Erinn Pascal joined Andrews McMeel Universal in 2021. Prior to AMU, she held editorial positions at Scholastic, Disney, and Simon & Schuster, where she worked on brands such as Minnie Mouse, Peppa Pig, Disney Princess, LEGO, and Batman. Erinn grew up in Pembroke Pines, FL and graduated with a BFA in Writing, Literature & Publishing from Emerson College in Boston, MA. At AMU, Erinn manages the kids’ publishing list. She’s most interested in uplifting creators and their authentic visions, from licensed kids’ cookbooks to middle grade graphic novels to activity books to everything in-between. When she’s not editing, Erinn can be found defending the Star Wars prequels; “vegan”-izing family Colombian and Jewish recipes; taking her mini Bernedoodle, Obi, to the dog park; doing Pilates; or browsing the local farmer’s market for fresh veggies (baby cauliflower is her favorite). 

How did you get your start in publishing and make your way to Andrews McMeel Publishing?

Ooh, what a good question. Truth be told, I got my start in publishing in third grade. The parents at my school organized a “printing press” for kids, where you got to submit a manuscript, and the parents would print out your manuscript and bind it up with a spiral coil. I was eight, and I vividly remember submitting manuscript after manuscript, because it was always a thrill to get them back. I remember thinking, “this is what I want to do.” It lined up pretty well with what I told my mom when I was three, when I said I wanted to be a kids’ book editor. To this day, she smiles and says she thought, “Sure.” Both my parents are immigrants (mom: Colombia, dad: Romania) and were in the medical field, so we didn’t know anything about publishing. Plus, I grew up in a suburb of Miami, Florida—it’s just not where publishing was. But I was tenacious. Or annoying—you pick the word.

“I grew up in a suburb…it’s just not where publishing was. But I was tenacious.”

I went to Emerson College in Boston, MA for Writing, Literature & Publishing. Since I knew I wanted to work in publishing, I took on some publishing internships there. My very first book publishing internship was a Marketing Intern at Barefoot Books, but by the next semester, I was unofficially-officially working on a lot more editorial projects. After that internship, I interned at David R. Godine, Publisher and then at HarperCollins and Houghton Mifflin. I felt like a “professional intern” for a time, but all that experience led me to accepting my first full-time salary role (and move to NYC) at Simon & Schuster as editorial assistant.

I loved S&S, but after a few years went over to work as an Associate Editor at Disney. My time at Disney was short. I started when Disney acquired Fox, so my original role changed quite a bit. On top of that, I got mono in my first few weeks there. I hold a lot of fondness for the team there, but it was clear I wasn’t the right fit. At the same time, a former colleague of mine at S&S had gone over to Scholastic, and there was an Editor position open on her team. I moved over to Scholastic and worked there for almost four years.

“…I was contacted by a LinkedIn recruiter about the opportunity to expand the kids’ publishing list at Andrews McMeel.”

I wasn’t really looking to leave Scholastic, but I was contacted by a LinkedIn recruiter about the opportunity to expand the kids’ publishing list at Andrews McMeel. She described the ideal candidate for the Senior Editor role there wanted to grow with the company and expand their kids’ book list. It was like someone looked into my head, saw my five-year plan, and said, “OK, here you go.” A lot of tears were shed in the decision, but I started my role as Senior Editor at Andrews McMeel in summer 2021. I am very glad I made the jump, though, and proud to represent Andrews McMeel and our creators. I now live in Los Angeles and work remotely, doing what I always intended on doing—platforming creators, bringing great books to kids, and making sure my authors feel the same way that eight-year-old Erinn did holding those printed books.

 “…we also pride ourselves in our "creator first" approach…”

What do you feel is special or unique about Andrews McMeel publishing and how does it set itself apart from other publishers of illustrated books?

Andrews McMeel is an independent publisher. What I love about it is that when we acquire a book or creator, everyone at the company knows about it, so I know who the marketing contact will be, the designer, etc. I am able to connect my creators right away with who they need to know in order to get their book out there. Since we are independent, we also pride ourselves in our "creator first" approach, where we make sure our creators have what they need—metadata approval, cover consultation, etc. This is not wholly different from places I’ve worked with in the past, but it’s nice to have that as part of our standard practices.

I also really love how everyone at Andrews McMeel works together. For example, our incredible audiobook editor, Charlie Upchurch, puts so much time and thought into audiobook narration and matching the right narrator to a project. And our production managers, led by the amazing Shona Burns, put a lot of heart and thought into the specs of a book. It’s just a really nice place to be, and I could go on and on about our close-knit and talented team.

“There’s a small and mighty team here, and that’s our biggest strength.”

With AMP being a larger independent book publisher, what do you feel AMP can offer authors and agents that big five publishers cannot?

Let me be clear—I think the Big 5 is great (I used to work for two). We are also distributed by Simon & Schuster, and I am proud to have the S&S reps presenting our books in the field.

That being said, I really do love how we loop everyone into a book. Kickoff call? OK, here’s our Marketing and PR contact, regardless if the book is by a celebrity or a debut. Have a question? Here, our Publisher will answer for you. There’s a small and mighty team here, and that’s our biggest strength.

 “…I think we’ll see a lot more traction and build for debut series and creators.”

The publishing landscape has changed a lot in recent years. How do you see the industry today and in years from now?

