Her Story
About Whitney
I have been in academic publishing for almost a decade, and my main area of expertise is book publishing in academia, specifically working with authors across the sciences and mathematics to bring intellectually curious readers books that really inspire and engage with people. In my role, I see books through the entire publication process - from the book proposal stage to sending out manuscripts for peer review, providing authors developmental edits, and seeing books through the production process in terms of looking at cover copy, book covers, thinking about marketing and publicity plans with my colleagues, and ultimately seeing a book in its final form. My typical day involves reading proposals from authors I've solicited or from literary agents, reading manuscripts and providing developmental edits, answering emails, problem solving, sending manuscripts out for peer review, reviewing those peer reviews, and seeing books through the production process. Before joining MIT Press, I worked at Princeton University Press for about 6 years as an assistant editor, where I worked across various sciences but also in the political science, economics, and art and architecture lists, so I became pretty well-rounded in terms of the different lists I could assist and work on. Before that, I was an Intellectual Property Associate at University of Chicago Press, where I managed contracts, licenses, and permissions across the books and journals department. My background is actually poetry and art - I went to grad school and studied specifically writing and publishing, where I worked at a poetry journal and also worked with art, but I love working in the sciences now.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Whitney
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think having parents that really allowed me to grow in this space - they encouraged me to really go for, as corny as it sounds, my dreams. My dad is the kind of person who was extremely hardworking and tenacious, and he really just tried hard with everything, and I think that was a great role model for me to sort of give me the same drive. So I would say that, and just having such a great support system with my husband and my friends. I also think just always being curious and always feeling really passionate about what I'm doing. I love my job, I love working with authors and really seeing their books metamorphosize from a proposal until a physical book. I like seeing those books in their hands and sharing that journey with them, and I think that comes with, in being in academic publishing, having that kind of constant curiosity of wanting to learn more and learn new things, and not being closed off to certain things or opinions, but really just keeping the door open for them.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I would say being yourself. I know it can seem really intimidating to be in a field or an interview where you're trying to impress people, but I think if you lose yourself in a job or an interview, it can kind of take over why it's so great and really overshadow the experience you have. So anytime I'm in an interview, I'm just trying to be myself, because if I want to work there and they want me, it needs to be a mutual fit. And same with while I'm working in the place.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Well, one, I think it's really hard to be a woman these days. It's unfortunate we haven't progressed as much as we would like. I think just really putting yourself out there and believing in yourself, and knowing that if you have a goal in mind, you can get there. It may not be exactly on the path that you thought it would be, but I think just really having the drive to get there, and yeah, just believing in yourself. I know it can be discouraging and extremely disheartening, but I think if you just sort of see it as a tunnel and know that there's a light at the end of it, I think women can do anything we set our minds to.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges, I would say, is honestly really breaking into the industry. It's super competitive, and I think that it can be really easy to get discouraged. And I think people give up, and I feel so incredibly sad that there aren't more job opportunities. In that same regard, there's been tons of layoffs because of the decline in people buying books, and specifically nonfiction. So I think that in itself is also discouraging. I would say the greatest thing is, despite everything that's going on in the world, publishers still want to give readers good books. We still care. We want to open their minds and pour in new ideas or forms of inspiration. We still want to take their minds and transport them to another place, whether that's through learning something new or being in a work of fiction and creating that world for them.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say communication, honesty, intellectual curiosity, and I think the most important one to me is just kindness. I think kindness really goes a long way, whether you're interviewing someone, emailing with someone, working with someone, and just compassion.
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