Alex Cruz-Jimenez hosted our Instagram, on August 6, 2023 for our weekly #SalaSundays series. Below are a few questions that we asked Alex.
Latinx In Publishing (LxP): What do you do?
Alex Cruz-Jimenez (ACJ): I’m a Marketing Associate for the Viking Books and Penguin Books imprints at Penguin Random House and have been with the company for over 3 years. I’m also a proud board member of POC@PRH, a great employee resource group!
LxP: How did you get started?
(ACJ): While working on my Masters of Teaching degree my university sponsored visits to various employers across New York City. One of the employers was Penguin Random House. We got to visit the office and hear from various employees about what it was like to work there; it was my first introduction to publishing. I fell in love, and focused all of my energy into getting into the industry. That summer I interned at HarperCollins, and in January of the following year (almost a year to the day since I first stepped foot in the PRH offices) I started my first full time job with Viking and Penguin Books!
LxP: What do you wish you knew before getting into the industry?
(ACJ): I wish I knew just how small the industry really is. People always tell you, but once you get in the industry you realize for yourself how connected everything and everyone is. Someone you work with at one job may wind up on a different team with you years later, and you’re bound to run into old colleagues and connections at various events throughout your career.
LxP: What book are you currently working on or reading?
(ACJ): One of my favorite books I’ve worked on has been Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson, and the second book in the series, The Shadow Cabinet, just came out on June 20th. I never thought I would be a fantasy reader, but Dawson’s books are so funny, insightful, heartbreaking, queer, feminist, satirical, and just an overall good time.
Alex Cruz-Jimenez is a Marketing Associate at Penguin Random House, working on the Viking Books and Penguin Books imprints. She is Dominican, and is from Queens, New York but currently lives in Manhattan. In her spare time she likes to read, travel, try out new hobbies, and explore New York City.