The biggest change I’ve noticed is production schedules. Even pre-COVID, we could send a book to the printer three months ahead of anticipated pub date. Now, we’re looking at eleven months. So I think we’ll see acquisitions become a lot more thoughtful and slower. Not that publishing has ever been a particularly fast industry, of course, but that’s an immediate change. In good news, this means that sales and marketing will have more complete galleys and ARCs to present to buyers and book reviewers, so I think we’ll see a lot more traction and build for debut series and creators. And I am excited about that!

“…we need to have an honest conversation about what “in-office” work means and who it excludes.”

If you were granted one wish to change the way something is done in book publishing, what would it be?

I would love to see more people represented in publishing as a whole. The industry is doing better than it was, say, ten years ago, but we’re not there yet. We need more people of color in decision-making roles as well as in the creative process. And we also need more queer, neurodiverse, and disabled staff. As the corporate world regroups from the pandemic, I think we need to have an honest conversation about what “in-office” work means and who it excludes. I saw a statistic yesterday, for example, that only 15% of autistic adults are employed. Many autistic adults need accommodations like working from home to avoid sensory overload. (As an adult with ADHD myself, working from home has allowed me to mask an unmask on my own terms). Or for disabled folks, how are they getting to an office every day if many of them can’t drive? If a job is in NYC, it’s also expensive, and the subway system is not exactly accessible. We can say we need more diversity, but it’s empty talk without actionable ways to employ those without access.

How’s it been working with author of THE SECRET ZOO and WAYFINDERS Bryan Chick's SUPER SPORTS SOCIETY, in which a self-absorbed boy is sure he can get popular by making a travel sports team and it's all fun, farts, and baseball—until he discovers his only friend, an expert gamer, is a talented athlete who threatens to take his spot in everything, with illustrations by Brett Radlicki?

Brett and Bryan are truly incredible, and you can tell how talented they are just by the SUPER SPORTS SOCIETY sample pages! Our contract was only just signed, so we’re beginning work ASAP, but I am unbelievably excited to introduce readers to Tommy Thompson and his friends in summer 2024. Stay posted, because this is a series you’ll definitely want to get a preorder in for.

“…a good editor is someone who challenges you and also is your biggest supporter.”

What do you see as the qualities of a good editor?

I think a good editor is someone who challenges you and also is your biggest supporter. When I sign up a book, it’s because I love it. I believe in you, and I believe in your story. Now that we’re working on it, we’re having a conversation—if a point isn’t coming across, I like to provide a suggestion, but that doesn’t mean you have to take my suggestion—it just means that this is something we should go back and work on.

A good editor provides thoughtful feedback, but also ensures that they always have their creator’s back. One question I always ask my creators on kickoff calls is, “What is your goal for this book?” Is it to sell a million copies, or is it to get into the hands of kids who would otherwise be playing a video game (no shame in video gaming—my Animal Crossing island is quite decked out—but what if instead of gaming today, you read a book?) Or is the goal more thematic—bring awareness to scoliosis, have an open dialogue about anxiety? Whatever your goal is, we’ll work on this together for a shared vision.

 “A good author is someone who is passionate about their project.”

What are the qualities of a good author?

A good author is someone who is passionate about their project. They meet their deadlines (or communicate when they can’t—life is life, after all!), are eager, open to conversations, and also are ready to defend their decisions. If my edit isn’t in line with the theme of the book, tell me why. That way I can better understand what you’re trying to accomplish. A good author also knows their audience. I always recommend that a new author (or more experienced author, really anyone) reads a lot. Go to book events, meet other authors, meet with kids.  

Are you on the lookout for any particular kinds of projects?

To be totally honest, my schedule is a little full at the moment, so I’m being extra selective. However, a submission can really shine right now if it’s by or about diverse topics and voices, in particular, people of color, fat representation, queer representation, nonbinary and trans voices, and minority religious representation. I also love normalizing these voices. Maybe the book isn’t about having Tourette’s, it’s about trading cards, but the main character just happens to have Tourette’s. One of my upcoming projects, FANTASY PIN WORLD by Briana Lawrence, is about four preteens who get enamel pins that grant them superpowers. The book is about the enamel pins, and it’s also about four Black preteens of various identities, including fat, queer, and nonbinary identification. But the story isn’t about any of those things exactly, it’s about enamel pin collecting and superpowers. Of course, I wouldn’t want anyone to write in diverse characters just to check a box, so it has to be organic. If you have a strong topic, make sure it has strong socioemotional themes, too. Maybe the character in a gardening book has to navigate a complicated decision when gardening in a state-wide drought. What are the environmental effects there, and what about the emotional connection they have to the plants? Is doing the “right thing” black and white?

I’m also on the lookout for some great illustrated nonfiction for middle grade readers (7-12). I just edited 150 HAPPY FACTS by The Happy Broadcast, which—you guessed it!—contains 150 good, anxiety-free facts about nice things going on in the world from the creators of the social media channel, The Happy Broadcast. It’s a great book, and I’m looking for similar nonfiction that’s kid-friendly and approachable. I’m probably not an editor for a very serious nonfiction book, but a poop identification kit to find out which of your neighbors’ dogs has been in your yard? Well, sign me up. I found a mysterious turd by my partner’s car the other day…

Reading anything good for pleasure at the moment?

I’m currently reading A TALE OF TWO PRINCES by Eric Geron. Eric is absolutely fabulous and his humor shines through on every page.

 “Good writing, and good characters, show you the world.”

Can you finish this sentence? I love reading because…

You get to learn more about the world. Good writing, and good characters, show you the world. It is innate human nature to connect, to want, to love, to journey, to befriend. Books let you do all of that and more, even if the character’s circumstances or identity couldn’t be more different from your own.