From the beginning of her career, former Simon & Schuster editor Marcela Landres has broken down barriers and made significant changes in the industry for people of color. As one of the few Latina editors in the business, Landres initially found it frustrating when she asked editors to submit works by Latino writers and they responded by saying, “That’s a good idea. Where can I find them?”
Rather than give up, she worked her day job as an editor while moonlighting as a proactive creator of writer’s workshops at conferences. The response was overwhelming and when the pre-recession effects began to set in and she was laid off, Landres became the go-to girl for Latino writers.
Acting as a conduit for agents and Latino writers, Landres created an award-winning newsletter and website with a track record of helping writers get published by editing their work and educating them on the business side of publishing.
Jeff Rivera is the author of Forever My Lady and founder of GumboWriters.com