Jamie Raab: “Everything about books is changing…”

At a recent NYU Publishing event students had the opportunity to meet a few of the publishing program’s advisors. Jamie Raab, Senior Vice President and Publisher at Grand Central Publishing, was among the impressive group (check back for posts about the other attendees).

“In all the years I’ve been in publishing – about 30 now – I don’t think I’ve seen change so rapid,” said Raab, who oversees the publication of approximately 300 titles per year on Grand Central Publishing’s hardcover, mass market, and trade paperback lists. “Everything about books is changing . . . but books still remain.”

Jamie Raab came up the editorial ranks after falling into publishing more or less by accident. “I wanted to be a diplomat,” she confessed to the room of students. Fortunately, she added, she gets to use those diplomatic skills every day with authors and agents.

Not surprisingly, given the setting of the talk and the eager eyes staring back at her, Raab was extremely optimistic about the industry’s prospects. She called it, “a really interesting time,” to get into publishing, adding that, “you are all lucky because you came of age in the digital world.”

How does Raab spend her days in this new digital world? Not so differently than she always has: finding and nurturing talent.

“I think [book publishing is] a very personal business. It’s really about caring about the book and caring about the author. That to me is the exciting part. Everything else is exciting too, but our job is to find and nurture that talent.”

Since joining Grand Central - formerly Warner Books - in 1986, Raab has personally acquired and/or edited a wide range of titles, working with authors from Jon Stewart to Nicholas Sparks.

Check back for brief profiles of other NYU MS Pub advisors. Next up: Stephen Riggio, CEO of Barnes & Noble. On a side note, if you're doing the jobhunt rounds, this advisory board isn't a terrible place to start. Sure, they are busy executives, but if you can make a connection, you never know what could happen. Each one of these advisors wants to see NYU publishing students succeed.

Feb. Meet-up, Part II: The Weakest (and Strongest) Links

continued from Feb 4....

The second round-robin question at Monday's meetup was posed by Karina: What are the strongest and weakest sectors of the publishing industry, and what specific departments are the safest and most vulnerable?

In terms of strong markets, everyone had their own opinions. “Editorial,” said Ken, “because in the end, no one can do anything without editors.”

“Books are safer,” said Tony, “because they’re less subject to commotion and revolution.”

“Sales seems to be the most safe,” said Sarah, adding that if you bring in the money, they’ll keep you on the team.

When it came to naming the weakest, most vulnerable positions in publishing, there was one lamenting refrain: “my position.” Multiple people around the table, from editors to proofers, had lost their jobs in recent months. Ira Dittersdorf recounted how McGraw-Hill recently made major cutbacks to copyediting and proofing departments, leaving editors of educational textbooks to do their own proofreading. Others have less specific, more blanket cuts across their sector, with even top execs getting the axe.

When it comes to making your position a strong, indispensable one, “it comes down to the individual,” said Joanne. “What do you bring to the table?”

And, hard though it is to hear, editing alone isn’t enough anymore. “I can make a web site and not hire a single editor,” said Sarah.

My own two cents – that scientific, technical and medical (STM) trade pubs do well in a down economy – was echoed by Stephanie. But what if you don’t want to go the STM route? If you want to stay in a sector of publishing that is taking hits like a freshman in glee club, you are going to have to look long and hard at staying professionally relevant. SEO? XML? CMS? If your boss asks about it, you’re going to need to know about it. Scratch that, you can’t just know about it, you have to know how to USE the information to take your publication to the next level.

So what’s the best way to stay ahead of this curve? We’ll have to leave that for another meetup.

Feb. Meet-Up, Part I: Which NYU Class Mattered Most?

Hello everyone, my name is Logan Plaster and I am excited to be blogging for the NYU Publishing Alumni Association. This is a great resource that was put together by Karina, Joanne, Ania and Karen, and I'm proud to take part. Let's make this a space for NYU Pub. students, both past and present, to network and share ideas. If you have comments or links to share, please don't hesitate to email me. More to come on that front later . . .

Anyway, on to business. The NYU Publishing Alumni Association had a successful meet-up this week at the Croton Reservoir Tavern, a posh little bar near Bryant Park. It was a record turn-out, said alumni association founder Karina Mikhli, and everyone stayed until the bartender kicked us out. OK, so we were meeting in a room that closed at 8, but still, a good time was had by all.

The first round-robin questions for the evening was posed by yours truly, a third-semester, part-time student in the MS Publishing program. I am going through something of a mid-degree crisis and I needed a little inspiration. “What was your favorite class at NYU?” I asked. “Or, more to the point, was there a class that made the monetary investment worthwhile?”

The mention of the word “investment” was met by a wave of knowing nods. Unless you have someone else paying your tuition, you know what I’m talking about. We try to not think about the actual dollar amount attached to our degree, or subject it to too rigorous a cost-benefit analysis. That said, everyone around the table was quick to provide me with a stellar class to take, something that changed the course of their degree in one way or another.

The biggest consensus was that the most worthwhile classes in the end were the ones that were the most difficult and dreaded at the time. Namely, anything involving finance. “I hated finance,” said Ania, “but it was the class I used the most.”

Tony agreed, adding that finance is particularly important because, “no one is going to teach you that on the job.”

