Tell us about your history with Peachtree.

I don’t remember how long I’ve been at Peachtree, maybe 4 years? It happened that I was looking for a new gig at the same time Peachtree was looking for someone to manage the retail market for them. It was a lucky coincidence. I started with managing the field reps and working with a couple of our major wholesalers. Since then I’ve taken on more responsibility with accounts that work in the education channel.

I’ve been working in publishing, in one form or another, since college. I started part-time at a B. Dalton while in college, went on to manage that store, then became a buyer for a university store, and then made the leap to work on the publishing side.  I’ve been at Simon & Schuster, Houghton Mifflin, and then Barefoot before coming to Peachtree.

What are your top three favorite books, any genre?

I know others before me have said this is an unfair question—and it is. The first book I can remember reading in any detail was Winnie the Pooh. When I reread it later as an adult I understood why my father loved it so much. It works on levels that resonate for both a child and an adult. That should be the goal of every book published for children, in my humble opinion, so it would likely be one of my choices. Then just about anything written by Philip Roth or Donald Hall would make the list. They are fresh on my mind because of their recent deaths and and I’ve been re-reading them. One of the books that had a big impact on me in college was Erich Fromm’s Beyond the Chains of Illusion.

If you could be a literary character for a day, who would you be?

I would be Euell Gibbons, which probably comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me. Foraging is one of my many passions.

Who is your hero or role model and why?

This will sound trite, but my father is my hero and role model. He was a man of intense curiosity who read widely and had a mind-spinning array of interests. He was good at almost anything he touched, so his diversity did not detract from his ability to focus. We should all strive to be better rounded individuals and bring an open mind to experiencing new things.

What is your favorite thing about working at Peachtree?

The size of the House allows me to dip my hand in many more bits of the business than I was able to experience in larger Houses. It has given me a more whole view of the industry, which I appreciate.

In your position, what do you consider to be your secret weapon?

Sales are always tricky in that people think you’re trying to sell them something. My trick, and thanks for letting everyone know this, is sincerity. I can’t imagine having to sell pharmaceuticals. You have to believe in what you’ve got in your bag in order to convince anyone else it’s worth having. (Small disclaimer—I have nothing against pharmaceuticals.)

Do you have any big interests or hobbies that you focus on outside of work?

I have a number which include pet rescue, gardening, spending time in nature, bicycling, and even shoveling snow in the winter. Mostly I love being outside under any pretext.

If, in an alternate reality, you were to have gone a completely different career route, what would you have done?

I would be a mycologist.  Or a pet therapist.

Feel free to write any questions or comments for Lynn below!

Tell us about your history with Peachtree.

Like many of the Peachtree staff, I paid my dues by processing a bunch of slush as an intern. I had just graduated with my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and was looking to apply what I had learned to the publishing industry. Luckily, Peachtree was in my own backyard, and it was the perfect opportunity.

I showed up to my internship every day, took every assignment seriously, did the best job that I could do, and made sure I left a positive impression on the entire Peachtree staff (I shamelessly bribed them with baked goods once a week).

Unbeknownst to me, my predecessor was looking to relocate, and so I was offered a job as a Publisher’s Assistant at the start of 2017. Peachtree, being a smaller company, is an all-hands-on-deck environment. I had the opportunity to learn about multiple areas of the business while also training to take on an Editorial Assistant role.

The interactions that I had with our customer orders were invaluable and influenced my editorial taste for the better. Now, as Assistant Editor, I’m responsible for Peachtree’s co-edition titles as well as seeking out new talent and exciting works.

What are your top three favorite books, any genre?

The Story of Ferdinand

The City of Ember

A Face Like Glass

If you could be a literary character for a day, who would you be?

Samwise Gamgee—just enough adventure in a supporting role without having the fate of the world rest on my shoulders.

Who is your hero or role model and why?

It’s a cliché and almost everyone says it, but I’d better be saying it too in case they google this—my parents. They worked hard to provide for my brothers and I, and I carry the values they taught me into my professional life.

What is your favorite thing about working at Peachtree?

The people. Hands-down.

I like my coworkers and the team we have at Peachtree, and it’s a thrill when all the working parts come together to bring about a stellar final product.

I also have a lot fun mentoring our interns and doing my part to bring up the next generation of editors.

In your position, what do you consider to be your secret weapon?

It’s definitely my education, and it helps to have an appreciation of the classics. Kudos to the free spirits out there that like to discover everything organically, but I like to know where I’ve come from to figure out where I’m going.

