What is your name, age, and location?
Lexa Hillyer, 31, Brooklyn NY – United States.
What is your profession?
I’m the cofounder of Paper Lantern Lit, a boutique literary development company. We come up with story ideas or “sparks,” plot them extensively, then match them with aspiring and talented writers. We support the writers and the books through the entire publishing process.
What did you study in school and what degrees do you have?
I focused mainly on English and Theater in school. I hold a BA in English from Vassar and an MFA in poetry from Stonecoast, at the University of Southern Maine.
What was your first job?
My first real job must have been camp counseling when I was in high school—I lead arts & crafts, made up skits and dances, and basically ran all of the non-sporty activities.
Who or what inspired you to break into your current line of work?
I had a poetry teacher at Vassar who told me that it was very hard for poets to get an agent. So my goal graduating was to become an agent who would represent the obscure, the experimental, the newest voices… of course, that didn’t end up happening. After a brief internship at what used to be the Burnes & Clegg agency (before Sarah Burnes and Bill Clegg went their separate ways), I landed a full time job at HarperCollins editing books for teens, and have been committed to the category ever since! Starting my own business 7 years later, though, was not something I had ever imagined doing. But sometimes you get to a point in life where you realize if you’re passionate about getting something accomplished, you’ve got to do it on your own terms. So after over four years at Harper and three more at Penguin, I partnered with my friend, author Lauren Oliver, and started our current venture, Paper Lantern Lit.
Name/describe what has been your most rewarding project so far?
I would say starting the company in the first place has been the most rewarding thing. All of our projects have unique challenges and rewards attached, and I am loving the results of all of them. Each book is different—each voice unique—and that’s very important to us. But proving that we could even accomplish this, and showing the world that we’re a dynamic and evolving company in addition to a successful one, has been the thrill of a lifetime!
Name/describe one incident when being a woman has helped your career?
Some may not agree, but I often think women have a stronger ability than men to form relationships that are more than merely transactional. So I’d say that being a woman has immensely helped my career because my ties to those I work with are very strong. It has only been through the incredible support of friends, mentors and colleagues that I was ever able to branch out on my own and trust that I could succeed.
Name/describe one incident when being a woman has hindered your career?
I have been incredibly lucky because the publishing industry, and particularly the children and teen book world, is very female-dominant. The majority of my previous bosses have been women, and I have had incredible female role models throughout my career. I have butted heads with one or two men in the industry on my path toward going independent, but whether those power struggles were aggravated or enhanced by our gender differences is hard to say.
Who is your role model or mentor (alive or dead)?
My maternal grandmother has always been a major role model for me, and I’m realizing this more and more as I get older. She is strong, independent, and obsessed with books. I sometimes think she has read every novel in the English language. Her passion for literature, ideas and life has always inspired me.
If you could give one piece of advice to a woman starting out in your field, what would it be?
Be very smart and very strategic, but don’t be scared! When stuck or uncertain about how to move forward, always go back to the heart of why you do what you do, and stay open to the fact that your business model may evolve or change in accordance with that.
Links:
– Interview by Elena Rossini
Sign up to receive our blog posts via email, so that you won’t miss a thing!
