I recently had the opportunity to speak with Kate Dresser, an editor at Simon and Schuster, and interview her for this blog. Not only did I get the inside scoop about their new e-first line Pocket Star., but discovered her not-so-secret love of lipstick and what she loves most about living in New York. Katee's an awesome lady, as I'm sure you'll see from the interview below. Feel free to ask questions or say hi to her in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you!
Interests: Pop culture, memoir, humor, commercial women’s fiction, accessible historical fiction, self-aware self-help, romance of all kinds.
Authors: Danielle Fishel, Sarah Colonna, Amy E. Reichert, Dana Gynther, Emma Hart
Bio: After a short stint elsewhere, Kate was thrilled to return to the Gallery/Pocket team as an editor. When she’s not reading for work or pleasure (or both!), she buys too many lipsticks, watches movie musicals, cooks what her friends call “comfort food on a budget,” and dreams of road trips.
Q) Tell us about Simon and Schuster’s imprint, Pocket
Star. What makes it different from the other imprints at Simon and Schuster?
What does it have to offer authors?
A) Pocket
Star is a digital first imprint within the Gallery/Pocket group. It can be
differentiated from other imprints because of the primacy of digital publicity
and marketing in the publishing plan, the quick turn-around time on edits and
publication, and the focus on trying new things. It offers authors the benefits
of working with a traditional publishing house while still affording them the ability
to pivot that authors love about digital publishing.
Q) Tell us about your job. How long have you been an editor?
What do you love the most about your job?
I’ve
been an editor for almost 7 wonderful years. The first few years were spent
assisting several fantastic editors, and as an apprentice, I couldn’t have
received better lessons from a lot of great people in the industry. Having only
been independently editing for a few years, I’m still very much savoring being
able to focus on my own projects, but my favorite part of the job is the actual
editing—getting down into the page, brainstorming solutions, nerding out about
grammar and word choice, and overall reveling in language, writing, and
storytelling. Having a front seat to the creation of stories is such a joy to
me every day. Secondly, two colleagues and I just started recording a
twice-monthly podcast through CBS radio called the XOXOAfterDarkCast, and that
experience has been really invigorating so far.
(Note: Readers and writers can join the Simon and Schuster Romance Community at www.xoxoafterdark.com.)
Q) What type of books excite you as a reader? What are
your favorite types of books?
The
type of books that excite me are the ones in which the writer’s heart is
evident on the page. I love immersing myself in worlds I couldn’t have possibly
created, and learning about the human experience through books. I have a
particular fondness for historical fiction and romance, as I always learn
something about the past and what life was like in a particular era.
Q) What are some of the biggest mistakes you see on
submissions?
One
common mistake I see in submissions is a lack of balance between what the
market dictates and what the author wants to write. I feel sometimes that
there’s the perception that a book of your heart doesn’t have to follow rules
of structure and pacing, or that a book that’ll be a viable submission must
check all the boxes at the detriment to emotional connection between author and
subject. I’d encourage authors to always think from both sides of the coin—help
your editor sell your book, but don’t focus so much on making it commercially
viable that your passion gets overshadowed.
Q) What are your views on self-publishing? Is Simon
and Schuster willing to work with authors who have self-published in the past
and plan to continue self-publishing in the future?
I’m
a big fan of the world we’re in now: self-publishing is a wonderful world and I
think we’re in a space now where traditional and self-publishing coexist in
ways that inform and ultimately better each other. Simon & Schuster is more
than open to “hybrid” authors, and we try to work with authors who want to
continue to self-publish to ensure that the authors’ needs as well as our own are
served in terms of timing and promotion.
Q) If an author wanted to submit something to Pocket
Star, what should they do?
They
should ask their agent to submit to us! We’ve got a large list of editors
acquiring for Pocket Star right now, and if your agent doesn’t know who to send
it to on the team, we’re total capable of steering toward the right colleague.
Q) You were raised on the west coast of the United
States, but now live on the East coast. What is the greatest “culture shock”
with moving out east? What is your favorite thing about living in New York?
The
culture shock! Where should I start? I will say that I’ve adjusted such that I
get worse culture shock when I go back to California. Thinking back, the first
things that come to mind from the first year I was in NYC was the shock of
being around so many people all the time—it felt like there wasn’t any quiet or
personal space, really, and I used to go into the middle of Central Park to
call my mom because I felt like I couldn’t hear her otherwise. My favorite
thing about living here is the availability of all types of food at any time of
day or night.
Q) Do you keep anything by your computer while you
work? (food, drinks, mementos) If so, what are they?
I
keep a glass of seltzer on my desk at all times, a mug that I got from a friend
that says “Do not make me use my editor voice!”, some coral I got off the beach
on my last vacation, and, of course, the never-ending pile of papers!
Q) Do you have any hobbies? What do you do for fun
outside of work?
Reading’s
my main hobby, but I also watch a lot of documentaries (especially depressing
ones) and am a big hostessing enthusiast.
Q) One word answers. Think quick!
Favorite TV show: Call
the Midwife
Favorite movie: Fiddler
on the Roof
Favorite song: Pitch
Perfect soundtrack
Tea or Coffee? Coffee
Urban or country? Urban
apartment, country music
Is the glass half-full or half-empty? Half-full!
Favorite Sports team: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Favorite food: Chocolate
chip cookies
Name one thing in your purse: 7 lipsticks
Cat or dog lover? Both
Q) What upcoming books are you excited about? Any
recent deals that you can’t wait to start editing?
Two
upcoming books I’m excited about are Emma Hart’s DIRTY PAST,
which is due out in May and is the second book in her Burke Brothers Series for
Pocket Star. I had so much fun editing these books, and she’s a joy to work
with, so I can’t wait to read reader response to Book 2! Another joy of an
author on my list is Amy E. Reichert, whose debut novel comes out in July and
is called THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE.
My colleagues who’ve read it say it puts smiles on their faces, so I can’t wait
to share that experience with readers.
Q) Tell us anything else you want us to know
.
All
you writers out there, keep writing. Even if I can’t offer to publish your
book, reading your submissions is such a privilege, and I hope that every book
finds the right home to reach the world, whether that’s through traditional or
self-publishing. Never underestimate the power of a good edit, and read what
makes you happy.
Thank you so much Kate for taking the time to stop by and chat with us. It's been a pleasure talking with you!
At fourteen, Suzanne Rock/Ava Conway snuck her first romance novel into bed and read it by flashlight. There she met her first “book boyfriend” and has been hooked on reading ever since. She often prefers book-boyfriends to the real thing, and believes that a gooey, fudge brownie is a little piece of heaven on earth. When she’s not writing, she’s stumbling through her Zumba class (have to work off those brownies somehow), obsessing over the latest P!NK song, or feeding her addiction for reality television.
