Publishing Career

Ever since I first opened the booklet that came with University Life (which, to be fair was only about two weeks ago!) I have played around with the idea of making a career that would fit the literary studies major. It is still very much work in progress, which is why I am posting here So far, I've written down titles and descriptions, so lots to do still! But before I go on to write anything else, I would like some feedback, mainly to check whether this is unique and good enough in terms of writing and originality. I haven't found any other publishing careers, but that might tell you more about my Google-skills than anything else. I realize that this is nowhere near finished, but I want to have the basics nice and shiny before I move on to the details.

Titles and descriptions
1. Letter Sweeper
Before your boss trusts you with anything else, you need to prove to him that you are good with words. No chance for that when you are a Letter Sweeper! Get out your broom and if you read and write enough in your spare time you might scrape through.

2. Glue Mixer
Everyone in the office has been impressed by your special sweeping technique and they all use it at home. You are now responsible for mixing the glue that holds everything together, literally! Put on those goggles, weigh all the ingredients precisely and make sure nothing explodes! Be warned, your fingers might be sticking together permanently.

3. Pencil Sharpener
If you thought you would be handling manuscripts by now, think again. As the assistant to the cover artist you need to prove to your bosses that you are in fact the sharpest pencil in the box. Your eyes are tired from searching through piles of stock images and you cannot get the paint out of your clothes but at least you can get those creative juices flowing.

4. Publishing Administrator
Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of your own desk! Going from images to digits might seem a small step, but it feels like a giant leap to you. Before you get involved with the writing of the books, your boss wants you to learn how to sell them. Make sure the numbers add up, or else your local bookshop might be running out of stock, leaving you running from your boss.

5. Slush Pile Executive
Who knew that such a fancy title would be such a burden? Every day hundreds of aspiring authors send their manuscripts to publishers. It is your job to sift through them, find the jewels and pass them to the senior editors so they can make the final decision. After all, your tastebuds still need some development. Make sure you work enough overtime and take those manuscripts home during the weekend, else the slush pile will soon take over your desk.

6. Sales Representative
Now that you have learned to distinguish the Jane Austen's from the Maeve Binchy's it is time to start selling your babies. Just because you have taste does not mean everyone else has. Put on your suit and convince the local bookshop that you have the next bestseller in your hands.

7. Ghostwriter
The day you have been waiting for since the start of your career is finally here! As of today you are officially involved in the writing process. Although you find it a little disappointing that your favorite celebs do not write their autobiographies themselves, you do enjoy writing down the goriest details about their lives, pretending to be them!

8. Copy Editor
With the experience as a ghostwriter under your belt it is time to start minding about your p's and q's. Get out your red pen and help those aspiring writers dot their i's and cross their t's. Be careful though and keep in mind that you are not part of the grammar police. Churning out bestsellers is all this position is about, who cares about spelling anyway?

9. Literary Agent
Mimicking other people's voices certainly has taught you how to find your own. The public might not trust your taste quite yet but young writers sure see you as their mentor. A great novel might be considered a good purchase, but finding a great author is a lifetime investment.

10. Publishing Magnate
Congratulations, you have finally made it to the top! Who thought you would have your own shelf of editor's picks in most bookshops? Readers take your opinion for truth and whichever manuscript you lay your hands on turns into solid gold.

Thanks for reading

It's brilliant Klaartje - sure made me giggle

Those are excellent. What about chance cards and skills? Which career reward?

Thanks for the lovely comments

Edit: I have been working on my career a bit more, so time for a new update! I will add them under spoiler buttons for convenience and in case people want to be surprised in game
Things I have done: write 10 chance cards, one for each level; create a custom icon; set the career requirements; thought of the career reward.
What still needs to be done: think of clothes/carpool; set wages, hours, days. TESTING (Is what I'm most looking forward to!)

Icon:

Chance cards(Click to View)

Level 1 - Letter Sweeper
$Me was giving the conference room a good sweep when she found a $50 bill lying underneath the table. She is desperate for a little extra cash to buy new books with, but also is afraid that this might be a set-up by her boss. When she looks around, she notices that there is no-one in sight. Does $Me pocket the money or does she alert her boss?

