Interview with Michele Burke, Assistant Editor

E-mail Interview by Jens Lodholm

Michele Burke is an Assistant Editor at Alfred A. Knopf & Crown Books for Young Readers, Random House. She began as an editorial assistant there in 2002, immediately after college. She continues to back up two senior-level editors, Michelle Frey and Nancy Siscoe, with their lists, and is now beginning to develop a list of her own.

How did you first get started editing children's books? What moved
you in that direction as opposed to others?
I first became interested in editing children's books in college. I wanted to
work in publishing when I graduated, and I was drawn to children's books
because the books that I felt made the biggest impressions on me were the
ones I read when I was a child.

For those who don't know, what is involved in editing a children's
book? Are there any misconceptions out there?
I think many people imagine editors spend their work days reading and editing
all day long, and that it's a very quiet, solitary job. But there's so much
else we have to do, and our days are sometimes very hectic. We must oversee
all the various stages of our books' production, which involves lots of
coordination with other departments, presentations, correspondence, etc. And
the production of a book takes a long time--for example, I'm working now on
books that will come out in Fall 2006, as well as Summer 2006, Spring 2006,
and Fall 2005. So we'll be working on many projects at once. The truth is, I
often don't have time to do actual reading and editing during the day--in
fact, I do lots of my reading and editing at home, where it's more quiet.

What is the most challenging part of editing a new book?
I think it's very challenging to adapt to many different styles of writing and many
different kinds of stories and try to bring out the best in all of them.
Sometimes what works when editing one book doesn't really work for another.
And sometimes what you thought was best for one book isn't right for
another.

© Mark Ludy

What do you like most about your current role? How do you see yourself
growing in it?
What I really like about editing is completely immersing myself in a story and trying to push it farther. Sometimes when I'm reading a book on my own, there are questions I want to ask the author, things I wish he or she had clarified or done more with, or characters I wish I understood better. And, as an editor, I actually get to ask these questions and talk about these characters, and I actually get to see these questions shape the finished book.

Of the children's books you've edited, which ones made the strongest
impression on you, and why?
Each book I work on is important to me in its own way. I did really love working on Space Dogs by Justin Ball and Evan Croker--it was so funny and clever and it made me laugh out loud every time I read it!

Which children's books are your personal favorites? What makes them
classics in your mind?
It's really hard to pick favorites, but when I was young I remember I especially loved Harriet the Spy, and all the Judy Blume books, especially Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. I loved all the Roald Dahl books too. I loved books that I could really relate to, or books that made me want to be in them. I remember after I read Harriet the Spy, I started carrying around my own spy notebook all the time.

Are there any projects on the horizon which you are really excited
about?
Yes! I am working on a book for our Fall 2006 list that I'm very excited about...it's a YA novel about a high school football star.

What aspect(s) of the business do you wish could be different?
Sometimes I wish I had more time to read at work!

What advice would you give to aspiring writers or illustrators?
I would say, you should write about something because it is meaningful to
you, not because it's a trend or because it's a popular topic, or even
because it's what you think other people would like to read about. It's
better to look to what you think is important, and let the story come from
there.