Emily Powter-Robinson: 'I love creating thoughtful content and having a job where I get to shout about books'
BY Katie Smart
2nd Nov 2022
We’re delighted to welcome a new team member to Curtis Brown Creative! Emily Powter-Robinson has joined us as Marketing Assistant after previously working at Eyrie Press and Jericho Writers.
Read on to find out more about Emily, her love of books and what she's looking forward to most about her new role...
You’ve had previous roles at Eyrie Press and Jericho Writers. What first attracted you to work with books and creative writing?
As cliché as it sounds, I’ve always loved reading and writing. Like many children, growing up I aspired to become an author. As I got older, my passion for reading only grew. I’d not really heard of a career in publishing until my final year studying English Literature at the University of Leeds, but after a last minute decision to attend a talk with Emerald Publishing, my eyes were opened to a whole career path that I’d never even considered before. Who knew that I didn’t have to write the books myself but instead, that I could work with the people who did?!
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and your interest in books and marketing?
After a challenging few months job hunting during the pandemic, I started my career in the book world as a Marketing Assistant at Eyrie Press, a small independent publishing house based in East Anglia. From there, I moved to Jericho Writers where my enthusiasm for working with aspiring writers really took off. Since 2020, I have been growing my blog and bookstagram account (and, more recently, TikTok) by regularly posting book reviews and collaborating with publishing houses. Last year, I successfully ran a social media campaign championing Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s novel The Mountains Sing to win NB Magazine’s Blogger’s Book Prize and experienced first-hand the power of marketing. I love creating thoughtful content and having a job where I get to shout about books and writing on a daily basis is a real joy.
Do you remember the first book that made you fall in love with reading?
This is the trickiest question so far! I had lots of favourite books as a child, but the first book that I was absolutely obsessed with was Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. In fact, I loved the series so much that I convinced my parents to name our childhood dog after one of the characters!
Who is your favourite fictional character?
I don’t think he’d be the most upbeat company to keep in real life, but I’d have to choose Jude St Francis from Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life. I’ve never connected with a character to the extent that I did with Jude, and in my imagination, I’d like to think that he’s now happily growing old on Lispenard Street.
What’s been the best book you’ve read this year so far?
As a self-professed lover of sad girl books, I’d have to pick Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors. I was blown away by the talent of this debut novel and raced through it in under twenty-four hours, a tell-tale sign that I’m truly obsessed with a book! I’m going to be cheeky and mention a second book too because I can’t miss an opportunity to shout about the audiobook of Me by Elton John, narrated by Taron Egerton. I could listen to stories about Elton’s life for hours and never get bored.
What are you most looking forward to about your new role here at CBC?
I’m so excited to get my creative hat on and to learn from the rest of the wonderful CBC team! Working with writers in the fundamental early stages of their writing career is such an enriching experience, and to play even a small part in their success is a real privilege. I can’t wait to work with all the CBC students going forward!
If you're part of our writing community, you'll be hearing a lot more from Emily! She will be popping up on the blog and across our social media channels. We hope you'll join us in giving her a very warm welcome to the team.