Hayley Camis, senior publicity manager at Little, Brown
Fiction to lose yourself in during a pandemic – recommendations from the woman who heads up publicity for Virago Modern Classics at publishers Little, Brown
If you’re one of the many people keeping Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams (Orion) riding high in the bestseller charts, I recommend you flip to her acknowledgments at the back of the book. There, you’ll notice that a) Candice is not one to express solemn gratitude; she is wonderfully endearing and fruitful with her thanks. And b) you might also pick up that a certain Hayley Camis, one of her ‘corgis’, receives not one but two heartfelt mentions. If that piques your interest read on, as the notable Hayley is my third guest on Written Approval.
Back when I first met Hayley, she was working at HarperCollins, introducing me to the likes of Lindsey Kelk and Cecelia Ahern over teas and lunches. She’s now a senior figure within Little Brown’s publicity team, promoting literary fiction and non-fiction across a group of imprints. Hayley is too professional to admit she has a favourite amongst her clients (there’s also Corsair and Fleet in the mix), but in my opinion Virago is surely L, B’s jewel in the crown. The feminist publisher, set up in the 70s, is also under her publicity care, and the job of sounding off about such a celebrated name in literature must be both challenging and rewarding. There’s the backlist, bursting with great bookish figures including Angela Carter, Maya Angelou and Adrienne Rich, alongside star-studded contemporary authors, such as the brilliant Sarah Waters.
Recently it’s been Daphne du Maurier who’s kept Hayley busy; the author’s gothic classic, Rebecca, was adapted into a Netflix drama, closely coinciding with Virago’s special edition book to celebrate its 80th anniversary. Hayley is kindly offering one Written Approval reader the chance to win a copy – find out how to enter at the end of her recommended reads.
In the meantime, let Hayley make a proper introduction and give you some inspiration on what to read as the colder season – and another lockdown – sets in.
“I’m Hayley and I’m a senior publicity manager at Little, Brown Book Group. I live with my partner and small dog in Hackney and partly further down the Thames in Whitstable. I grew up across the estuary in Essex.
I was very lucky to have parents who encouraged my brother and me to read. I came from a family of readers who borrowed books from the library or bought them second hand in charity shops and passed them around, so for me the joy of reading has always been a shared experience. Even though a large part of what I do in my job now (working with bookshops, broadsheet newspapers, BBC Radio 4 and literary festivals) was a world completely unknown to me back then, my family laid down the foundations for my future career as a literary publicist.
My first job in publishing was at HarperCollins in their fiction publicity team where I worked on mostly commercial fiction, assisting the director on authors such as Tracy Chevalier and Cecelia Ahern, plus working on a few of my own campaigns for their literary imprint The Borough Press. I knew literary publishing was where my true interests lay, so I jumped ship to Little, Brown, where I still am almost four years later, working on their literary imprints (Little, Brown, Abacus, Corsair, Fleet and Virago) and heading up the publicity for the Virago Modern Classics (pictured above). I work on both literary fiction and non-fiction, ranging from forgotten classics and Booker-longlisted novels to books on history and sport. I love the variety; having to pitch to journalists’ books about the decline in Western liberalism, surrealist Japanese short stories in translation, intersectional feminism, Tudor lesbian romance and cricket all over one cappuccino certainly keeps me on my toes.
“Some career highlights include drinking hot toddies with Jennifer Egan in Dublin and asking her about how she wrote A Visit from the Goon Squad”
Little, Brown has an incredible front and backlist, and it’s amazing when our big authors such as Colson Whitehead or Roxane Gay come over from the US. My favourite part of my job as a publicist is getting to know them. After setting PR campaigns up, we often accompany authors to festivals and broadcast recordings, which can be extremely stressful, but also magical. Some career highlights include drinking hot toddies with Jennifer Egan in Dublin and asking her about how she wrote A Visit from the Goon Squad, staying with Paula McClain at Sir Walter Scott’s house in Melrose and talking about Hemingway and helping Sarah Waters sign books for super-fans in Durham and listening to their stories about how her books changed their lives.
“But it is the smaller wins that are even more special, like every single time I get a good review for my author in ever-decreasing review page space”
As a senior publicity manager I have my own incredible list of authors which vary from celebrities to scientists, political commentators to poets. Personal highlights include C Pam Zhang being longlisted for the Booker Prize this year for How Much of These Hills Is Gold, my publicity campaigns for the Virago Modern Classics 40th Anniversary editions and Yara Rodrigues Fowler’s debut novel Stubborn Archivist being shortlisted for the PPC awards, putting on a staff production of The Vagina Monologues to celebrate the 20th anniversary edition and going to the premiere of the film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel. But the smaller wins are even more special, like every single time I get a good review for my author in ever-decreasing review page space or launch a debut author into the world and watch them soar.
