The Lerner Blog

In Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland declares, “History, real solemn history, I cannot be interested in…. The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars and pestilences in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all—it is very tiresome.” As the heroine of Jane Austen’s lighthearted novel, Catherine is a […]Read more "People’s History"

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press To someone not involved with book publishing, it can come as quite a surprise to find out how long it takes to make a book. What do I mean by this? Well, this past week, we held a meeting to plan the new series we’ll be publishing in 2012. […]Read more "What’s Taking So Long?"

By Sara Hoffmann Senior Editor OK, so depending on how often you stop by our blog, you may already know that I love the aesthetics of editing. Another (closely related) thing I’m crazy about is the artful language in school & library books. A lot of people might not realize how much artistry is there. […]Read more "Artful Language"

I’ve long had an urge to watch the movie version of  Glenngarry Glen Ross again, and it’s an urge I finally satisfied last night. It put me in the mind of a blog post. No, this post isn’t going to be about how important profanity is to voice (but you could learn worse things from […]Read more "Social network sites are a little like real estate"

by Julie Harman, Production Editoraka, The Scrambler Let me just come right out and say it: I did not grow up reading comic books. Working on Graphic Universe books, I’ve had the challenge of retraining my brain to read books differently, and to see art differently. Here are a couple of tips for beginning comic […]Read more "GU Comics Day: Re-learning to Read!"

by Sarah Olmanson, Production Editor, Lerner Publishing Group; with Amelia LeBarron, Designer, Interface Graphics What makes designing a series different when working with a partner like USA TODAY? I asked this question of Amelia, the designer of two Lerner series in partnership with USA TODAY. Her answer? Branding. Working with a strong partner like USA […]Read more "Designing a Series with USA TODAY"

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press From the first day of kindergarten to the day I graduated from college, I loved school. I worked hard on my assignments, and I enjoyed getting the right answers. Even in college when most of my assignments were essays, I could still take satisfaction in having the right answer […]Read more "The Right Answer"

I’m going to reveal a huge secret. I hope I don’t shock anyone. Here it is: A lot of editors are bookworms. Some were born bookish, some achieved bookishness, and some had bookishness thrust upon them. But however we came to it, most of us, from an early age, have spent hours with our noses […]Read more "Noses in Books"

1. 2.  Stars at Tallapoosa The lines are straight and swift between the stars. The night is not the cradle that they cry, The criers, undulating the deep-oceaned phrase. The lines are much too dark and much too sharp. 3. 4. 5. 6. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. -Andrew KarreRead more "An editor’s day in web surfing (for one book!)"