More than that, it’s a willingness to always be learning. That never goes away in an editorial role. If you aren’t a master of a particular subject, you often find yourself becoming one.

What type of books do you edit? Any particular genres?

Board books, picture books, middle grade, young adult.

I’m pretty open-minded in regards to genre, and I’m a huge dork for accessible fantasy and science fiction. I’ll consider: action, adventure, contemporary romance, dystopian, historical fiction, LGBTQ+, magical realism, mystery, novels in verse, suspense, and thriller. I’m especially looking for #ownvoices projects and author-illustrators.

I’m probably not the right editor for slice-of-life dramas, horror, sports, or westerns.

What makes a great book for you?

I’m of the philosophy that it all comes down to character, and if there’s a bump in the road—we can probably trace it back something that is or isn’t happening with character development.

I want to like the characters I’m going on a journey with, and they need to be fleshed-out enough with compelling arcs to be able to inform and influence the other story elements like plot structure, pacing, syntax, etc.

What’s your ideal working relationship with an author?

I love working with authors who have a confident point of view. The relationship should be a collaboration of ideas. I don’t ever want to be the lone voice in the room. I really love working with someone who can feed off of my edits and come back with something even better than what I could have ever imagined. It’s not my book, after all—I’m just here to shepherd it to a cleaner version.

Do you have any big interests or hobbies that you focus on outside of work?

I’m reading all day, so my guilty pleasure is audio books and having somebody else read to me. I’ll binge watch good TV like anyone else, too. I also like to trek through the wilderness of the North Georgia mountains now and then.

If, in an alternate reality, you were to have gone a completely different career route, what would you have done?

I thought I was going to be a veterinarian—and then Biology class and I didn’t get along. If had been more science-minded, I would’ve liked to have worked with animals.

Feel free to write any questions or comments for Jonah below!

Tell us about your history with Peachtree.

I got started with Peachtree when I was the assistant to the Comptroller of a software engineering firm in 2007 who was working with Peachtree to implement their new sales order processing system. I was interested in making a change as my job was being phased out as the result of a merger. About the same time, Peachtree’s long time Accounting Manager had decided to leave to pursue other interests. So you might say the stars were aligned so that I was able to come to Peachtree with my first task to complete the new software setup and then transition to take over the position.

I’ve been working at Peachtree for over 10 years now. My job is to handle the usual accounting duties that are common to all companies but new things have been added to my job description over the years. Many of our customers have been moving to new technical systems and software that ties directly into what I do as Accounting Manager so I’ve had to dive head first into implementing new programs and procedures. I’ve always been in a position of office manager/bookkeeper with small companies for all of my career.

What are your top three favorite books, any genre?

That’s an impossible question for me as you could probably throw out any number of titles or authors that would be on my favorites list. I will say, though, that I’m a Stephen King junkie so any title of his always works for me. I also love murder mysteries/detective stories and anything with vampires, witches, werewolves and other such delightful creatures!

If you could be a literary character for a day, who would you be?

Scout Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird so I could spend a day with Atticus.

Who is your hero or role model and why?

My wonderful husband, Harry. He is the kindest and most thoughtful and generous person I have ever known. After decades of marriage, his greatest quality has always been the ability to make me laugh even in the most difficult times.

What is your favorite thing about working at Peachtree?

Seeing new titles when they come in is always wonderful but I would have to say my favorite thing about Peachtree is my coworkers! We have a great team here and we work very hard, but we find time to have fun too. We have a dozen or more staff members who are big fans of Game of Thrones so a few years ago we established our GoT weekly lunch so we can all get together and discuss the latest episodes and theories of what’s to come. We have our favorite characters and some of us have house banners hanging in our offices. I was dubbed the “Master of Coin” for obvious reasons.

In your position, what do you consider to be your secret weapon?

I think everyone here including me would say multi-tasking as we are all master jugglers in each of our positions. But for me personally, I’d say diplomacy is probably my secret weapon as I interact with people from every aspect of this business. My grandmother taught me long ago, “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar” and she was right. And I called her Honey!

Do you have any big interests or hobbies that you focus on outside of work?

Reading is my hobby. Everyone in my house knows that when I have settled into my reading spot, do not even attempt to talk to me or you will talk to the hand.

If, in an alternate reality, you were to have gone a completely different career route, what would you have done?

