# of years in editing: If we're going by my first-ever editorial experience as an editorial intern in magazines, I've been an editor since 2013. But I've only seriously been pursuing and honing my copyeditorial skills for about five years.
Tell us a little about yourself, including how you got started as an editor?
I'm a production editor, copyeditor, and proofreader, primarily for trade YA and children's books. My editing journey's been a long one. I did a slew of publishing internships after graduating as an English major, culminating in a cross-country move to pursue a master's in publishing at NYU. From there, I did even more internships and dipped into resources at ACES, learning a bit about production editorial, copyediting, and children's publishing. All of this eventually led to my current role as a kid lit production editor!
What is your area of focus and why did you select this niche?
I mostly focus on copyediting and proofreading children's and young adult fiction. Honestly, I chose this focus because of the people I've met in kid lit. There is so much enthusiasm for and community built around these books, and it makes me excited to play a part in getting them out into the world.
Walk us through a typical workday. How do you manage your time?
My workday usually consists of reviewing a range of book items, corresponding with other departments as well as freelancers, and monitoring deadlines. With fellow production editors, I copyedit and proofread jackets, reprints corrections, marketing copy, and ARC materials, in addition to full manuscripts and first page passes. I also assign full reads to freelancers and review their markup. I manage my time with multiple spreadsheets, Outlook task items, and checking my calendar . . . a lot. So far so good, though!
What is your favorite thing about being an editor?
All the reading I get to do is great. I also like that most of the work is fairly solitary, so I can mostly go at my own pace and have time to be thoughtful in crafting my feedback for editors and authors. But of course, few things are cooler than being thanked in the acknowledgments of a book I've worked on, so that might be my *most* favorite part.
What is your biggest challenge and how do you work through this?
My biggest challenge is absolutely work/life balance. The pandemic and working from home have shifted my sense of boundaries, as I know they have for many of us. I'm learning how important it is to take breaks, even when I'm working on a project I'm really enjoying. I've started scheduling downtime to sort of force myself to look away from my computer and do something else. It's currently a work in progress.
What are you currently working on?
A bit of everything! Picture book sketches, a middle grade novel with illustrations throughout, and a YA rom-com are all on my to-do list this week.
What advice do you have for someone who is just starting their career as an editor?
Talk to and connect with other editors as much as you can. There are so many different ways to be an editor, and so many different niches and specialties and types of materials to edit, so there's a lot to learn about editing, and the best way to add to your knowledge and be a better editor yourself, I've found, is in hearing about what other people do. Also be aware that what do learn about being an editor will change over time, especially for copyeditors, because our language is always changing, so keep an eye on conversations happening in the editing and publishing community.
