Meet our intern: A casual chat & his book recs
Hey there book readers,
Remember your internship days?
My internship involved a miserly pay of $400 and a desk that was a plastic exam table with my personal laptop in a pantry, smaller than most kitchens, shared with another intern. It was not at Epigram, I can tell you that—I would have been much better off.
Our current intern, Russell Lee (yes, like the author of the ghost story), has a 1.5m table right in the middle of our office. Young people these days do have it better. For this newsletter, I grabbed a chat with Russell while he was busy handling some of our/your online orders. (Quick note: today is the last day of our sale, by the way.)
You can also skip our chat and scroll down to his book recs.
So, are your parents really big fans of "True Singapore Ghost Stories" that they named you Russell Lee?
No, they didn't name me Russell because of those books, even though I actually own almost seven of them! They named me after the actor Russell Crowe. My mom, and my dad too, are really into films. His surname is Lee anyway, so it just fit.
Russell Crowe is quite an established actor. Do you watch his films? Do you like them?
I have no idea, actually. I don't know the actor. I've never really watched any of his films much. My parents really like Russell Crowe. I have three other siblings, and we always joke that my sister Megan is named after Megan Fox. My other two siblings aren't named after famous people, though. I don't know why, I never really asked.
You're the youngest, right?
Yes.
What was your first impression of Epigram?
I actually only learnt about Epigram when they got back to me regarding the internship, as it was through the Singapore Book Publisher’s Association (SBPA) internship program. I was a little intimidated, especially seeing such a big office. I had read local fiction before, like the True Singapore Ghost Stories, but not many of Epigram's own works.
I remember a previous internship where I also worked in a big office, and it was very awkward. Everyone was scared to talk, so they'd always whisper. Maybe they were intimidated by the boss.
At Epigram Books, I initially thought it might be similar, but actually, everyone talks, and loudly. It's quite nice; I like the culture because it's very relaxed. Everyone is trusted to do their own thing, and there's no need to be scared.
What's interesting to you about our team?
Oh, I think the first thing that struck me when I came in on the first day was that it's pretty much all women. I looked around and thought, "Hmm, two men and mostly women."
Three men, actually: Ernest (Edmund's brother), Edmund, and you are the third.
Oh, three.
Is there one thing about working in a publishing house that surprised you?
The most surprising thing, I guess, is just how much goes into getting one book published—how much effort is put into it. You don't just talk about getting the manuscript, editing it and then publishing it. You also need a sustained marketing campaign after the book is published. Not only that, as long as the book is out, you can always market it again, even years afterwards. All that calculated effort that goes into making sure the book is really well-received by the public surprised me.
What's the most absurd thing you've ever Googled?
Oh, there are a few.
But the more important one that I want to talk about is about Meihan Boey's book, The Mystical Mister Kay, I actually Googled the setting, Tolwich, because I thought it was a real city! Turns out it's not, the story is based on a real city called Norwich. She fooled me.
How many times have you secretly judged our coffee or snack choices, and what's your go-to office snack?
I've never noticed the snacks people are eating. The funniest thing I received, which I still have not eaten, was this pyramid-shaped thing that Hanis (our marketing manager) brought. The purple one. It is some sort of kueh or sweet kueh dango thing. It looked a bit funny. It is still on my desk; I really should get around to eating it. But yeah, I do not judge because I am a very empathetic person and I am very nice!
Now that your internship is ending at Epigram, what is your takeaway from all of this?
That working life is really tiring! 😩 Okay, on a serious note, it’s that the publishing world is very fun and fulfilling—but not for the faint of heart! People always say it's an industry you have to be passionate about to thrive in. Passion for books, for authors, for their success, and the proliferation of literature amongst the wider public—all of that is fundamental to succeed in the publishing world.
Where do you see yourself in the publishing world five years from now, or even just after this internship ends?
I would like to be some kind of editor. 'English major wanting to be an editor' is a cliché, I know, but I enjoy looking over and helping to improve other authors' work. The idea of helping authors produce the best possible versions of their work is incredibly attractive. This is one place my Minor in Creative Writing can shine, haha! Of course, before all that, I need to complete my last year at university first…
Imagine you're a teacher. Almost 40 years on the job. It's your 60th birthday, also your last day. You stand in front of your final class, no lesson plan needed, no grades to worry about. What do you tell them? Mrs De Souza's answer really caught me off guard. She's not simple; she's constantly trying to prove her own worth as a teacher, and she's got a lot of baggage. This book is a fascinating read—tragic, but real.
Every story here is genuinely unique, and they really pull you in. I actually had to stop after almost every one, just to let it sink in. It's not just the concepts that are unique; the deeper meanings behind them are seriously thought-provoking too. They made me think hard about Singapore as a whole—what it means to be Singaporean, what "Singapore" even is. You can tell each story was put together with incredible precision, almost like poetry.
I was working on a social media post for this book, so I skimmed a few chapters of the manuscript. Next thing I knew, I was nearly halfway through. Meihan really knows how to write; every scene moves perfectly, and even the smallest characters are genuinely interesting. Seriously, every chapter just made me want to keep reading. My favourite part is when Miss Cassidy is spinning through this crazy, broken mirror dimension and figures out it's a test from some goddess...
Thanks for reading this week's newsletter!
And I'll leave you with my gif of the week:
Warmly,
Russell and Chloe
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