Interview with 
Jenn Embree
Assistant Production Editor
with Nimbus since 2009
The hardest part of design.

Jenn started working for Nimbus in September 2009, a few months after graduating from NSCC’s Graphic Design program. She helps Heather, our production manager, layout and design books, and also does some editing and proofing.

How did you get into book publishing? 
I originally attended Mount Allison University with the intent of becoming a writer, however, partway through my degree I realized it wasn’t quite right for me. While I finished my bachelor, I worked at the school paper as the production manager, and got my first real taste for design. Several years later I decided to pursue a diploma in graphic design, and discovered an aptitude for editorial design in particular. When the production assistant position as Nimbus opened up, it seemed like the perfect place to combine my past and current passions.

What's the most interesting thing you've done so far?
It’s hard to pinpoint one single thing as the most interesting. Certainly learning the ins and outs of the whole process of putting a book together has been fascinating. It’s also been fun to adapt to designing books, especially the interiors. I’ve tried to find ways to let the book’s content influence how I do the interior (especially with the upcoming book Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines) and that’s been quite a learning curve. And of course covers are always fun to work on!

What's the most challenging?
The most challenging thing I’ve done was given to me shortly after I started. Backwater had just been added to the fall line up, and had to be put together fairly quickly. Coming up with a cover which reflected the tone of a book that was anything but dull, at least for a book about economics and society, was very difficult. Unfortunately, most books of a similar nature have very sedate, textbook-like covers, and this book was anything but. The cover probably went through half a dozen incarnations, and being the first cover I would put together for Nimbus, I felt more than a little pressure to show what I could do. Balancing the preferences of the production, editorial, and marketing departments took a fair amount of tweaking, but in the end it came out better than I expected. 

Who's that sniffing around your chair? 
That would be Naala, the unofficial office dog. She’s been mine for almost four years, and we’ve traveled all over North America together. She’s a German Shepherd/Rottie cross, and is the biggest sook in the world. She is, of course, integral to Nimbus, making sure she attends every meeting (even if I’m not there), letting us know when someone new comes in the office (with a loud bark followed by a vicious licking), taking care of any leftovers from lunch or book openings (so they don’t spoil), and generously offering a therapeutic game of catch (in case anyone needs a break).

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There's still time to enter our Country Roads cover contest. You could win a copy of Atlantic Canada's 100 Greatest Books. Contest closes March 20.