Susanne Schulian has worked for Forlag Malling Beck since 2000, first as a math editor and then as editor-in-chief. She has previously worked as a secondary school math teacher.
“When recruiting new editors for the company, we always write in the ad that an editor should be something of a jack-of-all-trades. This isn’t a mere platitude, because with responsibility for 20 to 25 publications a year, an editor has to be able to handle lots of different roles.
“An editor must always be in the know – as regards both the target group (teachers, students and parents) and Ministry of Education initiatives. We have to be abreast of the latest demands for educational materials as well as the changing requirements that new legislation or legal amendments bring. Editors have to be updated about developments in the format of educational materials – should the next publication be in book or IT format?
“Editors often have to find authors themselves. They may be people who haven’t actually considered themselves authors, but have become interested along the way. Recruiting authors has become harder in recent years – teachers have less free time, and spending time with their families is high on their list of priorities.
“Editors also have to be able to take on the role of businessperson. Calculations and market analyses have to be made and – not least – what is our own gut feeling? Do we have watertight arguments for publishing a given product? And at the end of the process, the editor has to help promote the materials.
“What I find fascinating is the combination of believing in one’s own ideas about the subject and relating to real-world customers at the end of the editorial process.”
