Francesco Sedita on Publishing

Francesco Sedita is an author and publisher at Penguin, where he oversees Penguin Workshop and works with authors like Dolly Parton, Ann Hood, Jessica Hische, and publishes series like WhoHQ, Mad Libs, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Little Engine That Could. The third book in his graphic novel series, The Pathfinders Society, publishes in August 2022. He's produced the Emmy-award winning The Who Was? Show for Netflix and has a podcast called Queens of the Round Table.

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Transcript

Roy Sharples: 0:06

Hello, I'm Roy Sharples, welcome to the unknown origins podcast. Why are you listening to this podcast? Are you seeking inspiration? an industry expert, looking for insights, or growing your career? I created the unknown origins podcast to provide access to insights and content from creators worldwide with inspirational conversations and storytelling, about art, architecture, design, entrepreneurship, fashion, film, music and pop culture. Francesco servita is an author and publisher at Penguin, where he oversees penguin workshop, and works with authors like Dolly Parton, on who, Jessica hichy and publishers ceilings, like pu HQ, Mad Libs, Nancy Drew Harvey boys and little engine that could. The third book in his graphic novel sees the Pathfinder society publishes in August 2022. He's produced the Emmy award winning the who wants to pay for Netflix, and has a podcast called queens of the roundtable. Hello, and welcome Francesco. So what inspired and attracted you to the publishing industry in the first place?

Francesco Sedita: 1:27

It's a great question. Um, you know, I'll be honest with you and say, I didn't want to be in publishing in the beginning I, I was in my early 20s. And I had finished NYU, I went to NYU, and I had an idea for a show that ran that wound up running off off Broadway for about five years. And I lived in East Village, and it was the mid 90s. And I thought, oh, you know, I'm gonna be I'm gonna follow the rent dream, and I'm gonna, you know, be a downtown artist. And you know, the show was actually pretty successful, but of course, made no money. And my parents who are really supportive, wonderful people called me one day, and they're so not these people and said, We met someone. And it turned out that it happened to be the person who had the time pretty much owned Random House. Wow, my parents, my parents never met, my parents weren't like they stayed home. They didn't go Are they really worth like, they were at home a lot. So it was like such a shocking phone call. And the next day, my phone rang, and it was the HR and HR representative from Random House. And I was so pissed. And I went for this interview. And at the time, I had blond hair and lots of piercings. And I wore a ruffled tuxedo, sir, and Navy sailors pants and platform suits, to this interview, this poor poor woman who I walked into her office, and I sat down, and she said, I think you should be in publicity. So So you know, we actually had a great interview, and she was lovely. And then you know, I always tried to find out what her name is, because I feel like I owe her a huge bouquet of flowers or something. And I wound up say, when I'm interviewing the next day, at CONAF, the adult departed the adult division at Random House, and cannot publish is sort of the very sort of cool literary kind of handle a Crim of adult titles for Random House and I met with the person I went working for, and I just sort of fell in love. Right then in there publishing. I was a writer, I'm a writer, I always have been since I'm a kid. And the way that he spoke about books was so exciting to me. And the way that he appreciated books was so exciting to me. And that is actually when I realized there is a career here for me in publishing, as a storyteller and as someone who loves to hear stories. So that's sort of how it began.

Roy Sharples: 3:55

That's fascinating. It sounded like as well, they, it just came out of a trapdoor really unexpected, totally facilitated by your parents, which you said that they were the most unlikely to come up with an interview like that. And that moment of serendipity became the pathway to your destiny, and have lived happily ever after. But what a haven, it must be to be a writer, an avid book lover, and ultimately run a publishing business, a perfect marriage.

Francesco Sedita: 4:25

It really was, and it still is, you know, I, I started in the publicity group as an assistant. And you know, you learn a lot there very quickly, you learn how to talk about books in a certain way, you know, and you learn how to talk about I'm going to be honest books that you don't necessarily like that much or that aren't that aren't interesting to you, but you still you learn how to find the love and the connection to the books because it's your job to and that was a really, really nice way to really take a big step into the industry.

