Meet Maren
Name: |
Maren |
Department: |
Random House Children`s Books |
Title: |
Managing Editor |
| Location: | New York, NY |
Describe your educational background. Where did you study, what degrees did you receive?
I earned my Bachelors of Arts degree in English/Literature from Western Oregon University, where I was a member of the Honors College and completed my senior thesis. After graduation, I attended the New York University Summer Publishing Institute—an intensive six-week publishing course; it helped launch my publishing career. Thanks to Random House, I have continued taking courses through the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies, and I’ve earned a Certificate in Editing.
Describe your career history. What have been your professional experiences prior to your current position?
Prior to joining Random House, Inc., I was first an intern with Calyx Books, a small publishing house based in Oregon that focuses on literature by women. When I moved to New York, I became the assistant to the Vice-President/Managing Director of Foreign Rights at a small but prominent literary agency. While I knew I wanted to ultimately end up at a publishing house, working for an agent allowed me to see a different side of the publishing process and work closely with authors. My first position with Random House, Inc. was with the Random House Publishing Group. When I left, I was an Associate Managing Editor, and I also served as a production editor for a number of titles. As a Production Editor, I transmitted, copyedited, and proofread manuscripts and proof pages, often with the assistance of freelancers. I am now a Managing Editor with Random House Children’s Books.
What are your current roles and responsibilities?
My main job is to oversee the editorial production process for my titles, ensuring their quality and that they are completed on time. To that end, I liaise with the editorial, copyediting, design, and production departments; I run status meetings to obtain necessary scheduling information; and I review and traffic all book materials from the manuscript stage through to the printer’s blues stage.
I’m also in charge of setting up, maintaining, and ensuring the accuracy of the book records in our database system (SAP), and I’ll review spec information on catalog pages and Power Point presentations.
Describe a typical day at your job:
In a typical day, I send and receive numerous emails and make a number of phone calls, obtaining and confirming scheduling information. I’m often busy setting up and maintaining book networks, meaning I adjust titles, authors, pricing information, printing numbers, etc. I look at cover mechanicals and proof pages for my titles, making sure all requested corrections were made and I don’t see any glaring errors. I may also submit text corrections for the next reprinting of a title, which ensures that the best possible product is out there on the shelf.
What attracted you to your company and position? What is your favorite thing about your job?
As an avid reader, I was first attracted to Random House because of the stable of authors that are published here. Even prior to my employ here, over half of the titles on my bookshelf were titles published by various Random House imprints. Another attraction was the wonderful benefits and staff support and the specific individuals I get to work with every day within my department.
My favorite thing about my job is learning something new (big or small) every day. While carrying out my duties, I get to talk to so many people who perform such different jobs, and they all teach me something.
What has been your most memorable moment (so far) in your job?
My most memorable moment so far was when I received a finished copy of the first title I worked on. After working through the various stages to ready it for publication, I was finally able to see the fruit of my labor.
If you could meet anyone from history, living or dead, who would it be?
I’d love to meet Maya Angelou. I’ve read all of her autobiographies and have been fascinated with the many different career paths she’s explored, the many places her life has taken her, and the amazing people she has met along the way.
What qualities do you feel are necessary to be a successful employee at your company?
Flexibility, excellent communication skills, willingness to learn and the ability to learn quickly, knowledge of grammar and punctuation, great attention to detail, and, of course, passion and a love of books goes a long way toward making one a successful employee at Random House.
Have you had the opportunity to travel as part of your job?
I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania to see two of our printing plants and one of our distribution centers. They’ve each been very interesting and eye-opening experiences. I learned a lot about the machines and the stages of printing process, which helped me understand the limitations and economic impacts of choosing a specific trim size, paper, or a page count, etc. I encounter these specifications daily while maintaining book records, and now I understand the reasoning behind these decisions.
Do you feel you have a good understanding of Bertelsmann and its corporate culture?
Since joining this company, I find myself paying greater attention to news about Random House and Bertelsmann. I feel I am gaining a greater understanding of the company and its corporate culture.
What is your favorite book, movie, and artist?
My favorite book, movie and artist are…
“Favorite” questions are hard for me to answer. I have fairly eclectic taste. Some of my past favorites have been Things Fall Apart; The Time Traveler’s Wife; The Kite Runner; Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx; Memoirs of a Geisha; A Wrinkle in Time; Island of the Blue Dolphins; The City of Ember; and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,
Finally, please write a paragraph or two about yourself, your interests, hobbies, goals, meaningful life experiences, role models, memories, etc.:
I have always been an avid reader because I come from a family of educators and librarians who instilled in me early on a love for the written word. I also love film and theater and jazz music. Moving to New York City has given me a wonderful opportunity to enjoy live shows and readings, indie movie houses, and accessibility to fabulous bookstores like The Strand, where I can feed my book obsession. My future goal, however, is to escape New York City every now and then to travel the globe and actually experience some of the places I’ve read about.
