I suppose now is a time to consider ourselves thankful -- especially if we're not being laid-off from Houghton Mifflin, Nelson, Random House, or Simon & Schuster. These are troubling times for those of us in publishing, but I'm convinced that people will always want to read books and related materials -- and that the demise of publishing is not anywhere near on the horizon.



With that, there are a few job openings in Chicagoland that may be of interest to publishing folks. Some highlights:

• Sourcebooks in Naperville has been looking for a Project Editor: This growth position allows the employee to learn the acquisition process while assisting in the acquisitions and development of the general trade list, with a special focus on the college guides and study aids line. Visit www.bookjobs.com or www.sourcebooks.com for more info.
• Northwestern University Press is looking for an experienced Senior Project Editor to oversee 20-25 titles per year through the editorial process, from raw manuscript to bound book. Send a cover letter with salary expectations to Anne Gendler, Managing Editor, Northwestern University Press, 629 Noyes St., Evanston, IL 60208. (No phone calls.)
• Specialty Publishing Company in Carol Stream is advertising on Monster for an editor/writer for their award-winning trade publications.
  
  
• McGraw-Hill is looking to hire some project editors for their K-12 lines (the Wright Group). Check out Monster or www.mcgraw-hill.com for info.
• The National Association of Realtors is looking for an online managing editor. The listing is on Monster.
• Pearson Education in Glenview has a few openings for editors at various levels in their Reading group. See http://sh.webhire.com/servlet/av/search for info.
  
  

Remember, if you know of a job opening in the area, spread the word! Networking is a great way to help out a peer, colleague, or fellow professional. You never know what doors might open. If you have a job opening, share the information with us at cpn @ bibliobibuli.com



Bookmark: A Brief Interview With One of Our Own



Occasionally, we'll be featuring some insights from fellow publishing professionals. This comes to us from Stephen Isaacs, editorial director at Bloomberg Press, with offices in Chicago and New York.



How long have you been in publishing?

25 YEARS

What was your first job in publishing?

MANUSCRIPT PREPARER (COPY EDITOR/PRODUCTION) FOR A LAW BOOK PUBLISHER.

Was it what you hoped it would be?

NO COMMENT.

You've worked in value publishing, educational publishing, and trade publishing. How do these types of businesses differ from one another?

I'VE WORKED IN MOSTLY TRADE PUBLISHING WITH A SMALL STINT IN EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING. TRADE PUBLISHING IS LESS RIGOROUS. IN ALL AREAS, SALES MATTER SIGNIFICANTLY.

How do you think publishing has changed in the past five years? 10 years?

THE BIGGEST CHANGES HAVE BEEN THE DEMISE OF INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES AND THE RISE IN ELECTRONIC/DIGITAL MEDIA.

What do you think is unique about Chicago-area publishing?

SPECIALIZED IN EDUCATIONAL AND ASSOCIATION PUBLISHING. A VERY SMALL WORLD. LESS "GLAMOROUS" THAN NYC.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start out or advance in Chicago-area publishing?

- NETWORKING IS KEY.

- FIND OUT EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT ELECTRONIC/DIGITAL ISSUES.

- CHICAGO SEEMS TO HAVE A LOT OF EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING, SO LEARNING ABOUT THAT (PERHAPS THROUGH TEACHING A FEW YEARS) WOULD BE HELPFUL.

- IF YOUR FOCUS IS NONFICTION, REAL LIFE EXPERIEENCE IN THE AREA YOU SPECIALIZE IN IS HELPFUL.

- ASSOCIATION PUBLISHING IS ALSO BIG IN CHICAGO. THAT REQUIRES DISCIPLINE AND DIPLOMACY.