Ken Bookman

P.O. Box 191
Merion Station, Pa. 19066

Phone: (610) 667-1942
Fax: (610) 667-3075
E-mail: Ken@bookmaneditorial.com
Internet: www.bookmaneditorial.com


Profile

An editor with a proven ability to blend editing, writing, and interpersonal skills to help clients harness the power of the printed word.

Education

Syracuse University
Syracuse, N.Y.

B.A. in political science from the university’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Professional experience

Independent writer and          editor
Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
1996 - present

Supplied a service that has vanished from the publishing industry as I collaborated with authors and would-be authors on their book proposals and manuscripts. Provided small business with the writing and editing service they were lacking by producing newsletters and documents and by executing various projects as needed.

NewsChannel
West Chester, Pa.
1996 - 1997

Brought a high level of quality writing to the short news item as a writer and announcer for a 24-hour cable-television station, distributing local, national, and international news throughout the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia, Pa.
1977 - 1995

Exhibited great versatility by holding a wide assortment of editing positions at a large, metropolitan daily newspaper: Assistant National/Foreign Editor, Assistant Suburban Editor, Assistant Business News Editor, Food Editor, Director of New Ventures.

My longest assignment at the paper (from April 1982 to June 1990) was as its first Food Editor. Responsible for planning, assigning, and editing a twice-per-week freestanding section with a staff of three fulltime reporters and several parttime writers.

Gave a second life to some of the newspaper's most significant and expensive articles as I inaugurated (in July 1991) what would later be called the Department of New Ventures. Working with editorial and business-side personnel, I oversaw the re-use of previously published newspaper material in other formats, most notably books. About a dozen titles were generated during my tenure.

The Record
Hackensack, N.J.
1970 - 1977

Reporter, copy editor, and assigning editor for New Jersey’s second-largest newspaper.

Professional accomplishments

As a professional editor and writer, I am the coauthor of six cookbooks and the collaborator on 23 other published books.

My own books are Fifty Ways to Cook Most Everything: 2500 Creative Solutions to the Daily Dilemma of What to Cook (Simon & Schuster, 1992), Dinner’s Ready: Turn a Single Meal Into a Week of Dinners (William Morrow, 1995), One-Pot Cakes (Morrow, 1995), While the Pasta Cooks: 100 Sauces As Easy As Boiling Water (Macmillan, 1996), One-Pot Chocolate Desserts (Broadway Books, 1998), and One-Pot Cookies (Broadway Books, 1998).

Many of the other published books that I’ve overseen were produced in my capacity as The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Director of New Ventures. The department’s mission was to produce books and other products based mostly on material already published in the newspaper.

My years as The Inquirer’s food editor led to a great number of titles in the food field. My work in subsequent years encompasses a wide variety of other subjects. Among the books I’ve guided into print are two annual Philadelphia almanacs, a travel book, a business book, three collections of columns from two of the paper’s most popular writers, a Philadelphia guidebook, and a collection of pieces commemorating the 50th anniversary of major World War II events. My clients include The University of Pennsylvania, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

Since 1994, I have been a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Please see my website, at www.bookmaneditorial.com, for additional information, including a full list of published books.