Kathryn Sparks – Editor

As literary assistant to Tina Schwartz of The Purcell Literary Agency, my roles included but were not limited to, reading queries and manuscripts, searching market guides and online resources, corresponding with potential authors, attending conferences on an "as needed basis", and meeting with Tina Schwartz when scheduled.

As manager, I oversee all aspects of the consumer book publishing program relating to our child care book series and topic-specific books, including recruiting and acquiring new authors and projects. I work diligently on the development and review of editorial content to ensure all materials are consistent with official AAP policy and standard child care practices.

Books that I have developmentally edited include the following:

The Picky Eater Project: 6 Weeks to Happier, Healthier Family Mealtimes
Baby Care Anywhere: The Quick Guide to Parenting On the Go
Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love With Expectations and Protection
With Trust

Edited the following revisions:

Raising Twins: Parenting Multiples From Pregnancy Through the School Years (2nd edition)
My Child Is Sick! Expert Advice for Managing Common Illnesses and Injuries (2nd edition)
Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality (3rd edition)

Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 (6th edition; a 7th is in the works)
Your Baby's First Year (4th edition)
*These two titles were published through Bantam, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and the author was the AAP. I worked diligently with both medical editors to coordinate the technical review, ensure current AAP policies were updated, managed the track changes, and shepherded both books through the production process.

As remote intern, my main roles included reading queries and full manuscripts as assigned. Each full read required a written detailed summary of the book, addressing manuscript elements that worked well within the scope of the story, as well as aspects that needed development.

As editorial assistant, I maintained the editorial workflow, coordinated publishing timetables, and facilitated author manuscripts through an electronic peer-review system for three scholarly journals, as well as worked closely with the deputy editor and editor-in-chef for various projects and initiatives.

The assistant to the author position included tasks such as responding to email queries; creating blog tours and book contests; distributing author signed book plates; responding to fan requests; maintaining membership statuses; as well as working on website content and coordinating book-related tasks via communication with the author.

As Assistant to the Publisher, I managed the Publisher's schedule, travel, and trade show planning, as well worked closely with the Publisher on websites, research and emerging technologies. The position also required interfacing closely with authors and industry professionals to plan and schedule meetings and events.

As customer service rep, I fielded questions from customers pertaining to price, availability and promotional materials. Other duties included entering and processing consumer sales utilizing Acumen, streamed orders daily to the warehouse, entered and filed invoices and credit memos.

As editorial intern, I reviewed unagented submissions, requested manuscripts and drafted rejection letters; performed category research to gauge sell-through data; edited manuscripts alongside Senior Editor, updating content utilizing PDF markup; developed reading group guides (see The Pendragon's Banner below) and book summaries for sales materials and catalogs; and participated in acquisition and production meetings.