How to start work at Nosy Crow (and make better tea than I did)

Hello! I’m Ros, and as I write this, I am just over a week and about ninety cups of tea into my Nosy Crow career. I started here last Monday, and immediately made a tea-related blunder: I rashly told Tom, whom I’m assisting, that I took milk in my earl grey. I’ve been living with the consequences ever since.

I arrived at the Crow’s Nest with my feathers a little ruffled from having just finished my master’s degree, in early modern literature, at Oxford University. Having been there for four years, I felt ready to begin a more collaborative and social way of working – our office is a lovely, informal, open-plan space, which makes a welcome change from the dusty nooks and chilly crannies of Oxford’s silent libraries. During my years there, I worked part-time as a research assistant to a tutor in law, and have spent some brief stints with Faber and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

I’ve had a fabulous first week (in spite of falling down the giddying spiral stairs which lead up to the office… on my birthday). I’ve been baptised in the inner workings of the Nosy Crow website, and have been speedily getting to grips with the digital material that accompanies our print work. So far that has ranged from downloadable activity sheets to writing up scripts for the Stories Aloud programme. I’ve been suppressing giggles while scripting Elys Dolan’s new book, The Doughnut of Doom, and gulped back tears while transcribing Emma Dodd’s Wish. But, that day, I wasn’t weepy for long: as it was my birthday, the office revived me with an unspeakably delicious chocolate cake. Everyone, keep checking vacancies here, if only for the chocolate cake. Otherwise, come up with a bestselling idea and come in to pitch it (to get chocolate cake). You won’t regret the effort.

Edible treats aside, I was lucky enough to attend the Faber Factory conference on Wednesday, where Matt Haslum stood out in his brilliant analysis of Faber’s recent website overhaul. As a newbie to the world of metadata analytics and web design, I’ve been buzzing with exciting ideas since, and I’m beginning to understand just how complex successful websites can be.

I’m thrilled to have got stuck in at Nosy Crow (even if it does mean risking the dizzying climb every morning), and feel more confident and inspired day by day. Watch this space for more of my ramblings, and do check out our newly invigorated Pinterest board, which I’ve been obsessively updating since day 1…