I moved from Southern California to Georgia and a few months after that I started working for Peachtree Publishers. It’s been a good experience working in an environment where people work hard and contribute in a big way towards children’s education. This coming October will mark my two year anniversary with Peachtree Publishers.

I’ve been working in this field for the last 29 years. I’ve worked in warehouses that produce electronics, telecommunications equipment, aircraft parts, and chemicals. Working with books is a lot of fun though!

What is your favorite thing about working at Peachtree?

Knowing the positive impact books have on children.

Do you have any big interests or hobbies that you focus on outside of work?

I love bike riding, soccer, volley ball, reading, and of course working around the house.

If, in an alternate reality, you were to have gone a completely different career route, what would you have done?

I wanted to be an airplane mechanic. That was the reason why I attended Park West High School in NYC.

For more behind the scenes, check out the spotlights for Creative Director Nicki Carmack, Senior Editor Vicky Holifield, and Special Sales Manager and Subsidiary Rights Director Farah Gehy. ]]> https://peachtree-online.com/2017/06/employee-spotlight-marlon-berreondo/feed/ 2014 https://peachtree-online.com/2017/06/employee-spotlight-melanie-mcmahon-ives/ https://peachtree-online.com/2017/06/employee-spotlight-melanie-mcmahon-ives/#comments Thu, 08 Jun 2017 16:00:00 +0000 http://peachtree-online.com/2017/06/employee-spotlight-melanie-mcmahon-ives/ With summer in full swing, we are bringing back our Employee Spotlights! Last year we all had so much fun getting to know a few Peaches, so we decided to keep the tradition going. (Check out the spotlights for Creative Director Nicki Carmack, Senior Editor Vicky Holifield, and Special Sales Manager and Subsidiary Rights Director Farah Gehy.)

Today we are thrilled to introduce Melanie McMahon Ives! She is the Director of Production and Manufacturing here at Peachtree, and she’s answered a few questions so that everyone can get to know her a little better.

Tell us about your history with Peachtree.

I’ve been here at Peachtree for more than 20 years. I came on board after the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta as a freelance copyeditor and designer for The Official Report of the Olympic Games, a mandatory written record of games that’s required to be published within 2 years of the completion of the Games. It’s a beautiful 3-volume set done in both English and French, and it is something I remain extraordinarily proud of to this day. It was a contract job that was to last 9 months, but it stretched on a bit longer, and once the books were done, I wouldn’t leave! Or something along those lines. I moved into production shortly thereafter and have been here ever since. Before I moved to Atlanta, I worked for Longman Publishing, a division of Addison-Wesley Publishing in New York.

What are your top three favorite books, any genre?

If you’ve been thinking about applying for an editorial internship at Peachtree, then this post is just for you! Each spring, summer, and fall Peachtree offers an exciting opportunity for college students and graduates to get a hands-on, inside look at the publishing industry. The benefits of interning in the editorial department of an independent publisher like Peachtree are through the roof! So if you’re looking to break into the industry, an internship is a great start. Here’s a breakdown of the daily tasks involved, written by a past intern.

Each morning as you enter the building, you’ll stop by the receptionist desk and gather a pile of mail that’s been date-stamped and sorted as unsolicited material. Peachtree accepts unsolicited submissions, and when senior staff is busy with other projects, it’s the editorial intern’s job to help out in processing these submissions. When you haven’t been assigned any other projects, this will be your primary responsibility.

After settling into your cozy desk space, you’ll file these submissions in order of material received. There’s a lovely bookshelf near your desk to place these submissions. This is the slush pile. Older submissions are reviewed first while the newer material is placed at the bottom.

Consider the evaluation of slush the training ground in developing your personal taste as an editor. This is the area where you get to exercise your knowledge of the market and your comprehension of skilled writing. There’s a certain kind of fun in opening slush, because you never know what you’re going to get! Accept this opportunity for what it is: an invitation to demonstrate to senior staff that you’re capable of reviewing content through a lens that’s beneficial to Peachtree.

If you’re impressed with the material and think it might benefit Peachtree to take a closer look, you’ll mark the title in a slush log as “consider.” To consider material, you’ll complete a reader’s report which walks through some important questions, such as: are the characters well-developed? Is the plot well-structured? Does the author seem like they’ll be a good collaborator? A detailed template is provided to interns to help them evaulate.

