I\u2019ve been an editor for more than 30 years\u2014where did the years go? I read books for living\u2014it\u2019s the best job in the world as far as I\u2019m concerned.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m always surprised when I meet people who struggle through a book or hated English in high school. Those are the same people who can\u2019t believe I can\u2019t fix anything in the house (although I buy books about home repair), hate to deal with numbers, and find sports confusing.<\/p>\n
I can read about people who can do all the things I can\u2019t. Although I\u2019ve lived in New York all my life, I read about people in small towns, on farms, or in distant lands. I\u2019ve learned to trust authors to describe life in these places as they\u2019ve often drawn on their own experiences. I\u2019ve worked with authors to help them create a world for the reader that is at once entertaining and informative.<\/p>\n
What I\u2019ve learned through the hundreds of books I\u2019ve read and edited is that people are more alike than different. There are types of people I encounter every day whom I\u2019ve also encountered in books.<\/p>\n