Profile

I develop book proposals for authors, develop and edit manuscripts, ghostwrite, and pen the occasional magazine article. I also do life coaching and volunteer for hospice. I’m also the co-creator with Janet Tingey of www.bitchyourselfthin.com, a funny weight loss site.

I work in my kitchen, curled up in front of my computer, where my most aerobic activity is jumping up from my chair three thousand times a day to let my three cats in and out, in and out.

I work with authors, literary agents, and folks inside the publishing business—in other words, smart, funny, creative people.

I go to Planet Fitness and do an hour on the elliptical, gathering fodder for my blog on www.bitchyourselfthin.com. By 9:30 or 10:00, I dive into whatever project most calls to me. I generally work on a number of projects at once—right now I’m co-writing two books, developing two book proposals, editing one manuscript and doing a lot of manuscript evaluations and other short-term jobs.

You’ve got to love playing with words, be prepared to dive into a manuscript for hours/days/weeks/months, be flexible (authors seldom hit their deadlines!) and learn to surf your creativity. When a great idea hits, you’ve got to be prepared to drop everything and chase it down.

I schedule my own days. When I worked inside publishing (I left Random House in 2002), I had five meetings a day. On my own, I barely have five a year! I try to space out my large projects so I don’t get overwhelmed, but when authors are late, I’ve just got to go with the flow. I’ve been in this business long enough to trust that it’ll all work out. And it does.

If I’m helping an author develop a book proposal or manuscript, I’ll often attend his or her workshops so I can really capture an authentic voice. I bring my laptop, perch in a corner, and type furiously, joining in the program as I can. I LOVE doing this!

I get to work with amazing people. I only want to work with people whose books will genuinely make the world a better place, or with whom my collaboration will end up being a quality-of-life experience for us both. I love that I learn something valuable from every project. I love that I’m STILL learning, 28 years after I first entered publishing. I cherish my authors. And I cherish the freelance life, where I choose my own projects and set my own hours.

Being a freelancer gets lonely sometimes. The cats don’t give a lot back. And if I’m sick or tired and don’t work, I don’t get paid. My salary isn’t guaranteed, so I have to surf the ebb and flows.

My authors! I feel so lucky to work with people who are determined to teach something useful, make people laugh, share hard-fought wisdom.

Oh, so many. I’m indebted to my college writing professor, Charles Berger, who gave me explicit and implicit permission to chuck my degree in molecular biophysics & biochemistry after four years to pursue a love of writing—which in turn evolved into a love of editing—and then into writing again! I’m also beyond grateful for the love and inspiration I’ve received from my author and dear friend Martha Beck (who also gave me my life coach training); Martha inspired me to follow my passions and go into business for myself. Finally, my mother always gave me such unconditional love and believed in me no matter what. How lucky am I?

“Go with your gut.” Honestly, if you learn to listen carefully to your intuition and follow it, you’ll have a fabulous life!

“Don’t be a quitter.” My father meant well when he taught me this, but in the end, this mindset can compel you stay with some poor choices (molecular biophysics, anyone?). There are plenty of fabulous reasons to quit that unsatisfying relationship, that mediocre book, that so-so job. Check your gut, be honest with yourself—then quit away!

Stop. Check in with yourself. Do you know why you’re making this choice? Is it feeding the best part of you? If not, reconsider. Don’t do anything just because 1) it sounds good to yourself or others, 2) you happen to be good at it, or 3) it’s a safe place. You’ll have more gifts to give the world if you take the time to cultivate something about which you feel truly, authentically passionate.

Oh, and: Please, please, learn how to offer a genuine apology, and never forget to say thank you.

I would have quit more stuff, more often! But honestly, I wouldn’t change any of the big stuff—not even any of the big bad stuff. It sounds cliché, but I really did learn from every misstep, and it all conspired to put me where I am today, which is a really lovely place.

I read, take long walks, listen to TED podcasts, cook, yak with my girlfriends, play poker with my guy friends…the list goes on!

Spending time with my family, reading, travel, cooking. I am never happier than when I’m sitting at the kitchen table, goofing around with my husband and kids, or when I’m hosting a dinner party.

Now that my husband works from home, he and I often walk downtime at lunch to run errands—it’s an excuse to chat. I send my kids texts and emails throughout the day, and we try to be together every night for dinner (with my son off at college, that’s hard!). Cooking dinner is how I separate my work day from my family time. Weekends are for family, even though I often find myself sitting down at my computer to work if I feel so moved.

In the most nonlinear way possible! I was a science major at Yale. I knew almost immediately that it was the wrong choice for me, even though I happened to be good in the lab. But like an idiot, I stuck with it (“Don’t be a quitter!”) My writing seminars opened up another path for me, and winning a literary prize at Yale helped pave the way into a publishing career. But let’s face it: I got my first job at Scribners in l981 because I can type like the wind. Girls: learn how to be a kick-ass keyboarder!

Weirdly, I’d worked in publishing in high school. I started out cleaning the office for a local publisher. Soon I was transcribing tapes, painting the walls, packaging books. I made $175 a week. After four expensive years at Yale in the wrong major, my mom suggested I apply for a publishing job where she knew someone who knew someone. Honestly, it had never occurred to me! And I found that I adored editing. The kicker? Got my first paycheck at Scribners. My salary? $175 a week. Couldn’t I have eliminated the middleman somewhere?

Entry-level publishing is famously low-paying. You better go into the field out of sheer love, because the financial rewards are slow to arrive. I make a good living as a freelancer now because I put in 21 years on the other side of the desk inside publishing. When I turned freelance in 2002, my biggest mistake was in undervaluing myself and negotiating poorly. I’ve since learned to get my value.