My Career: ‘I spent 15 years in the corporate world before I discovered my passion’

Name: Nadine Hughes Campbell

Age: 38

Lives: Cork city

Job title: Children’s author, creator of Noah’s Adventures.

Salary bracket: €50k+ (Can vary drastically)

Education background: Bachelor’s degree in Human Relations & HDIP; International Business.

Hobbies: Baking, travel, music, reading, listening to podcasts, the gym.

Describe your job in five words: Purposeful, fun, dynamic, rewarding, creative.

Describe yourself in five words: Driven, kind, curious, dreamer, grateful, resilient.

Personality needed for this kind of work? You need passion, creativity, and a good sense of humour. Creating children’s books takes imagination, resilience, and a genuine love for storytelling, especially when your toughest critics are kids.

How long are you doing this job? I’ve been doing this for about four years, but things really started to ramp up over the past two.

How did you get this job? I spent 15 years in the corporate world; eight of those in banking. I’ve worked across areas like compliance, travel, and HR. I went back to school twice during that time, and it wasn’t until I had my first child that I discovered a passion and love for writing, and two years later, I was able to turn that dream into a reality.

Some might think my corporate background has little to do with what I do now, but those years gave me invaluable experience, from project management and stakeholder engagement to sales, confidence, and professionalism. All of those skills have played a huge role in helping me build the business and brand today.

Do you need particular qualifications or experience? Self-publishing through platforms like KDP means anyone can write a book, but not everyone can turn it into a successful brand or business. My HDip in International Business has been invaluable in helping me start, navigate, and scale my business alongside my writing. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t the best English student (sorry, Mr Wilkens!) but you can always perfect a skill. I’m part of writing groups and continue to take courses to keep learning, improving, and honing my craft.

Describe a day at work: No two days are ever the same. I do my best to keep a weekly routine, but that doesn’t always go to plan, especially as the series continues to grow. I try to spend around 40% of my time writing and developing new story ideas, which is where I’m happiest.

I do my best to dedicate two full days or a few mornings in the week to writing, and the rest of my week is usually a mix of: responding to and following up on emails, customer service (answering queries from parents, customers, and stockists), working on marketing strategy, ensuring I find new ways for the series to reach people, social media management, packaging book orders, either a stockists or online orders from the website. It also includes meetings with my illustrator and/or editor, preparing for readings and events. Bookkeeping/ admin-tracking sales and inventory, budget management/financial planning, updating the website, writing blogs and updating content. Researching trends in children’s publishing and market opportunities.

How many hours do you work a week? With two smallies, its not always easy, but an average of 30 - this can vary greatly. If I’m finishing up a book, or close to a launch, I could easily be working till midnight-1am.

Is your industry male or female dominated? I would say now it’s an even balance.

Does this affect you in any particular way? Not at all, my mom always told us not to look around at others but to put that energy in focusing on what you’re doing.

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1-10: 5.5/10, it’s only stressful when I pretend that deadlines don’t exist.

Do you work with others or on your own? I mostly work solo, which I love, but I also get to team up with some amazing people, my editor, illustrator, printers, stockists and so many more, to make sure each book turns out just right. It’s a great mix of independence and collaboration.

When do you plan to retire or give up working? I used to daydream of retirement, the thought of not having to wake up for work was the dream, but since Noah’s Adventures, that word is no longer a part of my vocabulary. I really love what I do. As long as children are smiling and enjoying, and learning from the series, I’ll keep going. Maybe one day I’ll slow down just enough to enjoy my cuppa while watching someone else run the show, but for now, I’m having way too much fun to think about that day.

Best bits: There are so many good bits. The creative side is definitely one of my favourites, bringing a story to life on the page and then holding the finished copy of a new book in my hands is such a beautiful feeling. Seeing my books on shop shelves, spotting little ones reading them in libraries, nominations for literary awards, and even winning awards, like the Irish Country Magazine Irish Made Award in the Kids category all feel incredibly rewarding.

What I love most is inspiring children through storytelling. I absolutely adore reading events, getting to sit with the real critics, and trust me, children are never shy about sharing their thoughts.

Worst bits: Being a one-woman band can be both great and challenging. I have the final say on everything, which is empowering but can also be daunting. In the beginning, it took me ages to make decisions because I was so afraid of getting them wrong, but I’ve learned it’s better to make a decision and pivot if needed than to sit on the fence. Then there are the ‘must-dos’, bookkeeping, invoicing, all the admin bits. They’re definitely not my favourite part of the job! I tend to put them off for as long as I can, but I know they have to be done. In the grand scheme of if all, it’s a small price to pay for getting to do what I love every day.

Advice to those who want your job? Go for it! That rewarding feeling of seeing your words go from a computer or a piece of paper to a physical book is truly magical. The best part is, you don’t need a PhD in English to start. There are so many great writing courses, books, and groups out there to help you get going.

My biggest piece of advice? Don’t over-research. If I’d gone too far down the Google rabbit hole of publishing and everything it involves, I probably would’ve scared myself out of doing it.

It can all seem daunting and overwhelming at first, but once you take that first step, the next step is that much easier.

Any other comments? If you get the chance to try everything and anything, do it. Most of us have no idea what we truly want to do until it finds us. Some of us are lucky enough to experience multiple careers along the way, each giving us valuable lessons and experiences, both professional and personal that can help you get to where you’re meant to be.

And don’t underestimate the power of mentorship. I’ve availed and still have a mentor, and it has helped me tremendously. “Smart people learn from their mistakes, but wise people learn from the mistakes of others.”