SPRING MAY 2022
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
03
From: Krysta Herrera Hello! My name is Krysta, and like you I’m an aspiring publisher. Upon writing this, I am a mere month away from graduation and am both intensely nervous and equally thrilled to enter the professional world. I hadn’t always wanted to go into publishing. In fact it never even occurred to me that this was an option until my second semester of sophomore year, when a professor brought up the summer publishing courses in passing. But then the pandemic started and any opportunity to get internships or any editorial experiences had to be put on the back burner. But from that point on it was all I could dream about doing. But unlike other career paths, this was one that I’d never heard talked about. I wanted this so badly and had no idea where to start. And unfortunately the more I learned, the more impossible it seemed. From the outside, the publishing world seemed to exist within this very exclusive, daunting bubble. I didn’t know who I could reach out to that could answer my questions. I would probably have to move to a new city with very little financial help and no personal connections. And to cap it all off, the industry is overwhelmingly white. As a Mexican woman, seeing only 6% of Latinx/Hispanic people make up the industry is not at all encouraging.
And I want to help you do the same. Ultimately the purpose of this resource is to help aspiring publishers (especially disabled, BIPOC and/or LGTBQ+ groups) earlier in their undergraduate experience, so that you may be confident, knowledgeable and equipped to set your plan in motion. I wish to give a general overview of what I had to teach myself about publishing while being as transparent as possible, so that you may make informed choices and begin preparing earlier and with less hesitation than I did. For those of us who do not make up the majority, it’s tempting to compare our experiences with those of others who may have more advantages or just seem farther ahead in life, and I know this can be so discouraging. It's so easy to try to mimic the paths that others take, but ultimately I emphasize that we will not all take the same path in life, even if we have similar destinations. All we can do is learn from our experiences, take chances, and after we’re armed ourselves with our skills, passion and community, chase after our dreams and embrace the detours. I have no idea where I’ll be in five years, let alone next year. But I can say for certain that the lessons I learn and the people I meet getting there, will help me in whatever I do and whichever direction I go.
How was I supposed to be successful with all of these obstacles? Would I even have a chance of getting my foot in the door?
It’s impossible to go at this alone so I implore you to make connections. There are hundreds of students here at St. Ed’s who you can embrace in your own growing community. You all have unique voices and perspectives that deserve to be heard.
Even so I was determined to do so, and so I threw myself into research, charting my course so that I could reach my goal.
I believe in you. Krysta