Roy Sharples: 4:54

Oh, no, for sure. And like you said, that must be extremely challenging. You know, like when you're someone That's an avid book reader, you're very passionate about things. And when something maybe comes along that it just doesn't, you know, float your boat, but you still have to kind of be constructive about it. Or you may have to make a decision that's more market based or business based, right? Whereby well, it actually addresses a market niche, and that there's a potential to generate income over that, and maybe making those decisions that maybe don't fit your values and tastes, that that must be quite challenging. Sometimes,

Francesco Sedita: 5:29

it can be absolutely, you know, I'm in the children's world. Now, after that job. My first job, I went into the children's world that had been there for 20 or so years, and the children's world is interesting when you when you think about all the things you just said, and you think you look at the marketplace, and you look at what kids are wanting to read and how reading styles are changing, and how there's different interest at different times and certain kinds of books and how we're having huge, you know, interest in graphic novels right now, which I believe really is because of the the real popularity of Wimpy Kid and kids learning how to read on with the kids, you know, so the marketplace, in children's especially is so interesting. And it sometimes really informs how you think about books you're going to publish for

Roy Sharples: 6:14

sure. Oh, definitely. And I think his role, the role that you have, and running, the team that you do, is such an influential position that you have around influencing young people in that next generation of youth culture that's kind of common through and those memories, in terms of what you're subjected to at a very young age, whether that's book books, pop culture, music, art, wherever it is, is it tends to stick with you throughout life, and, and certainly someone who's became a creator, right? I mean, a lot of those early memories and influences that I have, they manifest themselves and really peculiar ways when you go into the work workforce. And you end up designing and making things that you always really loved and are passionate about. But they come out in different ways. But you can follow that red thread all the way back to being a young in terms of the influences that shaped your tastes and style at a very young age. So it's a very influential role that you have against against a really buoyant audience.

Francesco Sedita: 7:20

Yeah, absolutely. You know, I, I was a really reluctant reader, as a kid I reading was very challenging for me, and I grew up in a household of readers, my mother and father were are tremendous readers, my mother sort of has the pristine, hardcover book, you know, on the bedside, and my father has this sort of bent in half, you know, sort of supermarket version of a book, you know, that he sort of lugged around with him and read sort of everywhere, you know, and they just love to read it. And so for me, as a kid, I just like it, and they were so patient with me. And I'll tell you that, you know, it really was because of Choose Your Own Adventure books, that I became a reader. Because a they were really fun. Right, right. I think for me, the thing that I really liked about choose your adventure at that age, and really respect now is no one really ever knew where you were in the book. So even as a slow reader, you know, because you hop around that book, and you go from page one to page 47, to page 96 to 816. No one actually knew where you were in the book. So there wasn't that embarrassment of being a slow reader. Yeah. And it really was because of those books. And you know, still at my parents house in a box somewhere are like, Is my collection of Choose Your Own Adventure books? Because they, they changed how I think about writing, reading all of that. It was, it was my parents were so thrilled when we figured that out. Yes, fascinating.

Roy Sharples: 8:43

Exactly. So So what is your creative process in terms of how do you make the invisible visible by dream ideas, developing them into concepts, and then bringing them to actualization?

Francesco Sedita: 8:57

What's interesting, because I sit on both sides of the desk, right? So I'm an author on one side, and on the other side, I'm a publisher. So on the publisher side of the desk, you know, I think about it, I think of sort of the same answer. But as a publisher, what I do is, I believe my job is to find people who have a story to tell, and who need possibly help telling it or just an avenue to tell it? And once we find those people, and yes, of course, we work with agents, and all those things, but I'm really open. And that's one of the biggest parts of my group at Penguin is that we're open to hearing from people who are not represented, it's hard sometimes, but you don't always need an agent. And so once we find that person, whether through an agent or not, you know, it's really rolling up the sleeves with that person and really understanding the story that they need or want to tell and helping them figure out the best way to do that. And sometimes that's obviously a children's, that is through illustration, or with illustration, you know, that's finding the exact right cover and sort of pairing and making a team around that person to create the thing that they have had in their brain for so long. You know, it takes A lot of people to pull it out sometimes because, you know, especially for writers, I think, you know, it's a tough thing to be a writer sometimes. And it's tough to actually manifest that idea onto the page. So we put the right team, I hope around those people that, you know, the writers that we bring in and, and, you know, we make at my group about 250 books a year, where we're busy group, and I really think and I hope, I mean, I always cross my fingers. When I say this, I'm grateful for it. But I think we have a lot of very many, very many happy, happy authors and illustrators, who I think feel like part of the team. And that's, that's really the most important thing. It's a precious thing to take someone's ideas and help them bring it to, to the world. And I think that this group does it so beautifully, and with so much care. And then on the other side is the writer, you know, I, I sit here at this desk that I'm sitting here at right now, and I got to stare at the screen. And then I, you know, get distracted by Google on Instagram and call my friends instead of doing any of the writing I'm supposed to be doing. But when I finally get to it, and you know, for that glorious, 20 minutes, we're like, I'm connecting to it right now. Yes. You know, it's it's such an intimate personal experience, obviously. But then, you know, why? When I show it to my editor, who I have, you know, it's this exciting moment, right? Because it's new eyes, and it's someone that you trust, and it's someone that's gonna say, like, wow, here's where this is great. And wow, here's what this is really terrible. And here's why. And so, you know, but But again, I think, you know, I'm on both sides of that creative journey, you know, it's just a lot of hand holding. And it's a lot of like, turning on lights and dark corners to get things to actually come to fruition.

