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This week we round off a series of interviews with the DK staff, where we'll try to figure out the secret to their success by asking them about their favorite childhood books and what sort of trouble they've been up to lately. Next week we'll take a look at some of the great books DK has published, and what they have in store for us down the road.

Nancy Ellwood, Editor

Okay, quick: tell us about yourself, what your favorite book was as a child, and how you ended up as an editor at DK!

I have been a science nerd my whole life. I was always going to be a doctor, actually. Then I got to my senior year of college and thought "hmmm . . . not so much." So I put my degree in English to work and got a job in publishing. And except for almost two years at the Penguin Young Readers Group (hi Grosset & Dunlap and PSS!) I've been in nonfiction my entire career. I'm still a science nerd. Who can spell.

What does being an editor at an Imprint as eclectic as DK involve? Do you wear many hats at once, and if so, how do you keep everything separate in your mind?

There are indeed many hats to be worn here! DK itself wears two hats: First, we publish books (about 30 per year) on topics that are specific to the US. Second, we shepherd the rest of the list (another 250 books per year) from the UK office into the US market. Sometimes that means collaboration or research or Americanizing or all of the above. On top of that, we're always developing new ideas, formats, and innovations to keep our list on the cutting edge of children's publishing. And by "we" I mean editors and designers. Because we put so much weight on imagery and visual content, our design department is an integral part of every stage of every project. As for keeping things separate . . . you can do that?

Being an editor at DK means having a different relationship with your authors than most other editors-what do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of this style of working with them?

I think the process here is a wonderful collaboration. Internally we come up with the formats and ideas for the books, and then hire talented writers, photographers, and experts to provide the content. While they're trying to fulfill my vision for a project, I'm trying to help them express their own vision for it as well. Obviously this can get sticky at times, which would be the main disadvantage (too many cooks/chiefs/editors/whatever you want to call it!), but much more often (thankfully!) it works really well, and the results are gorgeous, fabulous books, and long-lasting relationships with smart, capable contributors.

Do you have a line of DK books that you are particularly fond of, and if so, why?

The 10+ encyclopedias and natural history books are my favorite. If you haven't yet, check out Pick Me Up, Do Not Open, Alive, Cosmic! . . . I could keep going but I won't. The design in each is extraordinary, the content is fun and fascinating, and you will just get lost in them. I'm also partial to our -pedia series, especially Sharkpedia, which just came out. It might just be the best book ever in the history of the world.

Are there any new developments afoot at DK that you are excited about? How do you envision your job changing over the next ten years?

I'm very excited to see what formats we come up with in the next few years. Our teams are consistently developing unbelievably original and creative formats. Every time I think that we can't top our last season, we do. Even when we cover a tried-and-true topic (like the human body) it's made new and interesting every single year. It's fun to be part of the process!

What are your thoughts on the electronic developments that are affecting the publishing industry, and how does DK seek to position itself in terms of eBooks, digital licenses, etc? Does your visual content work to your advantage in this regard?

I think our visual content lends itself very well to ebooks, digital licenses, and whatever else the technological world can throw at us. Because we concentrate on images just as heavily as we do words, we've got an advantage in this respect. What will be the real challenge is to see how our crazy formats can translate to the electronic world. Pop-ups will be hard to interpret, but I think we're up to the challenge!

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