On the flip side, there were nods all around when Amanda recalled how her editorial classes were “a wash,” since she already had editorial experience.

My take away? Stay away from classes that seem right up my alley; they’ll end up being boring and redundant. Focus on the classes that will stretch you and give you a specific marketable skill, like building a P&L or creating a marketing plan.

So where are the classes on XML? Maybe next year.

-Logan Plaster

Check back tomorrow for the 2nd round-robin question: "What are the strongest and weakest segments of the publishing community?"

Next NYU Publishing Meetup Date and Blog Writer Needed

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a good holiday season and New Year and that everyone is staying warm and healthy.

Our next NYU Publishing meetup will be held on Monday, 2/1, at 6:30 p.m.; venue to be decided. Save the date, send us round-robin questions, and hope to see you there. I will be sending out a Facebook invite shortly, but if you're not on FB, please RSVP via e-mail.

As some of you may know, the NYU Publishing Association has a blog that we haven't done much with. Along those lines, we are looking for a member who would be willing to report on our events for the blog and also breathe some life into it with interesting stories, features, etc. So if you enjoy writing, can commit to attending our events, and are interested in helping us out, please send us a sample of your writing and some proposed ideas for our blog.

Until next time,

Karina, Joanne, Ania, and Karen

PE Job in Boston

Production Editor – based in Boston – onsite only

Book publisher is seeking a Production Editor with 2-3 years of editorial and production experience in promotional or trade publishing, to oversee 100 titles per year. Must have excellent project management and copy-editing skills, fact-checking capabilities, experience working with printers, and the ability to think outside of the box.

Qualified candidates will have a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts or equivalent experience. Strong writing, communication, and organizational skills are a necessity. Knowledge of Word, Excel and PowerPoint are a must. Knowledge of Filemaker Pro and graphic software are a plus.

Contact donnan@Lpalmer.com

Donna Naidich

Lynne Palmer Exec. Recr.

212-883-0203

Assistant PE Job at Penguin

Description:
Our Berkley Managing Editorial department is currently seeking an Assistant Production Editor to copyedit, proofread, circulate, and track book covers for both fiction and nonfiction books, and assist the Production Editor with all phases of text production for both new and reprint titles.

Among other duties, the person in this position:
1. Copyedits (includes both electronic and hardcopy), proofreads, circulates, and manages all phases of cover production
2. Keeps meticulous track of all cover, reprint, castoff, and CIP information and materials—including due dates
3. Assists the Production Editor with all phases of text work throughout the production process (from locating materials for castoff to preparing the copyedited manuscript for typesetting to reviewing proofread pages and final text blues)
4. Assists the Production Editor with the coordination of schedules with freelancers as well as in-house departments
5. Maintains the backlist reprint corrections file for text and covers, and other projects, as needed
6. Attends all reprint and cover-related meetings
7. Assists with record keeping and title maintenance, which includes making photocopies, and keeping filing system organized and up-to-date and formatting into database
8. Provides administrative support (i.e. photocopying, filing, creating memos and trafficking materials, etc.)
9. Assists the department as needed

Requirements:
A four-year college degree and at least a year of related editorial experience
- Exceptional copyediting and proofreading skills
- Experience using Track Changes
- Consistent accuracy and attention to detail
- Ability to work well under pressure in a deadline-driven environment
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize multiple assignments
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook


Company:PENGUIN GROUP (USA) INC.
Location: New York, NY


How To Apply For This Job:


Please email your resume and cover letter with salary requirement to jobs@us.penguingroup.com indicating the position for which you are applying in the subject line. No phone calls/agencies.

Two job postings

Education Director needed at non-profit organization in Southeast US.

This role oversees the development, implementation and assessment of all K-12 educational initiatives.

You must have 7-10 yrs experience in educational advocacy, preferably at the national level; strong understanding of educational equity issues and multiculturalism; exemplary track record of leading people and projects; exceptional editorial and public relations skills.

Prefer prior experience working in PreK-12 schools and Advanced degree in relevant field, i.e., Master’s, Ph.D. or Ed.D.

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR—New York City

  

Our client is seeking an Editor of Engineering to join this prestigious international scientific publisher of books, journals, and electronic media, with subsidiaries and representatives all over the world. Publications range from medicine to all fields of life sciences, and from mathematics to engineering.

Position Summary:

Responsible for identifying promising new topics, initiating contacts, developing relationships, and increasing company profitability via acquisitions and ongoing management of books and journals that are consistent with the company's reputation as a high-quality, high-level publisher of scientific, professional, and reference works.  This position involves extensive author contact, contract negotiation, proposal review, acquisition of manuscripts for production, promotional planning and monitoring of sales, budget and financial planning, long-range planning for growth and development of the program and management of editorial support staff. Strong interpersonal skills and excellent communication skills are crucial to the position. 

Required Background:

- Master’s degree or doctorate in Engineering Science strongly preferred.

- 2-3 years experience in publishing and/or academic research in the field.

- Strong computer skills in word processing, spreadsheet applications, and presentation software.

To be considered, please email your resume directly to:

Susan Gordon

President of Lynne Palmer Executive Recruitment

Susan@lpalmer.com