> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://brookevitale.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Nice To Meet You - URL: https://brookevitale.com/blog/nice-to-meet-you/ - Published: 2020-10-04T12:23:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-09T20:15:13.000Z - Description: I'm a professional children's book editor with nearly 20 year's experience. Get to know me! - Author: Andrew Vitale - Tags: General I still remember the day during my junior year of college that a friend asked me, “What do you want to do when you graduate?” and I said, “I don’t know. I wish someone would just pay me to read books.” She looked at me very seriously and said, “You know there’s a job that does that, right?” No, I literally had no idea there was a job that would let me do that. For all the books I’d read, it had somehow never crossed my mind that someone had to edit those books—that someone had to work with the author to shape those books into their final form. That was it. I was sold. I was going to be an editor! When I graduated, I moved to New York City. I started a graduate program in publishing at NYU, and managed to land an internship at [Sterling Publishing](https://www.sterlingpublishing.com/?ref=brookevitale.com) , a subsidiary of Barnes and Noble. I walked into work that first day expecting a glamourous job of editing books. Instead, I found myself in a room of dusty boxes filled with files from thirty-year-old books. My job? Peel every photo off the books and mail them back to the authors. Luckily, my days of prying stuck-on photos off old boards didn’t last long. An opening became available in the children’s department and I was hired on. I never looked back. I spent five years at Sterling, then moved on to [Penguin](https://www.penguin.com/children/?ref=brookevitale.com) for three years. From there I went to [Disney](https://books.disney.com/?ref=brookevitale.com) . I have now been editing children’s books for nearly twenty years. During that time, I have learned so much and have worked on every kind of book there is: [**Nonfiction.**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonfiction?ref=brookevitale.com)Thanks to these books, I know all about the [solar system](https://amzn.to/2I3hVph?ref=brookevitale.com) , the [ghosts of the White House](https://amzn.to/3d4ycWk?ref=brookevitale.com) , the secrets of Alcatraz, and more. [**Activity Books.**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activity%5Fbook?ref=brookevitale.com) I’ve worked on coloring books, sticker books, and activity books. **Novelty Books.** Name the novelty format and I’ve done it: lift-the-flap, scratch-and-sniff, books with dolls, and pop-ups. I love coming up with new ideas and making them work! [**Picture Books.**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture%5Fbook?ref=brookevitale.com) I’ve been lucky enough to work on several best-selling picture books with amazing authors—including a series with the inimitable Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary. And I’ve worked on many more that truly spoke to and excited me. Along the way I’ve learned so much about what makes a great book, both for child and parent at the same time. **Middle Grade.** From a series that celebrates [Disney’s Adventureland](https://amzn.to/340h9AF?ref=brookevitale.com) to one that focuses on children coping with type 1 diabetes, I’ve covered the spectrum of themes for middle-grade readers. So, who am I? I’m a versatile children’s book editor. But I’m also a mom to two young boys, and I have learned more from them over the last five years than I ever did on the job. Every book I work on I see through their eyes. Will they understand the language? Will the story hold their attention? Will it make them laugh? Or cry? We write these stories for kids because we want them to feel something. And I stand right next to you in writing these books. When my younger son was born, I decided to leave my full-time role at Disney and focus on freelance work so I could stay home with my boys. With that came a shift to being an author as well as an editor. And that means that while I understand what goes into editing a manuscript to make it successful, I also understand the frustrations that go with writing one and not being sure what the right decision is for your book. (Just today I rewrote the ending of a book three times because I can’t decide which of those three ways is just right!) But at the end of the day, I am an editor. And I love helping my authors find their voice. Whether you are planning to self-publish and want to perfect your book or need guidance on the publishing process, or you just want to whip your book into shape before you submit it to an agent, I’m here to help. I believe in collaboration, but also brutal honesty. Too often as an author it is difficult to see where a story is not being true to itself. That’s where I come in. It's my job to tease out the scenes that are good and help you to make them great. To find the moments that aren't quite working and figure out how to turn them into the strongest scenes in the story. So, are you ready to get to work? Let me help you shape your book into what you always dreamed it would be. Check out the books I've written and edited in my [book portfolio!](https://brookevitale.com/book-portfolio/)