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Editor Interview: Chesapeake Press

Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

Civics education

What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

"The Infographic Guide to American Government" by Carissa Lytle and Jara Kern (Simon and Schuster)
"For Which We Stand" - Jeff Foster (Scholastic)
"How to be an American" - Silvia Hidalgo (Abrams Image)

If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?

Kitty Felde
Sherri L. Smith
Stuart Gibbs

What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?

I believe we are the only publisher whose focus is on fiction and non-fiction books for readers in K-8 with a civics theme.

What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?

Keep in mind we only accept civics-themed books for readers K-8.

Describe the ideal submission.

A full MS if it's a picture book or a fiction middle grade/chapter book. A clear outline and sample chapters for a non-fiction (though we prefer a full MS.)

What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

Forgetting that we only publish civics-themed books.

How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

Credentials matter. Why are you the best person to write this book?

If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

Depends on the submission.

What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?

We have peer reviews for non-fiction.

What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?

Email, email, email! I try to set aside a Friday afternoon to actually read submissions. I look at what we already have in the works, share the material with my staff, sometimes put it aside to reconsider when I'm less stressed. Most often, I'm sending (hopefully not to depressing) emails declining the submission.

How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?

A lot. We try to get to a place that the author is happy with changes, but we get the final word.

Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?

yes!

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