Friday, December 17, 2010

Sarah Thornton farewells her Random House colleagues

Although she has another week before packing up her corporate office and heading out into the great unknown world of the freelance publicist, Random House NZ's Publicity Manager, Sarah Thornton, said farewell to her colleagues at a staff lunch yesterday. Here's how she did it -

Oh, the places you’ll go . . .


From yonder land where they ‘talk like that’


Back over the sea to the land of your birth,
Where you meet Karen Ferns from the House of great Random who gives you a job of work
In spite of your accent which causes much mirth.


And there you do find the cleverest, zaniest, funnest folk in the world,
With brains in their heads and feet in their shoes, they juggle those scribblers and sellers of books
So deftly, dexterously and cleverly done, and always with such a great sense of fun; never, ever mixing
up Their right feet with their left. What a Great Balancing Act, what a Fantabulous bunch.


Oh the places you’ll go as you pack up your knapsack and wave them goodbye
Those wondrous folk on old Poland Road. With a glint of a tear and a sad, heavy face, for the places
you’ve been with them in your heart. You’ll miss them in that biggest, most aching of ways but know
that you’ll see them again down that road, the one lined with books containing all those bon mots.

So fare thee well you chummiest chums, I’ll miss your dear faces from bottom to top, and remember
You always in the bestest of ways.

Footnote:
With 17 years of publishing experience in the UK and NZ, most recently in her role as Publicity Manager at Random House NZ, where she has been these past seven years, Sarah  has now set up her own PR and communications company, Thornton Communications, and will be available for freelance and contract work from January 2011.
In the New Year she can be contacted at - sarah.thornton@prcomms.com

The Bookman wishes you all the best Sarah and expresses warmest thanks for the professionalism and kindness you have always extended to this book blogger.

2 comments:

maggie@at-the-bay.com said...

As a late starter, 'newbie' I recall the warmth and enthusiasm of Sarah when my first novel was published. How interesting that she is setting up as a free-lancer - perhaps the publishing houses will out-source some of this side of the business?

Rachael King said...

Best of luck to Sarah who has been wonderful to work with from an author's perspective.