I've been working in publishing for over 5 years. It's been my first and only job and here is my story about how I got it.

My knowledge about publishing was limited to what I had investigated and watched online but I didn't have a clue about how it worked in my country as there isn't really information about it. So what I did was to look into all my favorite books to see what their publishing house was. Turns out my options were limited. A lot of editorials are owned by the same big publishing houses while others don't have offices in my country. Yet I was encouraged by my sister to try it as there was nothing to lose.

Where I live, a cover letter isn't common but I thought it was a good way to express how much I love books and wanted to work in publishing so I send it with my CV to the email of a few publishing houses I found on their websites. 

After a while, I received a call from one of them asking me if I could go to an interview. I was super nervous but when I arrived and saw the shelves covered in books by the entrance I felt like I belonged there. However, the interview didn't go well. The nerves made my mind go blank and it was horrible. I knew I hadn't got it but my mom said I should send an email thanking them for the opportunity regardless.

A few months later I got a second call for another interview. It was for a different position but in the same company and this time I got prepared for it and felt more confident. This was my second and maybe last chance.

The interview was different from the last one, this time Human Resources and my two potential bosses were together in the room and not only asked me job-related questions but also about my favorite book and my last reading. At one point the three women left the office to talk among them and when they returned they asked about my availability. I said as soon as they needed me and when they asked if it could be the next day I said yes. That sealed the deal and I was offered the temporary job.

At first, it was a three-month position and my main activity was to organize the author catalog and also help with the activities of my department with the metadata and ebook production. There was so much work and the project was so complicated that it got extended for another 3 months twice. A lot of luck (seriously it was like planets aligned again and again for me to stay) and two contract renewals later I got offered a permanent position and like that 3 months turned into 5 years in publishing in a blink of an eye.