Hello! This is Michael Signorelli, the new head of Gotham’s Bookwriting Group. With two whirlwind weeks now in the bag, I wanted to take a moment to share a few thoughts about why I’m here and how I hope to serve Gotham’s unique mission going forward.
If I have learned anything about myself in the last thirteen years working as an editor (and I emphasize if), it is that I am seemingly hardwired to listen to authors. This is both a gift and a curse. But, being an optimist, I see my predilection as a way to connect with the energy, vision, voice, knowledge, and insight of others. And I have been lucky enough over the years to play a privileged role in shaping those authorial assets into compelling narratives. When Dan approached me about the job here at Gotham, I saw an opportunity to engage with a wider community of writers and to join a growing and dynamically positioned business.
This is also an opportunity to engage with the publishing community in new ways. I am now an across-the-board resource and solution center for agents, editors, and publishers – in addition to private clients – who need a job done; and I am able to enter the conversation at just about any point in the editorial process. As someone who has shepherded more than his fair share of books to market, I expect to add value to that process for all of Gotham’s clients.
In doing all of that, I will continue to be guided by the principle that serving the needs of the author is the surest way of achieving desirable results for all parties. An author – or a ghost – whose needs are met, who feels understood, who feels like they have a partner in the process of writing, editing, and publishing, inevitably produces better work and more effectively supports the book in the marketplace. In my new role at Gotham, I will be serving writers in much the same way I always have. Whether I am talking to a client or a collaborator, I’m here to listen, to understand the scope and sensibility of a project, to identify affinities, and ultimately build a successful partnership.
I look forward to growing into my role as a strategic publishing resource. Please feel free to write me any time at michael@gothamghostwriters.com.
