My Reading Habits

I read. A lot. In fact, as the Submissions Editor of a publishing house, you’d be hard-pressed to find me without a book or Kindle in my hand. And that’s because I am privileged with the opportunity to read the many wonderful manuscripts submitted to Pantera Press! 

via GIPHY

Sometimes I get asked if I had to change my name for the job. Wouldn’t that be the ultimate prerequisite? But I must dispel this rumour. Like the wand chooses the wizard, and the thug lyf chooses the thug, so too does the name choose the occupation (apologies to all the Smiths out there – I hope you’re good with your hands).  

But in all seriousness, reading has always been second nature to me, an interest both educational as it is pleasure, a passion that is enlightening as it is polarising. Simply put, reading allows me to connect with human experience through one of the most poignant art forms. 

As you can imagine, there are all kinds of genres, styles and voices I come into contact with each day. And that’s what I really treasure – the fact that each and every submission is truly unique and takes me to worlds unknown. I’m reading at all times of the day and night; I’m reading in the office, at home in bed, on the train, at the beach, in the park, at an awkward extended-family get-together (can you blame me?) – you name it, I’ve read there.

In many ways, reading and reviewing submissions is like being an actor. I revel in the subjectivities of literature, the many pairs of shoes I get to try on each day, the range of characters I meet along the way. Sometimes I find myself reading dramatic dialogue aloud in my best character impressions, other times I’m listening to music that I feel encapsulates the tonal essence of the work. 

And like an actor approaching a new role, the most important part of reading a manuscript, for me, is being open to, and without judgment of anything I may initially find alien within the work; to any character, context or theme I don’t immediately understand or relate to. After all, books are emotional objects that allow humankind to empathise with and gain a better understanding of the world.

The job is a dream, in both a literal and metaphysical sense. I am constantly dreaming about the potential of each book I encounter. Most often I’m reading at least two manuscripts at once, swapping between them, many times finding one ‘pulls’ me more. During my read (and after I’ve put it down) I’m imagining the cover art, the way it looks on bookshelves, who’s buying it, even the motion picture adaptation of the novel! I can hear excited reviews of the story, the voice of its audiobook narrator, the author on the radio and the buzzing excitement of their fans. I’m not just looking at what the story is, but also what it could be. 

During this process, I’m also religiously recording my thoughts in a journal so important it rivals even Miranda Priestly’s The Book. The pages become a mood board of sorts, and are extremely messy (an organised mess, if you ask me). These notes are crucial, as they allow me to revisit just about every thought I had while reading a narrative, and serve as a basis for when I pitch the submission to the rest of the team. Because when I come across a great piece of writing, you can bet I’ll fight for its publication!

So if you’ve written a manuscript that can ‘wow’ me, please submit your work to Submit@PanteraPress.com!