Interview is edited for length and clarity.
What drew you to the field of children’s literature?
I am originally from Rome, Italy, and I moved to the United States at 19 to pursue a career in children’s book publishing. I wanted to be an editor and to learn from the market that drives the rest of the markets, so I knew I had to study in the United States.
When I was researching programs, I realized very quickly that I wanted to have a comprehensive foundation in children’s literature as well as a specialization in writing for children. Simmons was the best program at the time, and I think it still is, because it has a unique combination of a master’s degree in children’s literature and in fine arts.
I was the only international student in my program and the only bilingual student. That gave me a different perspective from other students and was something I could use to my advantage in the publishing world. I reached out to program director Cathryn Mercier to hear more about it. After that meeting, I knew Simmons was the school that would help me pursue my goals.
Did you have a favorite course at Simmons?
I had two mentorships that operated similarly to internships, and I enjoyed working closely with industry professionals and learning from hands-on experiences. It was part of a course with a grade attached, but it was also an immersive experience designed to give students a look into the professional world before graduating.
In my second mentorship, I was working on a project for a young adult (YA) novel with literary agent Susan Graham. I found it to be challenging because I knew there would be a panel of people I would have to pitch the project to, and I wanted to make them feel as passionate about the project as I was. It allowed me to test what my career might look like one day after finishing the master’s program and see how industry experts react to my ideas.
How did your role as an adjunct professor deepen your understanding of children’s literature?
As an adjunct professor, I taught an entry-level class for first-year students in the children’s literature master’s program. It was a general education class that covered a variety of topics to introduce students to life in college and the publishing industry. There were a total of 12 classes throughout the semester, and each class would have a specific focus, such as what it means to be an advocate for civil rights, what it means to be an international student, and how to be a feminist.
It was a large class, and I loved how it was driven by lecture and discussion. The design of the class invited students to share their stories and life experiences. The master’s programs being co-ed also elevated conversations, and I was able to meet people from all walks of life.
Since my primary education came from Italy, I was used to a different structure to education. I enjoyed seeing those differences in cultures and trying to mentor my students in ways that worked best for them.
What is your current role? What are your responsibilities there?
Currently, I am an associate editor at First Second Books through Macmillan Publishing, where I exclusively work on children’s books and graphic novels. I focus on growing their commercial young reader demographic that specializes in 5- to 10-year-olds.
As a relatively new editor in this company, I have inherited some titles from past editors, and I work alongside authors in the publication process. It's truly a partnership between editors and authors. There is a heavy time investment and many moving parts to get a story onto bookshelves.
I think of the role of an editor as partly an editor of writing, but also as a problem solver. There are times when I need to find solutions to scheduling conflicts, printing delays, missing pages or text, and maintaining a larger timeline for the entirety of the project. An editor is meant to have a vision for the book and work toward that vision to be published.
It’s extremely collaborative, and in my team of roughly five to six editors, we all bring our own ideas and experiences to the table. Our talents serve the needs of authors, the publishing company, and ultimately the readers.
I always say that this is not a nine-to-five job because there's always work to do. It's a job that most people come to because of their passions. I am constantly researching what children are reading now to predict what they will read in the next one to three years. I think of myself as being very data-driven in the sense that my industry relies on statistics to know what readers respond to most.
Are you still in touch with other Simmons alumnae/i or professors?
One of my mentors was my professor, Anita Silvey, for whom I was a teaching assistant (TA) in the history of children’s book publishing class. She helped me understand how I wanted to start my career. She is a big name in children’s publishing, and her guidance helped me be selective about job applications and to find an entry-level position that aligned with my passions.
When I was looking for an entry-level job as an editor or as an editorial assistant, she told me to apply specifically to places that would set the foundation for how I wanted to continue in the industry. I started my career at Sourcebooks, and she was the one who told me that it could be a great place because of their ability to innovate.
I stay in touch with her and often look for opportunities to give back to the program and Simmons whenever possible. I really enjoy being in touch with Simmons faculty because it allows me to have these full-circle moments and give back to the program that helped me achieve my goals.
What advice would offer a student who is starting the children’s literature master’s program?
For students who wish to pursue an editorial role in children’s literature, I would advise them to stay humble and remember how lucky they are to be able to work in a field they are interested in. It is important to remember that you are always a student in this career. I can say from my own personal experience that even though I entered the field with two master’s degrees and had a more comprehensive knowledge of children's literature, I didn't necessarily have a comprehensive knowledge of children's book publishing as an industry.
I was eager to pick up projects with the goals of having them win the Caldecott Medal or the John Newbery Medal. However, it was my more experienced colleagues who would point out the need to think of other factors and be more of a realist in a for-profit industry.
I had to remind myself that, regardless of my credentials and my experiences, I am still a student and I am still someone who needs to listen to others whom I can learn from.
Another piece of advice I would give to a new student is to find a mentor. Finding someone who is going to open doors for you and help you better understand your own strengths and weaknesses is invaluable. My relationships with mentors lasted long after my graduation, and they remain people I go to for advice and I value their opinions. Being able to find someone who is interested in your well-being and wants to see you grow is something I see as a necessity.