Q&A: Pamela Ponciano, Sales Operations Assistant at Bloomsbury

For Work in Publishing Week 2025, we're sharing stories from people who are in the early years of their publishing careers. Here we catch up with Pamela Ponciano, Sales Operations Assistant at Bloomsbury.

What’s the story of how you found your way into publishing?

I studied Korean and Linguistics at university and admittedly, I never considered a career in publishing. I knew I wanted a job in the creative/arts field and perhaps it was naïve for me to go through university without really thinking about what I wanted to do once I graduated, but my last year was 2020 and no one expected for that year to go the way it did, so any plans I had then were pretty much up in the air.

Back then, the only work experience I had was retail-based so I found it difficult to navigate the professional world of work, as I was unsure of how to present my skills on paper in a way that it was relevant to the roles I was looking to apply for. From reading through hundreds of job descriptions, taking certain phrases and buzzwords to help construct my CV certainly helped with building my ‘professional identity’.

It always helps to remember that there are no stupid questions and everyone started somewhere.

In 2021, about a year after graduating, I landed my first job as a UK & Export Sales Assistant at Ryland Peters & Small! They are an independent, non-fiction publisher and I am so proud with all that I achieved whilst working there. During my three years at RPS, I really got to know what it took to publish a book. I worked closely with various departments like publicity, production and editorial, and found out what they do to contribute to the final product.

It did help that everyone was so accommodating and friendly, and were always open to teaching a newbie like me about their role and the publishing industry. It always helps to remember that there are no stupid questions and everyone started somewhere. It was truly a rewarding role, especially when I saw our books overseas in Poland, in stores as big as Waterstones, or even the indies like Bookends in the Lake District. Like, I really did that! I arrived at RPS feeling unsure and insecure but left as a confident and conscientious person, ready to take on more. This brings me to where I am now!

To give a bit of insight into my role, we maintain stock availability through sales and stock data analysis, liaise with the production team on reprint costings, and we are the main link between the company and the warehouse.

I am currently a Sales Operations Assistant at Bloomsbury Publishing – I have been here for over a year now but it honestly feels like I have been here for longer. Jumping from a sales role to a sales operations role wasn’t too bad as there were many overlaps between my responsibilities at RPS and at Bloomsbury. It turns out that I was more interested in the sales operations side, but I still do miss the daily interactions I had with various customers from around the world.

In a span of a year at Bloomsbury, we have had to adapt to using a new warehouse distribution system and also adapt to using a new printer for our mono books. To give a bit of insight into my role, we maintain stock availability through sales and stock data analysis, liaise with the production team on reprint costings, and we are the main link between the company and the warehouse. We have recurring tasks and responsibilities but I never really know what each day will bring. Whilst some days can be challenging, I appreciate that the Operations Team are collaborative and appreciate that we are committed to continuous improvement.

What skill did you find most valuable during your first few months in publishing?

Entering into the world of work, I was unprepared for what was to come. I thought I was already organised but I wasn’t 'corporate girlie' organised. I actually was working with two managers when I was at RPS: the Head of UK Sales and the Export Manager. As you can imagine, I was fumbling about at the beginning, especially when it came to meeting deadlines and just remembering to do recurring tasks during certain times of the month.

Getting myself a diary and colour-coding everything was a big help. In my diary, general tasks were one colour, tasks for UK Sales were a second colour and Export sales tasks were a third colour.

Getting myself a diary and colour-coding everything was a big help. In my diary, general tasks were one colour, tasks for UK Sales were a second colour and Export sales tasks were a third colour. I was paranoid after failing to submit a New Line Form by its deadline so I also logged everything in my Outlook calendar which was also colour coded. Getting this system in place really helped me stay on top of everything. It allows me to expect what kind of workload I would have in the next weeks and months and even prepare for when I am on annual leave.

What’s a part of the publishing process you didn’t even realise existed before you started?

Operations, I fear. Yikes. Now, I realise how vital it is to have a team who co-ordinates stock movement between the printers, warehouses and customers, and manages the inventory.

What’s one experience really stands out from your first year in publishing?

Attending London Book Fair in 2022 was a major highlight for me because it was my first big industry event. I suppose you can compare it to a summer music festival like Glastonbury but for publishing? Most of my time at work is sat at a desk so anything I have to do outside of the office is always exciting. I was able to sit it on meetings, meet customers in-person, and have a little wander round to see what extravagant show the guests of honour were putting on at their stand. Let’s not forget the free tote bags!

No one knows what you’re really capable of besides yourself and the only way to find out is to try ... I’ll ‘train’ by taking on new things, which will ultimately add to my current skill set and develop on certain areas where I am lacking.

This wasn’t in my first year but I also attended Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023, which was definitely something! By this time, I had been given some export accounts, so I had two meetings with customers from Europe. Even though I was nervous, this is a career highlight because it was the first time I was presenting books to customers myself! I remember setting myself homework during the weeks leading up to the Frankfurt Book Fair by making sure to read through the TI (Title Information) to get to know the titles I was selling.

What’s the best piece of unofficial advice you picked up – something no one tells you before you start?

Interestingly, I didn’t receive this piece of advice from anyone in the industry. Rather, it was from a personal trainer at my gym a few years ago. He told me that when I’m at the gym, I should change my mindset to think that I’m training instead of exercising. He explained this further by saying that exercising is what people do to maintain their current fitness levels, but training is where you take it further, ie progressive overload when lifting weights or trying new classes and taking yourself out of your comfort zone.

No one knows what you’re really capable of besides yourself and the only way to find out is to try! I still apply this in my work in that in order to avoid being stagnant, I’ll ‘train’ by taking on new things, which will ultimately add to my current skill set and develop on certain areas where I am lacking.

If your career in publishing were a book title, what would it be – and why?

Sooo cliché but Unexpected. Going into publishing was definitely unexpected as it was never something I considered. It’s unexpected in a way that a few people I went to school with also work in the industry, and I’ve unexpectedly ran into them at LBF, or that I’ve unexpectedly gained some friends from the industry that I regularly keep in contact with. I don’t know if my story would ever be a New York Times bestseller but reaching the Creative Careers Club audience is a start!