Olivia Walker

I’ve been a reader my whole life. My mom is a school librarian, so books were a big part of my childhood. I have three older brothers who would spend hours reading to me when I was a baby, and as soon as I turned eight, my dad would read The Hobbit and Harry Potter to me after school. Words are so special to me, and many beautiful sentences have changed my life.

When I was in second grade I read School Story by Andrew Clements, and discovered reading could be a career. The main character’s mom is a children’s publisher, and when I learned that was a real job, I made editing my goal.

Once I knew I wanted to pursue a career in books, I decided to study publishing and journalism at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Belmont’s publishing program has allowed me to learn both the editorial and marketing sides of the publishing industry, and apply my skills to real-life scenarios. I have edited manuscripts and short stories, designed websites and social media graphics, practiced AP and Chicago Manuals of Style, created press kits, composed pitches, and made countless connections to people in the industry, all while I was an undergraduate.

Belmont is incredibly experienced based, and as a publishing and journalism student, I worked on student publications like The Vision, Belmont’s news site, and The Belmont Story Review, the literary journal. I also earned the opportunity to intern for Ami McConnell, an editor, ghostwriter, podcast producer, and more, and her literary conference WriterFest Nashville, an annual conference for writers of book, song, and screen. I went on to be the administrative coordinator for the 2024 conference, where I handled scheduling, website design, oversaw marketing and publicity, and made sure the weekend ran smoothly.

As a senior I participated in the Belmont East program, where I spent my final semester living, studying, and interning in New York. I worked for Melville House Publishing in Brooklyn, working with all departments to read submissions, writer reader’s reports, proof copy, pitch marketing ideas, build the influencer program, and write bookclub discussions. My time at Melville House allowed me to work on every step of the publication process, and I was able to help acquire Smoke Kings by Jamal Mayfield, a NYT Top 100 Book of 2024, compile and edit for the Last Interview series (Octavia Butler, Jimmy Carter, and David Graeber), and work on numerous titles, including Flux by Jinwoo Chong, Relentless Melt by Jeremy P. Bushnell, The Dead Are Gods by Eirinie Carson, and more.

After graduation I returned to my local independent bookstore, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, where I had been a bookseller for two years, and continued my employment, shifting to operations. As bookseller of four years, I gained an intimate knowledge of book trends and what types of marketing campaigns work on consumers. As an operations worker, I have seen what titles and trends book buyers order in quantity, which author events do well, and what titles ultimately get returned to the publisher. Through talking to customers, I have heard what stories they want to read and what trends they are sick of seeing. Most importantly, I have seen where customers are getting their title recommendations, and I know how to market to the media they are consuming.

Now I am actively freelancing as an editor and website designer and I am looking for a full-time career in publishing! I currently live in Cincinnati, OH, but plan to move to a city commutable to New York within the year, where I will be able to pursue publishing more freely. I read two or three books a week on average, and review advanced copies when I can. Books are my happy place, and I am thrilled that I have the honor to work with them every day.