Roy Sharples: 11:46

Absolutely. That's, that's really well put, and resonates really well. What are the key skills needed to survive and thrive as a creative leader in the publishing industry?

Francesco Sedita: 11:58

I think, in a way, resilience, obviously, is important, right. And that's probably true in every job, because you just need to be able to bounce back. And I think, as a creative person in I mean, it's publishing, it's not that corporate of a place, right. But it is a corporation, it is a business. As a creative person, you know, I have to say, feel really lucky to be supported, and sort of held up by the people around me. And by by the company, because, you know, I'm a pretty emotional person. And so, you know, I can wear things on my sleeve a lot. But so I think resilience is really important, I think, a good group of people around you that you feel really supported by that. And that's up and down, you know, above you and sort of, at your level, and in your group and on your team. A really good martini with friends every now and then to just really kind of laugh it off, is really important. And I honestly, I do think it's, I think it's the people I think I think it's a team of people who are as creative or differently creative than you are, who just want to make great stuff. And that's so inspirational. So even when you're having a bad day, you can really turn to the people around you and see what they're making, and it just feels great. I mean, I'm lucky in a way because it's children's books. So even at the end of the longest, worst luck, say every day, you know, it's a meeting, and it's eight hours of meetings, or, you know, because there are days like that, at the end of the day, you know, I can say I made sure I'm making children's books, you know, and that feels really meaningful, you know, so I feel like, at least, you know, at the end of a long, hard day, I can say that and sort of rest my head pretty, pretty happily.

Roy Sharples: 13:39

That's excellent. The, the key one of the key words, you said that was emotional, and I can talk that's come through in your, your personality, in terms of how that emotion, you know, will will drive, obviously, your passion, but also how well how it inspires ideas and creativity and, and I think that's a great thing. It's especially an effective thing for your audience, right? Because I think there's a sincerity in terms of listening to you now we're gonna go on through this this podcast and how you conduct yourself there's a real authenticity I didn't

Francesco Sedita: 14:12

hang on for 13 years and when I got interviewed, like the first interview with my the man who hired me is not with the company anymore, but I tremendous wonderful leader and, and just a great friend, but we he took me for a walk and we walked around Soho is at 9000 degrees, and I was like in a blue blazer and it's hot and restorable. And we were just talking and he's a really nice guy. It's a sweet, smart guy. And he did the thing of like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna just like ask them, like, you know, interview questions. And I was like, Sure, of course, you know, and he said, What's your biggest strength and your biggest weakness? And I was like, the answer is the same. I'm emotional. Yeah. And I think that it's a huge strength, because I think, you know, people see me for who I am and I am pretty upfront about who I am with people. But you know, and I think that makes it nice to have the weaknesses like When I have to sit and pout and you know and get really upset, because because it happens, because you know, that's just who I am, but, but I am given the space to do that.

