Behind the Books Bi-Weekly Update 20 April 2026

Hello! This is my bi-weekly update on publishing. I hope you haven’t missed me too much, but here I am again with another catch-up for all you wonderful people who are dying to get into the industry just as much as I am. So, without further ado, here’s another segment of the blind leading the blind!

This last week was a fun one, and I don’t get to say that often. A lot happened, not all publishing-wise, but publishing-adjacent.

First things first: a small but very pleasant thing in what has been a fairly bleak job market. I applied for a role with TLC (The Literary Consultancy). I wasn’t successful, however I received an email a few weeks later letting me know that although I hadn’t been selected, they were hosting a free one-hour training webinar, ‘Cover Letter 101’, for literary job-seekers.

In the session, they shared key insights from the application round: what worked, what didn’t work as well, and advice for writing a strong covering letter. I attended, and the host was genuinely lovely, supportive, and helpful.

I also want to credit TLC for doing this, because in the current job market you often don’t even receive a rejection, just silence, leaving you to assume the outcome weeks later. So to receive feedback, and an opportunity to learn from it, feels rare. Considering how much effort goes into applications, it was encouraging to see that effort acknowledged and returned in some way.

I already posted this next one on my LinkedIn, but of course I can’t not include it here. If you read the last Behind the Books, you will already know that I was asked by the social media manager at Wordsworth Classics to get some hands-on experience creating an aesthetic calendar for their team. The project highlighted significant author birthdays, key literary dates and events, and upcoming classic film releases.

I sent it over to her and the team loved it, which I was so pleased about. It was also really rewarding to know my initiative will be used internally across their marketing and social media.

A definite highlight was being gifted a selection of books of my own choosing, which was a lovely gesture from the team. One of these was The Odyssey by Homer, as I was also asked to write their next blog post: a review of the novel in anticipation of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation. So, stay tuned!

And finally, the perks of the London Book Fair seem never-ending. I met someone there who I’ve since stayed in touch with and become friends with. She is a Publishing Coordinator at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. When we met, she mentioned she is also a self-published author, with her book set to release in October this year, titled The Blood On Our Hands.

We got talking about it because I mentioned my favourite novel is Frankenstein, which she also loves. Her book is partly inspired by it, as well as by late 18th-century literature and science.

One thing led to another, and she invited me to the Hunterian Museum and Collection, which holds around 650 manuscripts, 10,000 printed books, and 15,000 anatomical and natural history specimens.

I was able to view some incredibly well-preserved historical texts originally used to educate doctors and scientists and expand medical knowledge. The museum itself, inspired by William Hunter, a leading teacher of anatomy and one of the most outstanding obstetricians of his time, was fascinating to explore.

Interestingly, Guillermo del Toro also drew inspiration from the museum for Frankenstein (2025), describing it as a place that “opens new horizons both narratively and in terms of science and imagination.” Certain elements, such as the anatomical table in the film, were directly influenced by real preparations held in the collection.

I also met a member of staff at the museum who spoke about volunteering opportunities and possible routes into other roles, which I will be looking into further. And overall, it was just a lovely day, great to get out of the house and nice to do something different and fulfilling.

And to all my lost bookworms,

Stay Steadfast x