Featured Publishing Professional: Jess Harold
As sent to Leila Siddiqui
Why book publishing?
Growing up my parents always asked me to be critical of the media I consumed, whether it was the animated movies I would rotate through at Blockbuster or assigned reading for school. At the time I thought it was corny. But I began to understand that stories and who gets to tell them are a direct reflection of our world and in turn influence our world. So I came to book publishing with a desire to be someone who helps shape those stories so that readers aren’t desperately hunting for pieces of themselves in books the way I used to, but instead have full, complete narratives with them as the focus.
What challenges have you faced in your career and how have you overcome them?
While I know how to navigate it when needed, corporate doublespeak has been a major challenge. There's already a need to code switch in communication with leadership for the sake of the "professional work culture" corporate publishing has relied on for so long. But to have your worth questioned after you speak plainly to advocate for yourself or for a project is incredibly diminishing. Imposter syndrome sets in. It's one of the issues I'm still working through how to deal with when it's used against me, but a validating community helps me remember that I got to where I am for a reason!
What have been your favorite books of 2021 so far?
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers is precious and silly and sweet, and I absolutely adored every page. I feel such affirming joy every time I read Lala's Words by Gracey Zhang, a picture book that I'll continue to give as a gift for years to come.
If you could choose a dream book/author to have been an editor for in the past 100 years, which book/author would you choose?
NK Jemisin, hands down.
Jess Harold is an Editor at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers where she edits picture books, graphic novels, middle grade, and young adult novels. She loves books with gorgeous art and prose that celebrate the world we live in. These days she is perfecting her baking skills in her apartment and her farming skills in Stardew Valley.