We speak to English A Level student Estella Jones to get her lens on literature as she sets her sights on a career in publishing.

Q. What ignited your love of literature?

A. I’ve always loved books since I was little, but the first book that really connected me to literature was probably Black Beauty.

Q. Do you have a favourite author and if so why?

A. Pat Barker is my favourite author. I’ve read six of her books and I just love the way she explores people, the relationships they make with each other, the ways they make it through their lives as different but connected entities, and how she deals with the strange, and sometimes disturbing, ways her characters navigate their own experiences and emotions. On the whole, I find her books can be very cathartic.

Q. Do you prefer to read on an e-reader or printed books?

A. I definitely prefer printed books. I like having the physical copy in my hand and I like collecting them on my shelves once I’ve finished them.

Q. Where do you like to read?

A. I read in the car or if I’m getting the bus or the train, but mostly in bed before I go to sleep, or if I have a quiet moment on my own.

Q. What do you plan to study at university?

A. English Literature, maybe with French.

Q. What draws you to a career in publishing?

A. I want to be part of the process to create new novels and see how literature evolves from a draft into a book that can be sold. I find the process fascinating and I’d particularly like to be involved in the editing side of the actual text.

Q. What impact do you think AI will have on the craft of writing?

A. AI definitely has the potential to take over writing from humans as it becomes more and more convincing and it would be cheaper for magazine companies to use AI to write their articles rather than people. It'll probably get to the point where it could write entire novels in the writing style of a certain author which is really scary. Hopefully there'll be regulations put on it to prevent jobs being lost, but it definitely threatens the credibility and authenticity of writing since it can be hard to detect.

Photo by Carlé & Moss