Lyndsey Ng: 'Never give up and read as widely as you can'
BY Katie Smart
14th Jun 2021
We’re excited to introduce our new part-time Courses Manager Lyndsey Ng!
Lyndsey joins the CBC team after working in book publicity and events. She was previously a Senior Publicity Manager at Hodder & Stoughton. Since then, she has work as Events and Media Manager for Village Books in Dulwich and at the Social Enterprise Leaders Plus. As well as working with us she continues to work as a freelance events consultant.
We caught up with Lyndsey to find out more about her experience of working in the publishing industry and her advice for aspiring authors...
You have years of experience working in book events and publicity at publishing houses Penguin Press and Hodder & Stoughton. What first inspired you to pursue a career in the book world?
I’ve always loved reading and books! My earliest childhood memories are of my parents taking me to our local library every Saturday and letting us borrow as many books as our library cards would allow. As soon as I was able to, I got a weekend job as a bookseller at our local Waterstones and my passion for books took off from there! I always knew that I wanted a career in books/publishing so applied for work experience at every publishing house I knew and was lucky enough to get some work experience at Random House whilst I was at uni. I did work experience in Sales, Editorial and Publicity. I loved the publicity department – it was fun, fast paced and exciting. And then, the rest is history! I’ll always have fond memories of getting my first library card and feeling so grown up choosing all the books I wanted for the weekend.
Do you remember the book that made you fall in love with reading?
Gosh there are so many! The one that sticks with me and I still have a copy of is Milly-Molly-Mandyby Joyce Lankester Brisley. I have such vivid memories of my mum finding a second-hand copy in a charity shop when I was a child, and I was so excited that I got to keep the book. I think I still have a copy on my bookshelves!
What’s been your favourite book of 2021 so far?
I loved Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers. Clare’s editor sent me a copy of the book earlier on this year and I read it in about three days. I loved the writing, the setting of the book and the hope that ran through every page. It got me out of a reading rut and it’s still on my bookstand for me to read again when I have a spare moment.
Who is your favourite fictional character?
I read Saving Missy by Beth Morrey during lockdown number one, and it made my cry (in the best possible way!). I loved Missy Carmichael – she was grumpy and cantankerous but with the friendship of two strangers she began to come out of her shell, find a new life for herself and make peace with the past.
What’s a memorable book campaign that you’ve worked on?
It’s hard to choose just one! I’ve worked on so many great fiction and non-fiction campaigns. The one that really stood out to me and that I am really proud of was launching the JM Originals list within John Murray Press. The aim of the imprint was for it to be a space where John Murray Press could take a risk on books and where hunches could be backed. It felt like a bold thing to be doing at the time. We worked with the Reading Agency to take the authors on a library tour across the UK, where they could meet readers, talking more about their writing career and what it was like to be a published author. It was a proud moment for all of us when the first copies arrived!
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Never give up and read as widely as you can, even if it is out of the genre you want to write for. There is so much to learn from other people and reading a book which is out of what you would normally read.
What are you most looking forward to about your new role here at CBC?
Being back in the publishing world and using my experience of working in a book PR department and as an Events Manager to help authors produce the best work they can. And of course, hearing the news that our students have secured an agent and book deal!
We hope you'll join us in welcoming Lyndsey to the CBC team! Our alumni and current students will be hearing a lot more from Lyndsey in the coming months, and we know you'll benefit from her experience.