Books Forward is celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, and we’re one of the ways we’re celebrating is by showcasing 25 people you should know in the book world. There are many unique roles there are in the book world, and the many kinds of people who play a part in the community we love. Today, we’re getting to know Michelle Anne Schingler (she/her), Editor in Chief of Foreword Reviews.
A Standard Submissions Deadline Monday:
8 a.m.: wake with lines of books still floating in my head. Fifteen-ish minutes scrolling the internet to catch up on the news and perhaps some salacious Bravo-related gossip (It’s not a guilty pleasure if you feel no guilt!). First cup of earl grey for the caffeine.
8:45: short drive to the office across Northern Michigan’s snow-covered landscape, remembering wistfully more verdant days. Listening to favorite songs (still on CD!) for an additional wake-up.
9ish: arrival at the office. Carry straggler books from Friday’s mail up to the office. Lights on, appreciation of the view.
9-9:45: email catch-up (not much, as I also caught up last night!): filing submissions, responding to clients and colleagues, deleting junk mail, adding reviews to the system, assigning requested titles out.
9:45-lunch: first edits for Clarion reviews; sending some back for clarifications, sending some on to the copy editor.
Lunchtime at my desk — the view is too much to resist!
Early afternoon: file incoming books. Some are checked in and assigned out; others are placed on the awaiting selections shelf, which we revisit in depth every two months (this week is the week!). For new submissions, this is my second chance to “meet” books (I also open my mail for the benefit of initial impressions) by reading their blurbs and consuming a few pages before they’re stacked.
1:30: return to editing — Clarion and magazine reviews this week. Sending completed reviews off to customers or publicists and letting my team know how they ranked and that they’re out the door.
3:05: revisit email. One response to feedback on a review, letting a customer know that we cannot alter a reviewer’s opinion or language. Another response to a colleague asking about a review in process. Editing department facilitation. “Thanks” sent to a colleague who passed a reviewer-related email on. Once all is complete: return to editing.
4:15: preliminary selections for an upcoming issue — reading through submissions (beginning with their publication dates, moving on to their tip sheet descriptions, and then reading portions of the books themselves) and imagining where they might fit in the next issue — and who on our extensive freelancer staff is best suited to review them. Slowly begin filling out of our magazine planner — a week-plus process each time. Tomorrow, I know, will be mostly this work! Quite exciting.
6:30 (longer days for submissions weeks!; it’s hard to stop meeting books once you start): head out the door for team trivia.
10:30 pm: a bit of a magazine book before bed (perhaps preceded by indulgence in Bravo).
Now the editor in chief of Foreword Reviews — in charge of managing reviewers and curating selections for the magazine — Michelle got her start in libraries, reviewing books on the side. Though both may be considered atypical uses of a divinity degree, she found books to be her calling. She lives in Traverse City, Michigan, with her husband (an amazing chef), three unusual cats, and one quintessential chiweenie.
Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.
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