“Of course, there have been many, many situations in my publishing career where I felt I haven’t belonged, and the publishing industry still has a lot of work to do”
Any publicist will tell you (discreetly, over a bottle of wine) there are many terrible moments too; nightmare authors, increasing pressure on impossible books, no tickets sold for events, signings gone wrong, having to step in and chair events last minute and the worst of all – being in the eye of a media storm. But I still pinch myself when I’m in the Green Room in Edinburgh with authors who I once wrote essays on at university, or backstage at BBC Breakfast staring at the same red sofa seen by millions of people every day. Of course, there have been many, many situations in my publishing career where I felt I haven’t belonged, and the publishing industry still has a lot of work to do, but I would recommend my job to anyone who loves reading and talking about books, just like I did growing up. There is a special type of joy that comes from sharing a book with others. If I wasn’t a publicist, I would love to be a bookseller, as the literary matchmaking skills are transferable and is a gift no algorithm can replace!”
Unforgettable fiction: 5 of the best by Hayley Camis
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. HarperCollins
“I read this book as a teenager for my A-Level English class and it blew my mind. My school syllabus until this point had been very white and Western, so I always thought I loved literature because of the characters in Austen and the atmosphere of Brontë novels (writers I still love and admire), but it was not until I read The God of Small Things that I realised the sheer power of the novel form and what was possible if you pushed the boundaries of language. I found scenes in the novel so visceral it was as if I had witnessed them myself, and when I visited Kerala as an adult it felt as if I had been there before. She is truly a special writer. I have a paperback edition with the original iconic jacket – a close up of green lily pads floating on murky water with a pink lotus flower beginning to emerge. I love the image and the symbolism of the lotus (I have a tattoo of one in homage to my Indian grandmother) and it is a perfect jacket for the novel. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a perfectly formed coming of age novel.”
Corregidora by Gayl Jones. Virago Modern Classics
“I discovered Toni Morrison at university and had the same reaction as when I first read Arundhati Roy: why hadn’t I read this author before? Beloved broke my heart into a million pieces and introduced me to the emotional intensity of the stream of consciousness novel. Corregidora is a novel Virago Modern Classics published for the first time last October that I was lucky enough to work on. A forgotten classic, it was originally published by Toni Morrison in 1975 when she was an editor at Random House and inspired Beloved. It is a difficult read (domestic abuse, incest, sexual violence) written in a stream of consciousness with the rhythm of the blues throughout, telling the story of the generational trauma of slavery experienced by Black women in America. Our edition is a paperback original with a vivid orange jacket and pen and ink line drawing of a blues singer on and the Virago Modern Classic’s green spine. We ran a huge campaign on this book, but it received no national reviews in the UK, which was incredibly disheartening and frustratingly telling about the priorities of the UK media. If you love Toni Morrison, Corregidora is unmissable and a prime example of why the canon needs to be rewritten.”
The Story of A New Name by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein. Europa Editions
“I recommend the Neapolitan quartet to anyone and everyone and I am shocked when people say they tried the first one (My Brilliant Friend) and couldn’t get into it. I tell them to persevere, as although I loved them all and tore through them in feverish succession, The Story of a New Name is my favourite. A lot more happens than in the first book, and Ferrante expertly connects the female domestic sphere with the political through the harrowing experiences both Lila and Lenu go through. I am drawn to coming of age novels about the inner and outer lives of women, with themes of family, friendship, identity and belonging – and in my opinion this novel is the best example of it all. I have the standard Europa editions with the pastel spines which I love, they are so simple and effective, but I know a lot of people think they are ugly. I am currently reading Ferrante’s excellent new novel The Lying Life of Adults and admit I am little disappointed it wasn’t published in the same format and style, but I hope the re-jacketing of all her works brings her to new readers.”
