Margaret Novak – Editor

As an acquisitions and development editor, I shepherded a variety of nonfiction titles through the publishing process. From finding and working with authors pre-submission and negotiating contracts to line editing manuscripts during development and collaborating with design on artistic vision and layout, I was thrilled to be involved at every stage of the process.
It was a joy to act as a public face of the company, at trade shows, launches, and sales conferences. I deepened relationships with licensors, agents, sales reps, photographers, authors, stylists, and bloggers. Because Quirk is such an eclectic publisher, I got to work with the likes of Sanrio, DC Comics, Lucas Film, Representative Barney Frank, Jeni's Ice Cream, and the Library of Congress in various capacities.

In addition to my assistant duties, I acquired and developed a few book projects of my own each season. As Quirk's only Ed. Ass. (at the time), I was responsible for project editing, copy editing, and all kinds of odd jobs, from filing contracts to mailing books to authors. I wrote catalog and cover copy, as well as sales tip sheets.
Hired and oversaw all editorial interns (both paid and unpaid). I worked trade shows--everything from manning the tables to meeting with agents and authors to breaking down (and packing up) pallets and displays. Little known fact: book editors are not as wimpy as they might look, what with all that heavy lifting!
I also generated, wrote, and edited content for the Quirk Books blog.
In the economic recession I felt incredibly fortunate to have a job, let alone one that I looked forward to every day.

As a girl Friday for a small independent book publisher, I got to assist with (and eventually try my hand at) all aspects of the publishing process. Quirk Books is unusual in that it is innovative, not derivative. In-house generated ideas as well as traditionally agented works.

This job was a cookbook lover's dream. I baked bread, baguettes, scones, cookies, cakes, and more on a daily basis. Ran the coffee bar per La Colombe's (wonderfully persnickety) specifications. Took inventory. Baked custom orders on demand and occasionally tested and developed house recipes.

Why did a BA in English and Art lead me to work with particle physics, insane math grammar, and XML-first publishing? I don't know, but it was fun.
As a Beacon editor, I converted and copyedited countless articles for American Physical Society (APS) Physics journals Physical Review D: Particles, Fields, Gravitation, and Cosmology (PRD: http://journals.aps.org/prd/) and Physical Review A: Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (PRA: http://journals.aps.org/pra/). Duties included keeping extensive style sheets particular to each paper, wrangling and coding complex math grammar per APS rules, and corresponding with the world's foremost physicists--Nobel prize winners among them.
This was in the (relatively) early days of XML publishing, and we boasted a lightning-fast three-day turnaround from submission to online publication; print publication followed one month later.

While I was in college, I did freelance copy writing, copy editing, and proofreading for PLS Legal Update, a monthly, online training system for law enforcement officers in Missouri and Iowa.
Legal Update provides legal, technical, and interpersonal skills training through the analysis of statutes and actual court cases. It was my job to transform copy written by lawyers into something that would actually make sense to the midwest's finest.

Conducted one-on-one conferences with student writers. Provided developmental support, line editing, copy editing, and proofreading. Addressed major structural and organizational issues as well as the specifics of the prompt.

As a high school student, I helped create a massive digital database cataloging the museum's permanent collection. Filed invoices. Honed my data entry skills. Fell in love with this small-town museum, which has one of the best pottery collections in the Appalachian Clay Corridor.

http://www.zanesvilleart.org