Level 2: Glue Mixer
$Me has spotted a mouse running around the binding room. Eeek! She is terrified of mice. Just as $Me jumps on top of the nearest table, she spots the mouse running into the large tank containing the glue mixture. $Me suddenly remembers that she has learnt at school that mice tails are actually a terrific binding agent. Does $Me leave the mixture as is or will she notify her superior?

Level 3: Pencil Sharpener
The resident cover artist has given $Me the highly responsible job of delivering the finalized cover to the printer. On her way down there, $Me sits down on a bench and opens the package to admire the first actual book cover that she has contributed to! Suddenly a bird splashes all over the cover with a message from the skies. Does $Me own up or does she try to cover up her mistake?

Level 4: Publishing Administrator
The new Simmy Simmerson bestseller is about to hit the shops and $Me has been working under high pressure to make sure that every bookshop is fully stocked. Her boss has promised her that $Me can ask the intern to help her during the afternoon. Does $Me ask the intern for help with processing the orders or will she ask the intern to pack the piles of books into boxes with the correct address of the bookshop on it?

Level 5: Slush Pile Executive
$Me's best friend will be having her hen night this weekend and $Me really does not have the time to take a pile of manuscripts home for the weekend. $Me's friends are always very interested to hear about her job as they are all avid readers and part of the same book club. $Me plays around with the idea of asking her friends to read some of them, since most of the manuscripts are thrown out anyways. Will $Me ask her friends for help or will she do the job herself?

Level 6: Sales Rep
The publishing house $Me works for as a long-standing prank war with their direct competitor, Frantic Pages. $Me has found a leak in the security of their website and hast the possibility to play the megaprank of the century. How exciting! $Me could change their logo and name to Fartsy Pages. Or she could change some of the prices in the webshop to $0, causing absolute mayhem to their ordering system. Will $Me change the name or the prices in the webshop?

Level 7: Ghostwriter
$Me receives a phone call from a well-known tabloid journalist. This tabloid journalist claims that he knows that $Me is the actual writer of the autobiography of a famous politician. The journalist threatens to write an article about this, unless $Me pays him a decent sum to keep his mouth shut. Does $Me pay him or will she risk the secret coming out in the open?

Level 8: Copy Editor
$Me has been asked by her boss to attend a course on the new spelling and grammar regulations organized by the Red Tape Society. $Me has a lot of manuscripts to go through and does not really have the time to attend the course. Will she go or stay home?

Level 9: Literary Agent
$Me has been attempting to negotiate a deal between her favourite author and her boss. This particular author has just published his debut with a different publisher, but is already acting like SimCity's hottest pop idol. Requests for bowls with only blue M&Ms don't surprise $Me anymore. This time, the author is asking for a life-size poster of himself to be included with every copy of the book up for sale. Does $Me convince her boss to comply with his request or does she refuse the author's request?

Level 10: Publishing Magnate
Judging a book by its cover is a skill that $Me has developed during her career. The local newspaper has asked $Me to write a blog and choose one of two books written by a local author. $Me has completely forgotten to do this. She has only time to read one of the books and will have to make a split-second decision. $Me could pick the cover with an image of a farting dog on a beach. She could also pick the book with a topless lumberman taking down a tree. Which book will $Me write a review on?

Requirements(Click to View)

Bit messy, sorry. Order of columns: creativity, charisma, logic and friends
1. Letter Sweeper 0 0 0 0
2. Glue Mixer 0 1 1 1
3. Pencil Sharpener 2 2 2 1
4. Publishing Administrator 2 2 3 2
5. Slush Pile Executive 4 3 3 2
6. Sales Representative 4 5 4 3
7. Ghostwriter 7 5 4 4
8. Copy Editor 7 6 5 5
9. Literary Agent 9 8 6 6
10. Publishing Magnate 10 10 7 7

Would love to hear your thoughts