Lorena Jones
Publishing Director
Chronicle Books
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Realizing I could write well in a rhetoric class at Cal.
Did a summer internship at my hometown newspaper, but the work was too impermanent for me.
Realized I loved my work study job in the library because I loved being around books ALL the time.
Wrote a young editor at Chronicle Books (who became a bestselling author), to ask for an internship.
Discovered I loved the creativity and many skills that go into making visual books.
Used my internship to get my first salaried editorial asst job in (of all places) Texas.
Got a mid-level editorial job at a Bay Area indie publisher, where I worked my way up to publisher.
Returned to Chronicle as a Publishing Director 18 yrs after I started there as a college intern.
Education
High School
Career
Publishing Director
I develop, edit and publish nonfiction books people love to use and keep.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Writing
Business
Being Creative
Day to Day
I think about how ideas and authors' talents can be developed into unique, defined, competitive, and commercial projects. I write colleagues in house and in the industry, explaining the next steps, creative concepts, marketing positioning, strategy. I prospect, pitch, and close deals and negotiate terms. I think about and implement a business strategy for about 75 titles / year that we're publishing on the two lists I direct. I get to be entrepreneurial and creative! I love it all.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for middle school students
Write all the time. Read all the time. Read stuff you wouldn't normally read. Join or start a book club so you can talk about books. Write your relatives and friends real letters and tell them the details that don't make it onto Facebook. Develop your creative story-telling abilities. All of life is about telling stories in many forms.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"You should go into political science or law because you have drive and are a compelling communicator. If you're an English major you can be a teacher, but you'll never make any money."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
