Mascot Blog

By Emily Evans-Miller

Like many people, the staff at Mascot Books made New Year’s resolutions to kick off 2019 the right way. As we near the end of January, now is the time when everyone abandons their goals in favor of the status quo. So, to hold ourselves accountable (and maybe challenge each other!), we’re sharing our reading and writing goals for the year.

Jess Cohn, Acquisitions Editor

I have a novel I’ve been working on for several years that I’d like to finally finish and start editing. Writer’s block is no joke. I also have a complete manuscript that some agents have been interested in that I’d like to revise so I can figure out its publishing future. Maybe hybrid is the right fit instead!

Ben Simpson, Acquisitions Editor

I’d definitely like to finish editing my humor/fantasy novel with my co-writer. We’ve been working on this book for years, so it is time to finalize it and hopefully get it into production. As far as reading goes, I’d like to learn more about the histories and background of various countries, focusing on reading multiple books about that country within each month. January’s country: Morocco!

Nina Spahn, Senior Production Manager

My resolution is to read more books that fall outside of what I’d normally pick up (I’m mostly a fiction kind of gal, along with the occasional nonfiction title if it falls within certain genres). This year, I’m hoping to start (and also finish) books such as When Women Ruled the World by Kara Cooney.

Daniel Wheatley, Senior Production Editor

My resolution for 2019 is to read at least fifty books: I’d really like to read more graphic novels and #OwnVoices narratives. Those are two areas that I haven’t read as widely as I’d like. Right now on my TBR list is the second book from Joanna Meyer, Echo North, and Kelly Yang’s Front Desk.

Susan Roberts, Senior Production Editor

I’d love to finish the long poem and early chapter book I’ve been working on in 2019. For reading, I don’t keep track of the number of books I’ve read, but maybe I will this year!

Rachel Sutton, Production Editor

My goal is much more modest than most, resolving to read 12 books for pleasure by the end of the year (about one a month). It’s so easy to get bogged down as an editor reading clients’ stories, so I’m taking a more proactive approach to maintain a better equilibrium between reading/editing at work and reading in my spare time. I’m starting the year’s resolution with The Wanderers by Meg Howrey and But What If We’re Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman. I really like the balance between reading fiction and nonfiction simultaneously, so this duo is helping me start the year off on a great foot.

Emily Evans-Miller, Content Marketing Manager

I’d like to finish at least two books per month in 2019. I’m making a point to carve out time for it now. My first two books for the year are The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan and Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher. I’m also hoping to take on more editing work outside of office life and hone those skills. I’m close to finishing my current project, a 135,000 word memoir.

Michelle Webber, Senior Marketing Manager

I’m trying to read more minority voices in 2019, particularly books by Asian and Asian-American writers. On a quantity level, my niece (she’s eight) and I are trying to read forty books each this year, and I’ve committed to reviewing every book I read on Amazon and Goodreads (and buying them from local independent bookstores or the publisher!).

I also want to write two stories I’m proud of this year. I have two stories I’ve finished and shopped around that have gotten some really great rejections, but I’d love to find a home for them in 2019.

Abby Simpson, Assistant Bookkeeper

In 2019 I want to read more of the classics. I’m starting off the year with Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I usually stick to nonfiction, so this is a big change of pace since I’ll be diving into mostly fiction now. And since they’re the classics, I do have some great expectations for my reading goals.

Have you set any reading and writing resolutions for 2019? Let us know what your goals for 2019 are on social media by tagging us @MascotBooks!