We’re offering readers a behind the scenes glimpse into the bookmaking process—the people behind the books and the products we create! Through our “Behind the Book” blog series, discover who plays a role in creating a book, what daily life looks like at Norton, and what being part of an independent and employee-owned company means.

Clare Lewis started at W. W. Norton as the fall intern for the history team in 2021. She liked Norton so much she wanted to stay and eventually joined the biology team as their editorial assistant in January 2022. After a year, she was promoted to her current role of assistant editor and works on biology titles such as Essential Cell Biology, Evolution, and Biology Now.

What is your current role and what part do you play in the book publishing process?

I’m the assistant editor on the biology team. As an assistant, I play a lot of different roles in the book process from start to finish. At the beginning of a project, I collect pre-revision reviews from instructors and organize the text and art manuscripts from the last edition. I correspond with the authors and other members of the book team and move materials to the right people. I also prepare manuscripts for copyediting and take part in page reviews. Even after the book has published, I’m responsible for compiling reprint corrections.

For your current role, what does an average day look like?

My workload depends on the time of year and where we are in the publishing process for each project, so my average day is filled with a lot of different tasks. In general, I aim to be the point person for information about each of my projects for all of the departments at Norton.

Last year, I was working on three books, so I had to keep track of a lot of moving parts. My only book being published this year is the 4th edition of Biology Now. All chapters are in their final stages, but we’re revising all the interactives from the last edition and my role is preparing the manuscripts for copyediting. I standardize the formatting, check that all comments from the author or editor have been addressed, and create a log of all the art before the manuscript is sent to the copyeditor and other members of the book team to review.

For upcoming projects, I’ve been coordinating reviews and feedback from instructors to make sure our materials are thoroughly vetted and up-to-date.

Last January, I became the intern manager for the biology team, so I oversee the hiring of a new intern for each session and supervise their work during the program. I also handle administrative tasks, like drafting requests for author contracts for our contracts team to review.

What skills do you need to succeed in your job? Did any previous work or life experience help you in your role?

I was lucky to be an intern at Norton before starting my full-time position, which gave me insight into the work of an assistant editor. Many of the typical skills listed in the job description, like organization and attention to detail, are skills I use every day. At any given time, I could be juggling one book that’s in pages – meaning it’s gone through design and copyediting—and another that’s still in manuscript, all while running a review program to get instructor feedback. Figuring out a system of organization that works for me but can also be decoded by other people on the project is key. Another particularly crucial skill that I developed on the job is the subtle art of gently (but firmly!) pressing people to turn things in. At first I found it daunting to deal with authors who are leaders in their scientific field, but we have to keep everyone on track or we won’t have a book to publish.

What have been some of your favorite projects?

My favorite project is a first edition textbook about Oceanography that’s set to publish in 2026. I was lucky to come into the project early so I’ve been able to work with the text at a very malleable stage. It’s been interesting to see how my editor and the developmental editor work through the raw manuscript from the author. I also get a chance to read through the manuscript at each stage and leave my own comments. The whole process has been very enlightening for me, and I’ve grown more confident in my editing skills as a result.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in publishing?

In my experience, it took a long time to feel like I knew the entire book process, so I’d say don’t worry about trying to know everything all at once. Publishing is full of idiosyncrasies and there’s an inscrutable acronym for everything. On top of that, the publishing cycle for textbooks is long and every project has different authors, components, and team members. I often find myself relearning processes or changing my work habits to best fit the project. At first, not having a firm grasp made me a bit nervous, but I’ve learned to go with the flow and ask clarifying questions when necessary.

Lastly, what do you like to do outside of work? Any fun hobbies or recent reads you would recommend?

It comes as no surprise that I love reading. When I moved to Brooklyn, I got my library card and use it almost every week. It’s fun to walk in not knowing what I’m looking for and I’ve found a lot of great new authors just by perusing the shelves. Right now, I’m reading Nightwood by Djuna Barnes and plan on reading The Guest by Emma Cline next. When I’m not reading, I play a lot of video games despite my complete lack of skill. Grand Theft Auto is probably my favorite, but I play The Sims and Minecraft too because I love building things. Since moving to Brooklyn, I’ve been on a mission to try as many coffee shops in my area as possible. My recent favorite is Café Regular in Park Slope. I live in the Crown Heights area, which has so many beautiful streets to walk down; and I’m close to Prospect Park as well, which I take advantage of frequently on my summer Fridays.

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