<p><span class="p-body">On an October afternoon, NYU’s MS in Publishing students had the privilege of visiting the offices of Book of the Month Club.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body"><i>Book of the Month </i>is a long-standing U.S. book subscription service, where each month, the company’s editorial team sends its members a curated list of high-quality, recommended books they might not normally be exposed to. Their members can then select whatever titles strike them. Book of the Month was founded 99 years ago, and their 100th anniversary is coming up in 2026! In 1926, when they were founded, the company operated completely differently. BOMC has grown with the industry, adapting to the modern publishing landscape with an added focus on its digital marketing and multi-platform partnerships to expand its community reach and engagement. It was exciting to get to see the extent of the thought and intention behind what is a widely trusted company in such a niche industry.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Immediately, we were welcomed with open arms and kind smiles from the industry professionals we one day also hope to become. We were guided through the small but mighty office and led into what is most commonly the podcast setup area. Rows of chairs filled the space, facing a projector ready for our presentation, each one accompanied by a complimentary BOMC denim “Book Person” cap and a spread of cookies and drinks waiting. We were all enthralled with the wall covered in images of some of our favorite authors, also standing in the same place we were at that moment, each one smiling and posing with some of the most iconic BOMC picks over the years.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Brianna Goodman, the Editorial Director at BOMC, was our gracious host and guide, and kindly provided us with an introduction to the company and its teams. Their CEO, Blake Orlandi, continued with a formal presentation of the history, progression, and newfound mission of the company. He dove into its transformation, starting in 2016, from a mail-order business into the rapidly growing subscription e-commerce service it is today, focusing on its growth track and expansion into other forms of subscriptions within the BOMC.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Next up was an editorial panel consisting of: Suzannah Bently, Becky Chalsen, and Gabrielle Viner. Each team professional had joined the team in the last year, but ranged in their professional roles and responsibilities. They answered a range of questions and left us with what they each felt was the most important advice they could heed. Suzannah, as an Editorial Manager, shared the importance of advocating for a title and its voice when presenting it to the team. She expressed an importance in being willing to fight for a project even when at first it seems no one else seems to see the vision. Becky Chalsen harped on the importance of being in the right mood and setting when reading a new BOMC candidate, stressing the importance of fighting distraction and giving the work her utmost attention—even coming back to it later on if need be, to offer the book its best opportunity. My personal favorite was having the opportunity to speak to a recent graduate, Gaby, who was just starting as a Rotating Editorial Assistant. She knows how competitive entry-level positions can be and told us everything she did to prepare for the interview before officially obtaining the job. More than anything, she advised us to keep an open mind, and come with the intention of learning every day. Her favorite part of the job was being given the opportunity to bounce around and wear many different hats, all in an effort to discover where she might like to head in her professional publishing pursuits moving forward. Her journey was encouraging and one that I’m sure we all hope to emulate. We signed off with a group photo in our new BOMC caps and an abundance of wisdom from these experienced individuals!</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Thank you to the BOMC and SPS Teams for all the encouragement and insight—it was a truly great experience! </span></p> <p><i>Alicia Vides is a current MS in Publishing grad student graduating in December 2026. She currently works at Oxford Academic Summer School Tours, Ltd as the Marketing &amp; Communications Manager. Her goal is to one day be a romance fiction book editor or publicist, focusing on fair multicultural representation &amp; depiction in romance novels.</i></p>