Following that, you’ll pass the material to the other interns in the office and receive their feedback. These responses are crucial to the success of your selection, so be sure to carefully consider everybody’s input. If you’re still feeling confident about the piece, you’ll present your selection at a mock acquisitions meeting alongside the other interns.

Editorial staff will be moderating the mock acquisitions meeting, so this is your time to shine and show off all your fabulous pitching skills! You’ll be acting as the advocate for the manuscript, so it’s up to you to get everyone else on board. Creativity and thinking outside the box can be very beneficial here. If your selection passes a vote, you’ll prepare a memo and pass the manuscript onto senior staff who will review it further.

Imports

In addition to reviewing unsolicited material that arrives in the mail, you may also be presented with the opportunity of reviewing potential import acquisitions. Import manuscripts have already been published in another country and are being considered for acquisition in the U.S.

As an intern, you’ll provide a reader’s report on the material and offer a recommendation to pass or consider. Imports can be brought to your mock acquisitions meeting, too, so read carefully.

The reader’s report you compose may be formal or informal depending on the preference of the senior staff who tasked you with reading imports. An informal report may be a list of bulleted thoughts while a formal report will need to answer some specific questions from a provided template. Each time you write a reader’s report, you’re sharpening your skills in identifying quality material.

Copy Editing and Proofreading

Your task here is fairly straightforward—clean up the copy using house style guidelines without compromising authorial voice. Offer diplomatic queries for any significant changes.

The material you proofread will vary. It could be a manuscript in-progress, a kindle file, a seasonal catalog, marketing materials, teacher’s guides, and any other material requiring a fresh set of eyes. You may even be asked to do a blue lines checklist—an important last look at the manuscript before it heads off to be printed. Proofreading requires a special kind of patience and a learned eye, but it’s always deeply gratifying when you catch an error and valiantly defend the house style with the stroke of a pen or touch of a key!

Research

From time-to-time, you may also be asked to perform some research. It’s imperative to demonstrate not only an ability to collect data, but an aptitude for critically interpreting the information gathered. This request could come from anyone and your role as a researcher could significantly benefit Peachtree, especially if you happen to spot an oversight in a manuscript during a fact check. Even an intern can catch and prevent costly errors before books go to the printer! Never underestimate the power of paying close attention to detail.

Additional research may involve gathering a list of comparative titles for projects being acquired. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with competitors and gauge whether or not the considered material could perform well based on current or former trends. Generally, you’re looking for content that’s similar to the manuscript being considered and usually within the last five years—sometimes ten years if it’s not a well-covered topic.

Miscellaneous Tasks

Of course there are plenty of other responsibilities to keep you busy, too.

Accepting phone calls from anyone inquiring about the publishing business is a fantastic way to build your interpersonal phone skills—friendliness and speaking with a smile on your face goes a long way. Just imagine if you were working the receptionist desk and somebody from the New York Times called to inform you one of Peachtree’s titles has been selected for a prestigious award! Professionalism in phone manners is crucial to maintaining industry relationships and creates a positive impression for anyone calling to do business.

As Peachtree is a smaller publisher, you’ll have a chance to help out in the on-site warehouse once a week. Handling the inventory and verifying customer orders provides a tangible understanding of the business side of publishing. Not all interns in the publishing business get to see this side of the industry, so take advantage of this hands-on experience.

And let’s not forget trend reports! Reading and submitting publishing trend reports from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus builds an understanding of the market at-large and is a great excuse to absorb some intelligent advice from the articles inside. A cover-to-cover careful reading, accompanied with a long-hand outline that’s e-mailed to the whole office, ensures that you’re staying in the industry loop.

Other special tasks may be assigned as needed, so diligence and flexibility are key traits to have.

Meetings

There’s definitely no shortage of learning opportunities from the meetings you may be invited to attend. A good amount of information can be gathered by observing senior staff. Not only will you learn some cool details about how the publishing industry works, but you’ll be introduced to the dynamics of how the Peachtree team operates. These are valuable moments to study and model your own professional behavior.

Your primary role during these meetings is to be a fly on the wall, but you never know when you’ll be asked to participate in the conversation. Be sure you’ve reviewed the material that’s up for discussion. It also doesn’t hurt to have a number of talking points prepared—just in case.

Types of meetings you may be invited to could include: potential illustrator discussions, monthly acquisition reviews, and spring/fall presentation and launch strategy meetings.

