Ithaca, New York is more than just “Gorges.” Luminosity recently released a study deeming Ithaca the smartest city in America based on cognitive training exercises. A thriving, progressive college town, Ithaca is certainly a center for learning and growth. But what else makes it such a hotspot for brain power? Ithaca boasts a community of writers, readers, and researchers; one that makes our small city a valuable destination for book lovers. Encouraging news for fledgling Ithaca writers: you are in good company. Ithaca’s literati includes Diane Ackerman, Rebecca Barry, Leslie Daniels, Shawn Goodman, Alex Haley, J. Robert Lennon, David Lehman, Alison Lurie, Vladimir Nabokov, Anne Mazer, Robert Mrazek, Tea Obreht, Carl Sagan, Rod Serling, David Foster Wallace, and E. B. White to name just a few. Ithaca is home to a great variety of libraries and research facilities. The public has access to rare and alternative materials at the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (RMC) through Cornell University and at Durland Alternatives Library. The Tompkins County Public Library hosts the Friends of the Library Book Sale every fall and spring. The book sale is one of the largest in the U.S. with over one quarter of a million items. For those seeking out the latest best-selling novel, a classic first edition, or a local author’s debut, there are many local book retailers worthy of support. Autumn Leaves Used Books has a wide selection of used books, also boasting an extensive record album collection and a pirate-themed café above the…

Swenson Book Development, LLC was in the thick of publishing madness two weeks ago  – two members of our team, myself and Jill Swenson, checked out the trade floor and events at Book Expo America.  BEA is the place for movers and shakers of the North American publishing industry. From event interviews of famous musicians-come-authors to Harlequin Romance shilling for their latest salacious-covered paperback, from bustling New York convention centers to the intensity of a one-on-one in a publisher’s booth, Swenson Book Development LLC saw it all in an absolute blitzkrieg of a single day at the epicenter of the American publishing world. Jill Swenson and I started our day on an early morning bus from Cornell campus. It appeared many of the passengers were also attending BEA – drafts spread out over numerous laps, red pens at the ready. After a stint eavesdropping, watching, and whispering, “Is that him? I think it is!” we craned over the bus aisle to introduce ourselves to J. Robert Lennon, an Ithacan author and musician. Lennon was at the convention at behest of his publisher, Grey Wolf Press, and would be signing novels and shaking hands. As the five-hour bus ride from Ithaca to the Big Apple stop-and-goed through the traffic in Manhattan, Lennon and SBD, LLC decided to skedaddle through the heart of NYC together towards the convention center.  Jill and I dodged fanny packs and hot dog trucks at a record pace in Times Square – admittedly, we had an ulterior motive.            …

Learning how to become an editor doesn’t happen overnight. Editing isn’t a college major. Some English degree programs offer a specialization in editing and publishing, most do not. There are a handful of certificate programs in professional and graduate degree programs, but the art of editing goes far beyond knowing grammar and the basics of copyediting. A full-time job as an editor isn’t an entry-level position and many recent graduates who might one day become editors have a difficult time navigating a route to this career goal. Many publishers won’t hire someone full-time who hasn’t already had an internship or two. And while they offer internships, typically they are unpaid and sometimes require a student register for college course credit. Instead of getting paid to work, they pay several thousands of dollars in tuition to gain valuable work experience. As a former college professor who supervised some of these internships, I would be disheartened to learn students had been given low-level tasks to perform which did not increase their skill sets or worse, had them perform tasks which the company ought to have hired an employee to do. Too often, interns provided an unpaid labor pool instead of an apprenticeship. Cultivating the next generation of editors requires mentors who can offer educational opportunities within a workplace setting. Instead of treating an intern as unpaid labor, cultivating their strengths and working on building new skill sets takes time and effort that goes beyond the regular work demands of running a business.…