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Virago Modern Classics
“I love second-hand books and bookshops and, being the publicist for the list, collect vintage copies of Virago Modern Classics with their distinctive green spines (which we brought back in 2018 to celebrate the 40th anniversary). I have some beautiful old Edith Whartons, Zora Neale Hurstons and Maya Angelous, but the VMC I own the most copies of is Rebecca. My editions range from an old Reader’s Digest hardback to the multiple Virago Modern Classics editions, but my favourite is the 80th anniversary edition, which is a hardback with the embroidered ‘R’ on the front. Rebecca was voted the nation’s best-loved book, but I’m always surprised when my (non-publishing) friends say they haven’t read it, yet take all the latest psychological thrillers with them on holiday. It is the ultimate psychological thriller and when I re-read upon working on the 80th anniversary campaign in 2018 I was struck by how modern it is: drama! Jealousy! Gaslighting! Make sure you read it before the Netflix adaptation (and our film tie-in), which I am looking forward to mainly because of Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs Danvers.”
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Faber
“It is so difficult to choose a favourite novel of all time, but A Fine Balance just beats Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for the top spot on my list. My best friend recommended it to me last year saying it changed her life and she thought I would like it, so I brought it as a jury duty companion as it is a dense novel, and I imagined I would be off work for weeks with a lot of spare time. In the end, my case only lasted three days, but I tore through A Fine Balance in awe and wonder. It is set in 1975 during India’s state of Emergency, partly in a little flat in an unnamed city by the sea, where four characters are brought together, and partly the histories of these characters and the inexplicable atrocities they witness or experience. It is a novel about human endurance and resilience, and is incredibly sad. But as my friend said, it changes you afterwards, like only the best fiction can. So if you’re in need of an epic novel that will move you to tears, this one’s for you.”
Win the 80th anniversary special edition Rebecca, plus a copy of Corregidora
Entries will be open until 27 November 2020 and one entrant will be picked at random and notified the following day. UK residents only.
Interested in Hayley’s authors and topics? Here’s further reading and listening…
🗞️ The New York Times: How a Chinese–American Novelist Wrote Herself into the Wild West. Hayley publicised this book, which I loved and mentioned in a previous newsletter. This article offers a glimpse into why it was written, and how other books set in a similar period from American–Chinese writers are in the works.
🗞️ Stylist: When Roxane Gay met Candice Carty-Williams. The two writers strike up an insightful, easy rapport, chatting about life, books and politics.
🎧 Ourshelves by Virago Books. Recently revamped, it’s now hosted by literary critic Lucy Scholes, who peeks into an author’s reading life. You can also listen to the previous incarnation of the podcast, which featured a special on Virago Modern Classics’ 40th Anniversary.
🎧 Backlisted podcast. Have I recommended Backlisted yet? Hosts Andy and John are always engaging and this particular episode features du Maurier expert and academic Dr Laura Varnam (ps what a job!) Also while you’re there, the episode on Beowulf, where the opening of the poem is recited in Old English, is worth a listen.
You can find Hayley on Twitter @hayleycamis
What I’ve been reading & listening to
🗞️ First up, a little news. Bookshop UK has arrived here from the US and I had a chat with the UK MD Nicole Vanderbilt for BookBrunch about how they plan to rival Amazon and give back to independent bookshops. Basically if you’re buying books online, Bookshop is like an Etsy for indies with each store displaying a curated list of titles on their own page. Many leading booksellers have joined up, plus other companies and individuals related to publishing are setting up shop. Sales go into a shared pool, and there’s a handy ticker tape on the website that informs you how much is in the pot. I’ve set up a Written Approval page listing all recommended books from Hayley and previous WA guests – it will support indies and go a little way to helping this newsletter too!
🗞️ Refinery29: It’s Lit with Lemara Lindsay-Prince, editor at Stormzy’s #Merky Books. My friend and fellow freelance journalist and editor, Frankie Mathieson, has gone out with a bang for her final profile for Refinery’s It’s Lit series, which she created. There’s a brilliant backlist of interviews to dive into too, and an endless supply of recommended reads.
🎧 The Book Club Review Podcast. It’s podcast-heavy this edition but I couldn’t leave out Kate and Laura’s show, which recently hit the 70-plus episode mark and welcomed a shiny new website. I met them for a coffee in north London recently and it was lovely; we chatted about books over pastries and coffee and the world seemed normal for two hours. What makes a good book club book? Their thoughts might surprise you.
I really hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of Written Approval. As always, I would love you to share it with friends.
Written Approval by Julie Vuong @julesvuong
Illustration by Aniko Aliyeva @anyevastudio
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A note on how Written Approval is funded
Written Approval is free to read. In future, to help build it, I hope to add subscriber options. The best way right now to support me is to share and subscribe! Links to books will direct you to Written Approval’s Bookshop.org page, which won’t cost you anything but gives something back to the newsletter, and to independent retailers too.