Roy Sharples: 15:13

Fantastic, brilliant. So I should reflect upon your career to date. What are the lessons learned in terms of the pitfalls to avoid, and the keys to success that you can share with existing, but also aspiring publishers,

Francesco Sedita: 15:28

I think the biggest thing that I've learned, and of course, they didn't realize I was learning it right. But, you know, I had a lot of different positions that sort of never made, quote, on paper made sense to lead to the title of Publisher. You know, I was an assistant in the publicity department, I worked for the Scholastic Book clubs, in a sort of creative kind of creative role. I became the paperback marketing director for Scholastic. And then I became the Creative Director for Scholastic, and then I became publisher. So my path was quite odd, and didn't make a ton of sense, at least on paper. And so I think the pitfall, the thing that you're talking about is there's no one track and I think, you know, what, I speak to young people in the, in their careers and, and, you know, like, if we speak to like, the intern groups, which I always love doing, you know, when they come in for the summers, one of the things I will say is, like, there's not one direct path, and you kind of never really know where you're gonna land, you just kind of have to keep on finding the interests and going after those interests. And hopefully, that that leads to something, you know, that feels really meaningful, and I don't see how it couldn't if you keep going after interests. I think that's a big mistake of people where it's like, I'm going to be an editor. Well, okay, but there's a lot to get there. And there's also a lot after that, you know, there's a lot of things after that. So I think it's just to be really open and to listen to what's happening around you, of course, and in the industry, but also what's happening internally, because your interests may change, or your interest may may grow in a way that surprises you, as you learn new things and new skills. If I think gone are the days where you sort of sit down and you know, roll up the sleeves, the manuscript, and that's all you do for your job, you know, publishing has changed quite a bit.

Roy Sharples: 17:20

Indeed, it has publishing has been primarily disrupted by the Internet, whereby it has been democratized, where more people can contribute their own ideas, stories and opinions, and become authors of their own books. Because the access and comparatively low cost to create, publish and amplify a book across the globe, has been enabled through advances in technology, which is a perfect segue into the next question, which is tilting forward? What's your vision for the future of publishing? And what's the role that creativity will play?

Francesco Sedita: 18:01

You know, I, I firmly firmly believe that books are here to stay. You know, we've had those those years where it's like, the book is going away. And yeah, everything will be digital. And I just don't believe that because I believe that the connection, a newborn, to a 90 year old makes it the book is irreplaceable by anything else, but an actual book. And, you know, I'm lucky because I feel fortunate because I publish for sort of birth, you know, so like, when a baby is first born, those board books that you give to the parents to about 14 or so years old, so like, that's a big, big chains. You know, it's a, it's a big audience, and so many different nuances in that audience. And, you know, I believe that there, there are a few things that you can finish, and then feel like you want to hug and a book is one of them. And I think, you know, you see a 12 year old do that you see a little kid do that with their favorite picture book. And frankly, I have friends who read books, who like I know how much they cherish that book when they close that that fight, you know, that fact that cover? So, so to me, the future of publishing is it is here and it is stronger and bigger and better than ever. And I think that we are at a place where we actually are rethinking things and rethinking formats and rethinking how, how books can be delivered to people, which I love. I love playing with format in my group a lot. That's, that's really exciting, that I think the role of creativity here is to keep rediscovering what a book means and what a book can be. Because like I said a while ago talking about how graphic novels had become a thing, like, you know, it's because people are keep thinking and keep keep thinking creatively and keep trying to reinvent and change this amazing format that's been with us forever, you know, and so I can't wait to see what the next 10 or 20 yours brings unpublishing because especially after the past two years that we've had where people have been inside, spending so much time with books, you know, book sales really, really did really well, during this terrible time because people wanted stories. And I think that we're gonna see we're gonna see books an entirely new light coming out of the snow.

Roy Sharples: 20:19

That's an exciting prospect out there Best Books inspire people to take action. By building connections, understanding perspectives, and broadening our capacity. Creativity will continue to be the difference people will make in the future, leading to more innovative and experiencial ways of consuming books to help people learn and grow from generation to generation. Do you want to learn more about how to create by frontiers by unleashing your creative power? Then consider getting CREATIVITY WITHOUT FRONTIERS? How to make the invisible visible by lighting the way into the future. It's available in print, digital and audio on all relevant book platforms. You have been listening to the Unknown Origins podcast. Please follow subscribe, rate and review us. For more information go to unknownorigins.com Thank you for listening