Resume

freelance writer

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Resume

Veteran editor and published author of 40 titles for the school library market

Have written numerous educational books for children grades K–9, including top-selling Science Rocks! and Weather Watchers series as well as history, math, and language arts titles (See corresponding list of books and writing samples.)
Have written features, Q&A-style interviews, and a monthly book review column for a national monthly magazine with 400,000 subscribers, earning two Page One awards in feature writing from the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists

Conduct in-depth research of assigned topics, strategically using multiple sources, including print, reliable websites, and online library databases as well as personal interviews and primary documents
Provide deep knowledge of competitive product through ongoing research of new and classic works in the children’s and YA genres
Reliably and thoroughly fulfill revision requests and editor queries to produce the best work possible
Ensure that manuscripts conform to The Chicago Manual of Style or in-house style guides
Assist with text-to-image match by supplying illustration notes, captions, and reference photos and diagrams

Served as lead editor on hundreds of books for the school library market, shepherding each one from the concept stage through the final proofread
Reviewed children’s book manuscripts for clarity, depth of information, creative approach, and reading level, offering feedback and strategies for improvement as well as research and revision assistance
Mentored editors and authors through regular, one-on-one discussions about their projects
Led staff workshops on editing skills, including text leveling, identifying areas of assumed knowledge, and unpacking difficult concepts
Facilitated company book club to discuss industry’s most innovative and well-reviewed titles

Children’s Book Author, Minneapolis, MN, 2005–present

Red Line Editorial, Burnsville, MN, 2007–2011
Assistant Managing Editor

Capstone Publishing, Bloomington, MN, 2002–2005
Senior Editor

Catholic Digest Magazine, St. Paul, MN, 1998–2001
Assistant Editor

The Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington, DC, 1997–1998
Editorial Assistant

University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, 2000–2003
Completed coursework in the Master of Arts in English program

Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 1995
Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults (CTEFLA)

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 1993
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science