Anja Schmidt – Editor

• Built and led a team of five+ editors to create a commercially successful, practical non-fiction pub list from scratch for a brand-new imprint—working in conjunction with our Cultural Intelligence team to unearth ideas, emerging voices or trends—of 20 titles in 2019, 50 titles for 2020, and 65 slated for 2021.
• Personally edited 9 titles in 2019, 19 in 2020, and 15 in 2021, partnering with our Art Department to create the perfect package for each book. Subjects varied from pop culture fiction and non-fiction and horror to cookbooks, memoirs, wellness, and design.

Editorial Director of Time Inc. Books, the book and bookazine publishing division of Time Inc., where I managed two Editorial and Creative teams in New York, NY, and in Birmingham, AL, in subjects of cooking, gardening, design, history, and memoirs. During that time I acquired and edited my own projects, including the bestselling Valerie's Home Cooking and Essential Emeril.

• Actively pursued acquisitions for US-originated titles, developed book concepts and matched with right authors, or through submissions from writers and agents. Duties included researching competitive titles and pitching to sales teams and London office.
• Acquired five cookbook titles per year. Selected book formats, developed book budgets and established pricing, and negotiated contracts. Managed editorial projects, while also sourcing and managing external provider relationships including cost management.
• Oversaw 10-12 titles per year originating in the company’s London office. Duties included: assessing Americanization; hiring recipe adaptors, consultants, and foreword writers; Americanizing jackets and interior spreads; and acting as point-person for sales, marketing, and publicity departments surrounding development of sales sheets, blads, and press releases.

• Acquired 10-15 titles a year for wide range of subjects ranging from cooking to history through the development of book concepts and author selection, submissions from writers and agents, and foreign publishers. Researched competitive titles. Duties included developmental editing, working with design partners to establish book concepts, line editing, and hiring proofreaders and indexers.
• Oversaw UK-originated titles for reference and culinary publication lists, including cooking, history, natural history, and other nonfiction areas. Duties included: assessing Americanization; hiring appropriate recipe adaptors, consultants, and foreword writers; Americanizing jackets and interior spreads; and serving as point-person for sales, marketing, and publicity departments on sales sheet, blad, and press release development.

• Edited 5-10 books a season. Subjects included history, biography, politics, science, and some fiction. Worked closely with best-selling authors including Stephen E. Ambrose, Bob Woodward, Jimmy Carter, and Pulitzer Prize winners Garry Wills and Susan Sheehan.
• Edited 5-10 books per season including overall content development to line editing and organizing artwork; working closely with authors and agents; checking copyediting; proofreading, galleys, blues, and jackets; working closely with production editors and designers; writing catalog and jacket copy; and assessing submissions. Subjects included pop culture, art, garden, and design.