some people only write for themselves, some people write for an audience. If you're writing for an audience, take their feedback into account
✍
I am wondering why it is so difficult to find an agent. You have to buy a VERY expensive (in my country) book to get agent details. Why do agents not just advertise themselves on the net - writers are their bread and butter afterall.
i love your takes on this side of publishing. You sound amazing at your corporate girlie job.