An interview with 2025 Open Book intern: Olivia de la Mare

Trhis article was originally published in Books + Publishing

Tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to apply for the internship.

I grew up on a property just outside Greater Sydney, where my future aspirations were neatly funnelled into all things farming. From high school, I started working in a high-tech glasshouse, which I followed by studying horticulture.

The epiphany came when I was working in a glasshouse in Victoria: I don’t actually like farming. I had never really thought about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. So, while packing up to move back to my hometown, the lugging of book boxes brought the question: What if my life could truly revolve around books?

Reading isn’t exactly encouraged in farming circles, but storytelling is. So, despite a young Olivia hiding in different paddocks to finish a book without interruption, I was surrounded by vibrant storytelling from everyone I knew.

Once the idea of working in publishing came to mind, it refused to leave. I spent hours researching how the industry worked, and by the time I discovered the Open Book internship program, the time for submissions had passed.

I spent just under a year thinking about how I would apply for such an incredible opportunity – and much of that time wondering if I was crazy for chasing a dream I’d found on a whim in rural Victoria.

When the application came around again, I was ready. The day I heard I’d gotten the internship position, I danced and squealed alone in the storage room of the retailer I was working for at the time. And so it began.

What is one thing you learned during the internship that you wish you had learned before?

I came into the internship quite insecure about the path that had brought me there. I didn’t have any sort of higher education in literature.

Up until the internship, I was strongly rooted in the world of biology. I wish I had known the wide range of paths people have travelled to find their home in the publishing industry. I was lucky enough to be placed in companies with the most welcoming, open and insightful people.

I wish I had known that my unique path would bring a whole different viewpoint to the stories I worked on.

What is one thing you would like to change about the internship – and/or the broader publishing industry?

I personally hit the jackpot of host companies in my internship. Both Pan Macmillan and HarperCollins were not only incredibly welcoming but also generous with knowledge and support from all departments.

The wonderful Olivia Whenman and Brigitta Doyle worked hard to create a rich and comfortable experience throughout my time with them.

I’m sure, as I spend more time in publishing, I will see the pitfalls, like I would in any industry. But for now, I well and truly have my rose-coloured glasses fastened on tight.

What was the biggest highlight of the internship for you?

The biggest highlight was the passion I found in myself for the industry and the kindness of the people who were already working in it. This industry is filled with so many incredibly passionate, talented people who work hard every day for a job they love.

The farewell notes I received from the team at Pan Macmillan remain pinned on my wall. And the people at HarperCollins simply couldn’t get rid of me, so I enjoy their support every working day.

Is there anything you can tell us about your next steps from here?

I am fortunate enough to be working full time with HarperCollins ANZ as a rights assistant, a position I applied for in my first week of interning at the company. Luckily, I had already spent my first 10 weeks of the program with Pan Macmillan and felt confident that working in publishing was the right path for me.

I was recently accepted into a company mentorship program. I will be continuing to develop my knowledge and skills through the program and the wealth of international publishing information that comes with working in the rights department.

Darby, Kin, Rebecca and I are excited to have each other to keep in touch with even now that the program is finished. I am incredibly privileged to have had the openness and support of my fellow cohort members to see me into this new stage of life.