NONFICTION NINJAS
  • Home
  • Meet the Ninjas
    • Lisa Amstutz
    • Stephanie Bearce
    • Nancy Churnin
    • Susie Kralovansky
    • Pat Miller
    • Christine Liu Perkins
    • Linda Skeers
    • Peggy Thomas
  • Ninja Notebook
  • NF Fest
  • Contact

Interview with an Editor: Nina Kooij from Pelican Publishing

9/15/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Susan Kravlovansky

​I’d like to introduce you to Nina Kooij, editor-in-chief of Pelican Publishing. I have had the pleasure of working with her  on How Fire Ants Got Their Fire, and my forthcoming picture book, We Really, Really Want a Dog. Both books are fiction with nonfiction elements.
 

Picture
Nina, what path led you to editing as a career? My mother was a freelance editor for organizations (not publishers), and I always excelled in English classes. I served as editor of my high-school and college literary magazines. I earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English and interned at a book publisher. After that, I was accepted to the Denver Publishing Institute, where I met the vice president of Pelican. I interviewed for an open editing position there and my career began.
 
In your current position, do you wear other hats besides the editorial one? Since we are a midsize imprint, yes. I am involved in production (cover decisions, checking interior layouts, monitoring inventory, etc.) and sales (recommending backlist titles for upcoming store promotions, for example).
 
Are most of the projects you deal with fiction, nonfiction, or is it an equal amount of both? These days it is about 2/3 children's fiction.
 
How is editing nonfiction material different from fiction? Sources are important, as well as vetting of the material by experts and potential buyers.
 
What is the market for nonfiction like currently? The market is good, both for adults who are quarantining and for online classes with children.
 
What advice would you give a writer about breaking into the nonfiction market? Build up some publication credits in nonfiction children's magazines, which you can then list in your submissions to book publishers.
 
A huge thanks to Nina from the Nonfiction Ninjas for the helpful information!
​

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    We are nonfiction authors who support readers and writers through our writing, author visits, and workshops.

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018

    Categories

    All
    Agent
    Andrea Somberg
    Back Matter
    Bibliography
    Biographies
    Book Dummy
    Book Promotion
    Bookstore
    Breaking Writers Block
    Deadlines
    Editing
    Editors
    Ghostwriting
    Hidden History
    Holidays
    Holiday Stories
    Humor
    Inspiration
    Linda Skeers
    Magazines
    Market Analysis
    Mentoring
    Mentor Texts
    Middle Grade NF
    Nancy Churnin
    Nonfiction
    Open For Submissions
    Organization
    Pat Miller
    Peggy Thomas
    Picture Books
    Primary-sources
    Publishers
    Questions
    Reluctant Writer
    Research
    Rhyme
    Seasonal Stories
    Selling Books
    Stephanie Bearce
    Submissions
    Twitter Pitches
    Why
    Word Count
    Work For Hire
    Writing Ideas
    Writing In Sprints
    Writing Protocol
    Writing Strengths
    Writing Tips

    Disclaimer: The Nonfiction Ninjas are a group of writers with diverse ideas . The views expressed in each post are those of the author and may differ from others in the group.​
Copyright @2022
  • Home
  • Meet the Ninjas
    • Lisa Amstutz
    • Stephanie Bearce
    • Nancy Churnin
    • Susie Kralovansky
    • Pat Miller
    • Christine Liu Perkins
    • Linda Skeers
    • Peggy Thomas
  • Ninja Notebook
  • NF Fest
  • Contact