Lunch & Learns

Finally, Lunch & Learns are a very special resource that Peachtree provides to its interns. These are lunchtime meetings where a senior staff member discusses their role in the company and presents an overview of their department’s inner workings. The presenter could be someone from editorial, marketing, production, sales, or the art department. These are truly golden opportunities to hear from experienced professionals.

It’s the last spotlight of the season! This past month we’ve spent some time introducing all the wonderful people who make up the Peachtree team. If you missed last week, we heard from Nicki Carmack, our Creative Director.

Today we have Matt Gray in the spotlight. He is our IT and Operations Manager as well as a consistent life saver.

Tell us about your history with Peachtree.

I started at Peachtree ten and a half years ago as a marketing intern.  About a month into my internship, one of the ladies that worked at the front desk at the time left the company to move back home to be closer to her family.  I was asked to pull double duty: at first by working part time answering phones while spending the rest of my time continuing my internship, and then after my internship ended, I was asked to spend that time helping the sales department with stuff like order entry, invoicing, and trade shows.  Before too long I was moved over to the sales department full time.  Since I had graduated from an engineering school and know my way around computers, I started to be involved in technical projects; at the same time, my work with trade shows got me more and more involved with logistics.  That led me to a bunch of different roles over the years, ranging at times from being an information specialist to a project manager, and even running the warehouse for a bit before ending up in my current role as the IT and Operations Manager.

What are your top three favorite books, any genre?

I’m so glad you asked for three.  I couldn’t pick just two, and four would have been a nightmare, but in no particular order:

If you could be a literary character for a day, who would you be?

It might be a bit of a cop out answer, but Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next.  She’s able to move in and out of any story or book ever written at will, so I could visit all of my favorite books and characters that I wanted.

Who is your hero or role model and why?

I’d have to say my parents.  I’m extremely lucky to have them in my life providing the example and guidance that they have.

What is your favorite thing about working at Peachtree?

I’ve loved reading since as far back as I can remember, and it’s an amazing feeling getting to help bring something you loved so deeply as a kid to today’s children.

In your position, what do you consider to be your secret weapon?

Does restarting a computer count?  😉

Do you have any big interests or hobbies that you focus on outside of work?

Reading is and always will be the main one, but lately I’ve been trying to improve more hands-on skills like home improvement and cooking.

If, in an alternate reality, you were to have gone a completely different career route, what would you have done?

Believe it or not, I was actually this close to majoring in physics in college.

Feel free to write any questions or comments for Matt below!

The spotlight continues! We have spent the last several weeks highlighting some of the very talented people who work at Peachtree. In case you missed it, you can check out last week’s post from Farah Gehy, our Special Sales Manager and Subsidiary Rights Director. Today we get to hear from Nicki Carmack, our Creative Director.

Tell us about your history with Peachtree.

I worked as a freelance designer with Peachtree back in the 1990s and then pursued a design/marketing career in the financial industry. However, I returned to Peachtree on a full-time basis in 2012. I think my position is constantly evolving since I have to be aware of ongoing trends and technologies in the creative industry. I also work with a lot of different authors and illustrators each season so that creates new opportunities. Now I’m going to sound old! Next year it will be 30 years since I graduated from art school! Yikes! I first met Peachtree at a local book fair in Atlanta, shortly after moving to the U.S. from England. Since I had just left a publishing job in London, I was excited to find a local publisher.

What are your top three favorite books, any genre?

I’m not sure I can list just three, but probably any historical biography or murder mystery. My favorite all time book is Thérese Raquinby Emile Zola.

If you could be a literary character for a day, who would you be?

Some kind of detective. Probably Sherlock Holmes!

Who is your hero or role model and why?

My parents! They have been together for over 60 years and still enjoy life to the full. They have kept me well grounded too.

What is your favorite thing about working at Peachtree?

I work with such a talented group. It’s a pleasure to brainstorm new ideas and projects, and I feel we all have mutual respect for each other. You can’t ask for more than that.

In your position, what do you consider to be your secret weapon?

Multi tasking and diplomacy! I juggle many, many projects every day and have to stay on track to avoid missing deadlines. I also interact with a lot of artists, and giving constructive criticism and art direction—whilst still respecting the author and editors’ wishes—can sometimes take a little diplomacy.

Do you have any big interests or hobbies that you focus on outside of work?

I love to travel! I start planning my next trip before I’ve returned home from my current trip and love to build complicated itineraries and spreadsheets! Vacations are never a time for relaxation!

If, in an alternate reality, you were to have gone a completely different career route, what would you have done?