The Editors
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Within the walls of Quixtar (and beyond), some have mistakenly assumed that my role as Manager of the PR and Editorial groups makes me some sort of "chief editor" for the company. If my clumsy blog writing style hasn't already made this abundantly clear, I'm no editor. I do not edit my editors. I'm more like their professional manager/coach/cheerleader. I'm their advocate and their sounding board. But, with rare exceptions, I'm not their editor. They know their areas of content MUCH better than I ever could. Moreover, they're probably all better writers than I am.
There are so many different topics to communicate in this business that no single person could hope to master all of them. For instance, our Health Editor, Cathy, has specialized in the Nutrilite brand and all that it involves for the past several years. She knows the claims we're able to make probably as well as our lawyers and she has become very conversant in the very scientific and technical language of nutrition. Could I edit her? No way. Soon you'll hear more from Cathy through her own health-oriented blog here in the Opportunity Zone.
Tonya, the Beauty Editor, helped create the "voice" of beauty communications for Quixtar over the past four years. She is a student of the cosmetics industry and the passionate advocate for Artistry skin care and cosmetics. As a makeup artist herself, she knows what she's writing about from experience. Tonya shares her thoughts at the beauty tipsy blog here in the Zone.
Susan, Copy Director for the "Shop/Buy" team that produces our catalogs, learned the catalog business inside at the granddaddy of them all, Sears. She has applied her craft to our books for more than a decade now. Could I edit Susan? I could try, but you might not like the results. Catalog copy is very different than ad copy, which is very different than the news story writing I specialized in. You can check out more from Susan when her blog about selling launches later this year.
Copy Director for our IBO communications is Nick, who also oversees the True IBO Stories blog. Nick's done just about everything editorial in his 10 years with the company. From editing Home and Health Tech to Beauty and Personal Care, there are few products he's not written or edited for. He's traveled across North America to interview IBO leaders featured in Achieve magazine, and today he spearheads most of our business-related communications. Could I edit Nick? Unfortunately for him, some of this body of work does involve my input, but that usually is more about what we communicate, not the style in which it was written. (By the way, Nick also is a noted workplace humorist. His internal email smack-downs and rants are famous, as is some of his fictional stories about teammates.)
Gregory, our Web Editor, has proven to be very effective managing a huge body of work. This is a man who, in former positions, taught ethics and professional writing at college, created and conducted e-learning seminars and workshops, and wrote white papers that he presented at the Vatican. Wow! It should come as no surprise that he will apply his New York sensibilities to an upcoming Opportunity Zone blog called "Rocktucky Chef."
Cindy joined us last year as a Brands Editor, and has quickly mastered Weight Management (the focus for her upcoming blog) and Health Tech and is a key resource as we explore the development of training materials for IBOs. From PR agency work to managing marketing communications at manufacturers and banks to her freelance work for regional lifestyle magazines, there is little that Cindy can't do. That includes having her second child later this year (her first was born last summer). Yes, she is amazing.
Paula, our Spanish Editor, has immersed herself in her work since joining us last year, creating new vehicles for the important Hispanic audience while working with a bunch of techies and translators to create a database that will make future Spanish-language materials more consistent and accurate.She is a nationally published columnist as well, and will share even more with our Spanish-speaking audiences when her blog launches later this year.
OK. There is ONE person who does see almost every word that does leave Quixtar. In fact, she becomes irate when something gets past her without the opportunity for review. Copy Editor Marsha is one of the most remarkable people at Quixtar. She edits all copy to ensure spelling and grammar accuracy as well as adherence to the Quixtar and AP Style Guides. Please note: She does not copy edit this blog! Any grammar or spelling errors her are all on me! I can't imagine another person who could perform the Copy Edit position as professionally and with as much grace as Marsha. Happy birthday, Marsha.
There are many other contributors, of course. There are the three "Js" of writing -- Jennifer, Jessica and Julie -- as well as the editorial contributions of Anna, Leyla and Katie from Public Relations. There are numerous contractors, freelancers, and interns who also lend their pens to the cause.
When I started out in journalism, it probably was a personal goal to eventually lead an editorial group. Today I realize that I somehow accomplished that, even though I left journalism for Public Relations more than 15 years ago. And what a great team to work with! I hope to be their biggest fan, cheerleader, advocate, barrier-remover, coach, confidante, counselor, and more. But I don't edit them. Oh no. They are the editors.