For The Love Of Books

Kristina Deusch began her journey at Concordia as a liberal studies major. As she explored the worlds of history, music, theology, and literature, she realized that her true calling was literature. Studying the classics deepened her adoration for the written word, leading her to become a consultant at the Writing Studio on campus, where she worked with students on the revision process for their papers. Deusch’s love for English only grew when she decided to spend her semester abroad “[wandering] among the ‘dreaming spires’ of Oxford,” and taking in the surroundings that were once home to many world-renowned authors.

Susan Bachman, Professor of Rhetoric, instructed Deusch on the history and development of the English language through independent study sessions, pior to her departure for Oxford. “Through her own passion and extraordinary knowledge, she showed me how multiple fields–Literature, Linguistics, Sociology, History, Geography–can be combined together to build a fascinating story,” said Deusch. These discussions with Professor Bachman inspired her to explore literature in ways she had not previously considered. Her recent new-found interest in linguistics and etymology. combined with her passion for learning, made pursuing education beyond her bachelor's degree an obvious choice.

I love gathering and organizing all the little details of my job to watch everything come together to produce a piece of work that is beautiful both inside and out."

As graduation approached, Deusch became interested in the publishing industry as a possible career option. She came across the position of “editorial assistant” multiple times during her research of the industry and was intrigued. “Simply based on the job descriptions, positions in editorial departments sounded like they contained work most connected to the actual content of a book,” said Deusch. “Not only did I want to be involved in the process of making a book, but the assistant work in an editorial department also sounded like a perfect mix of administrative duties and a connection to the manuscript, which fit my desires.”

After considerable thought, Deusch made a decision; a decision to move to New York to pursue her career in publishing. After graduation, she applied to the extremely competitive Summer Publishing Institute, hosted by NYU. The skills Deusch had acquired as an undergraduate impressed the admissions team and she soon found herself walking into her NYU dorm room.

“SPI basically consists of days filled with workshops, strategy sessions and presentations given by guest speakers from various media companies across New York City. At the same time, students develop their own projects which are presented and critiqued at the end of each three-week session,” said Deusch. The students were made aware that the publishing job market was extremely competitive and many students might still be searching for jobs in the field months after the program’s completion.

Soon after completing the program, however, Deusch landed a job as Editorial Assistant at Cambridge University Press in New York. “I work with great people–my authors, fellow editorial assistants, and very kind bosses–and I’m proud to be a part of the oldest academic press in the world, which has a commitment to publishing high quality academic work,” said Deusch. As an assistant to three commissioning editors, she helps decide which books the Press should publish. She also helps authors through the entire process of submission, production, and publication.

People don’t work in publishing to make money or find glamour–they work with books because they love books."

However, most of her time is dedicated to sending out book proposals, obtaining contracts from authors, creating cover images and ensuring that advance copies of finalized books are sent to the proper people. “I love gathering and organizing all the little details of my job to watch everything come together to produce a piece of work that is beautiful both inside and out. Something people own, read, and admire.” said Deusch. “People don’t work in publishing to make money or find glamour–they work with books because they love books.”

Her experiences at Concordia University Irvine, such as working in the Writing Studio, writing for the university newspaper and participating in the annual Academic Showcase, made all the difference when it came to impressing potential employers. “Experiences like this are not only an opportunity to show an employer that you were a competent student who excelled amidst challenges, but also to show them how you found various ways to participate in the field of academia which you love,” said Deusch. Through the many opportunities provided by Concordia, she was better prepared to succeed in her professional career at Cambridge University Press.