I earned my Bachelors of Arts degree in English/Literature from Western Oregon University, where I was a member of the Honors College and completed my senior thesis. After graduation, I attended the New York University Summer Publishing Institute—an intensive six-week publishing course; it helped launch my publishing career. Thanks to Random House, I have continued taking courses through the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies, and I’ve earned a Certificate in Editing.
Describe your career history. What have been your professional experiences prior to your current position?
Prior to joining Random House, Inc., I was first an intern with Calyx Books, a small publishing house based in Oregon that focuses on literature by women. When I moved to New York, I became the assistant to the Vice-President/Managing Director of Foreign Rights at a small but prominent literary agency. While I knew I wanted to ultimately end up at a publishing house, working for an agent allowed me to see a different side of the publishing process and work closely with authors. My first position with Random House, Inc. was with the Random House Publishing Group. When I left, I was an Associate Managing Editor, and I also served as a production editor for a number of titles. As a Production Editor, I transmitted, copyedited, and proofread manuscripts and proof pages, often with the assistance of freelancers. I am now a Managing Editor with Random House Children’s Books.
What are your current roles and responsibilities?
My main job is to oversee the editorial production process for my titles, ensuring their quality and that they are completed on time. To that end, I liaise with the editorial, copyediting, design, and production departments; I run status meetings to obtain necessary scheduling information; and I review and traffic all book materials from the manuscript stage through to the printer’s blues stage.
I’m also in charge of setting up, maintaining, and ensuring the accuracy of the book records in our database system (SAP), and I’ll review spec information on catalog pages and Power Point presentations.
Describe a typical day at your job:
In a typical day, I send and receive numerous emails and make a number of phone calls, obtaining and confirming scheduling information. I’m often busy setting up and maintaining book networks, meaning I adjust titles, authors, pricing information, printing numbers, etc. I look at cover mechanicals and proof pages for my titles, making sure all requested corrections were made and I don’t see any glaring errors. I may also submit text corrections for the next reprinting of a title, which ensures that the best possible product is out there on the shelf.
What attracted you to your company and position? What is your favorite thing about your job?
As an avid reader, I was first attracted to Random House because of the stable of authors that are published here. Even prior to my employ here, over half of the titles on my bookshelf were titles published by various Random House imprints. Another attraction was the wonderful benefits and staff support and the specific individuals I get to work with every day within my department.
My favorite thing about my job is learning something new (big or small) every day. While carrying out my duties, I get to talk to so many people who perform such different jobs, and they all teach me something.
What has been your most memorable moment (so far) in your job?
My most memorable moment so far was when I received a finished copy of the first title I worked on. After working through the various stages to ready it for publication, I was finally able to see the fruit of my labor.
If you could meet anyone from history, living or dead, who would it be?
I’d love to meet Maya Angelou. I’ve read all of her autobiographies and have been fascinated with the many different career paths she’s explored, the many places her life has taken her, and the amazing people she has met along the way.
What qualities do you feel are necessary to be a successful employee at your company?
Flexibility, excellent communication skills, willingness to learn and the ability to learn quickly, knowledge of grammar and punctuation, great attention to detail, and, of course, passion and a love of books goes a long way toward making one a successful employee at Random House.
Have you had the opportunity to travel as part of your job?
I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania to see two of our printing plants and one of our distribution centers. They’ve each been very interesting and eye-opening experiences. I learned a lot about the machines and the stages of printing process, which helped me understand the limitations and economic impacts of choosing a specific trim size, paper, or a page count, etc. I encounter these specifications daily while maintaining book records, and now I understand the reasoning behind these decisions.
Do you feel you have a good understanding of Bertelsmann and its corporate culture?
Since joining this company, I find myself paying greater attention to news about Random House and Bertelsmann. I feel I am gaining a greater understanding of the company and its corporate culture.
What is your favorite book, movie, and artist?
My favorite book, movie and artist are…
“Favorite” questions are hard for me to answer. I have fairly eclectic taste. Some of my past favorites have been Things Fall Apart; The Time Traveler’s Wife; The Kite Runner; Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx; Memoirs of a Geisha; A Wrinkle in Time; Island of the Blue Dolphins; The City of Ember; and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,
Finally, please write a paragraph or two about yourself, your interests, hobbies, goals, meaningful life experiences, role models, memories, etc.:
I have always been an avid reader because I come from a family of educators and librarians who instilled in me early on a love for the written word. I also love film and theater and jazz music. Moving to New York City has given me a wonderful opportunity to enjoy live shows and readings, indie movie houses, and accessibility to fabulous bookstores like The Strand, where I can feed my book obsession. My future goal, however, is to escape New York City every now and then to travel the globe and actually experience some of the places I’ve read about.