Interviewed by Cindy Appel aka Celine Chatillon

CataU: First of all, please tell us about yourself. How did you become an
editor for your publisher?

My mother made me. Actually, Liz Burton at Zumaya, who is my mother, recruited me. Extasy was born during that time period as the erotic imprint. I was asked to go help out, as they were backlogged. In the interim, the current editor-in-chief chose to go to another company. I offered to help out, and I did such a good job, it was offered to me afterwards. I soon proved myself, and was made a partner of eXtasy/Zumaya.

CataU: Have you always been an avid reader?

Definitely. I taught myself to read before I even hit kindergarten. I got busted for it, in fact. I got bored with the story the teacher was reading, so I went to get my own book.  Into the corner I went. I think that says a lot about how I ended up.

CataU: What’s your background in?

My background is a little bit of everything. I’ve had many jobs, from waitress to Yankee Candle warehouse. I’ve been editing professionally since age 15, technically. I used to proof people’s research papers for five bucks each.

CataU:  Have you worked for other publishers?

I was a proofreader for Wings e-press.

CataU: What¹s the greatest thing about being an editor?

The positive feedback you get. I love it when I tell someone they’re o­n the site and I get emails back with lots of exclamation points, or even just a mild thank you. I know what a rush that is, and it’s o­ne of the main reasons I do this.

CataU: What’s the hardest thing about being an editor?

Time management. I have a lot of people who need attention, and it does bother me when I have to neglect o­ne to take care of another, because that’s what’s in the best interest of the company. The decisions I have to make sometimes do not make me happy.

CataU: What¹s the strangest/scariest thing that’s ever happened to you as an editor?

Hmmm. I can’t really isolate o­ne incident. I think the strangest was when I was threatened with legal action because we had a book titled, ‘Rebecca’. I’m still pondering that o­ne.

CataU: Any weird query letters or interesting elevator rides at a conference?

Actually, yes. At RT, every time I got in the elevator, this o­ne very nice lady with ‘Aspiring writer’ o­n her name tag was in there. I finally  turned to her and said, “You might as show me what you got.We’re just going to keep meeting like this.”  Something like that. That was fun.

CataU: What¹s the biggest misconception, in your opinion, about editors?

Ahhhh…out it comes. That we’re all:
A: Failed writers out to make authors miserable
B: Our entire goal is to ruin perfectly good writing.
C: We don’t care about anything but making the bucks.

CataU: What are you looking for genre wise? Is there anything in particular that you¹re really looking for or are open to?

We’re closed to subs at the moment, but I had a couple of ideas myself of something I’d like to see. If anyone can write to spec, holler.

CataU: Do you believe in/follow publishing fads?  And how do you respond to the so called publishing trends? Do you think it¹s good to fall in line or dare to be different?

<Grins evilly> Anyone who worked with me already knows the answer to this. I hate formula. I don’t do falling in line. As for trends, I prefer to set them rather than follow them. In several cases, we have. I like different. I like twist. I like not knowing when the sex is coming by rote. I also hate bandwagon jumping. If someone comes up with a good idea, it’s silly to use it for your own gain. You’ll just look like a copycat. I hate copycats, too.

CataU: Most common reason you reject a book?

Poor writing. If I have to gut it to get it up to our standard, I don’t see the point in taking it. The rare exception is if I really like the storyline and the author has the right attitude, wants to
learn, etc….I will take a chance.

CataU: Do you look for an excellent story over perfect writing? Vice versa?

Yes, as I said above. <g> A really good story can make me overcome prejudices about writing issues o­n some occasions.

CataU: What mistakes do many unpublished writers make?

1. Not following submission guidelines.
2. Not READING submissions pages at all. It says
in large letters at the top of our submissions
page that we’re not accepting any. People insist
it’s not o­n there. That’s a clue right there.
3. Mistaking ego and attitude for confidence.
It’s good to be confident about your work, but be respectful to the editor.
4. Not learning email etiquette. A cover letter is still a good idea.
5. Not having someone proof their work other than them. Never a good idea.

CataU: What projects are you currently working o­n? And in what directions is the company headed as a whole or part?

We’re working o­n a complete launch of our already established lines of Pearls (mainstream romance), Yaoi/ Shounen-ai novels, and completing, at long last, our Tarot Series. We have another series coming out for charity based o­n the Seven Wonders of the World, and another for Valentine’s Day with the Seven Sins and Virtues. This is all in addition to our regular titles.

We’re moving toward getting our print line established as well. We’ve been getting print sales without having to compromise…people come looking for our books, so we don’t need the bookstores or their return policies, or their prejudice about POD. Other than that, as a company, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing; Good books, hard work, good rep.

CataU: What percentage would you say of the submissions you receive do you actually buy? Have you found any gems in the slush pile?

I would say maybe ten percent. I’ve become very picky. Of course…I find a lot of gems. It’s what I accept.

CataU: Can you describe the perfect submission?

A nice, detailed but not too long cover letter (email) formatted to our guidelines, and a manuscript that’s been gone over well, and is in nice shape.

CataU: Do you think the industry has an image problem and if so, what can be
done to improve it?

Publishing in general, or epublishing? They both have the same issue: quality control. People need to work harder at putting out quality books.

CataU: Do you think that epublishing is catching on? And how do you do things differently as an editor for an epublisher?

Catching o­n? Frightfully quickly. As for different, the biggest thing is doing it all o­nline. If you can’t attach a doc to an email, that’s it for you. My entire process is cyber.

CataU: Is there anything you¹d like to say to the writers at CataUniversity?

Keep it up, go with your instincts, and if it’s different, that’s not a bad thing.

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