I can't emphasis enough the importance of having a good network of contacts (more of this in my next post). Thanks to someone I know, I got my first book project within weeks of leaving my job. He told me that an international book publisher, based in KL, was looking for an editor with some knowledge of New Zealand (I obtained my honours degree from Victoria University of New Zealand, Wellington).
Editions Didier Millet (EDM) had been contracted by Dorling Kindersely UK (DK) to produce an illustrated travel guide to New Zealand, part of the latter's Eyewitness Travel Series. EDM's publishing manager at that time was Datin Noor Azlina Yunus, herself a New Zealander. We met, we clicked and I got the assignment - a contract job that required me to come into the office for a few hours a day. I started work almost immediately.
The travel guide was a truly international collaborative effort - the writing and photography were done by people based in New Zealand; the design and editing (to a strict style template provided by DK) were undertaken in KL; the overall project was supervised by DK's editors in London, who occasionally came to KL; and the production was in China. There was another editor, Dianne Buerger, working side-by-side with me. Being involved in the project (and my first at that) was a great experience and it taught me a lot about publishing and editing.
It was also the start of friendships that continue to this day. I would later write a book produced by EDM (Datin Azlina had left for another publisher by then and Dianne had taken over as publishing manager), and Datin Azlina and I have worked together on a number of projects over the years.
The Eyewitness Travel Guide to New Zealand raised my profile as an editor/writer and put me on the road to a freelance writing career.
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