From time to time, we try to give you a glimpse into our offices around the globe. This week, we are excited to bring you an interview with Scott Morales, a US Stock Planning & Publications Coordinator in New York. Scott has been working at the Oxford University Press since July 2008.
What is your typical day like at OUP?
I handle corrections for reprints in the New York office. On a typical day at OUP, I check my e-mail and the Corrections mailboxes. Then I send out my corrections, take lunch, and spend the later part of the day working on reports. Sometimes I plan parties.
What is the most important lesson you learned during your first year on the job?
I learned the nuances of a 9-5 job, honestly. I had been temping for most of my existence prior. I also began to learn that, in order to understand OUP, I would have to brush up on my intuitive understanding of acronyms.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve found about working at OUP?
The longevity of some people’s tenure here. I’m amazed to see that people have been here for 20, 30 years. Not because OUP isn’t a great place to work, but because in my background people don’t really stay in their jobs long.
What’s the least enjoyable part of your day?
Waking up early. Gross.
What is the strangest thing currently on or in your desk?
People who have been to my desk know that is a difficult thing to identify (I have a lot of stuff on my desk). If I had to pick the strangest, I suppose it would have to be either a trophy from a Carnival cruise trivia that I won, an Easter bunny toy that lays candy eggs, or perhaps a bottle of BBQ sauce. Or an ad from the 80s for a Wendy’s Bacon Double Cheeseburger Deluxe (only $1.99!). Top of my head.
What’s your favourite book?
Hmm, so much pressure. I recently finally read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon and adored it. I’ll say that.
If you didn’t work in publishing, what would you be doing?
Well I’m an actor in my other life, so that I suppose? Or a fighter pilot.
Open the book you’re currently reading and turn to page 75. Tell us the title of the book, and the third sentence on that page.
“Scooting the damn thing down the hallway’s easy; getting it around the corners proves more difficult; but as he’s already mastered the space, understands when to shove and when to yank, he easily shimmies the table through the gray-carpeted labyrinth, until the window is straight ahead of him.” A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King
Who inspires you most in the publishing industry and why?
This might sound like I’m sucking up, but OUP really does inspire me. We are an organization committed to enhancing academia. We literally help the world learn. We may not be perfect, but that is an amazing contribution to society.
Tell us about one of your proudest moments at work.
We once raised a lot of money to help out staff that had been affected by Hurricane Sandy a couple of years ago by holding a fundraiser and a potluck. Some of the people who received help came up to me afterward and expressed how much it helped them and their families. That was cool.
If you could trade places with any one person for a week, who would it be and why?
Would I inhabit them, like Quantum Leap? If so, then Gary Oldman, so I could try to steal some of his acting secrets.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you take with you?
A Bible, a buffet restaurant, and a sweet tea factory, which would essentially make it like the suburbs.
How would you sum your job up in three words?
“Correct this book”
Most obscure talent or hobby?
I can tap dance like a champion.
Image Credit: “Film” by Marta Wlusek. CC BY NC 2.0 via Flickr.
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