Experience

University of Texas Press

• United States
• Book and Periodical Publishing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Editing, Design & Production Manager

  • Jan 2020 - Present

  Responsible for all aspects of the production of 80 titles per year, from copy editing through delivery of finished books, and supervises copy editing, design, and production staff. As a senior manager at the press, contributes to operational and strategic decisions.

• Managing Editor

  • Jun 2014 - Present

  Responsibile for the copy editing and project management of approximately 80 titles per year, supervises in-house copy editing staff, and serves as liaison between departments.



Freelance

• Freelance Editor & Project Manager

  • Mar 2012 - Jun 2014

  “My admiration for Robert as a publishing professional is enormous and I wholeheartedly recommend him for any project with full confidence that he will deliver results that all concerned will find of the greatest value.”—Peter Osnos, Founder and Editor-at-Large, PublicAffairs“Robert Kimzey is the most skillful, resourceful ‘can do’ person I’ve ever encountered in publishing, and perhaps in any other field, too.”—Joel Fleishman, Professor of Law and Public Policy, Duke University“Robert Kimzey takes the art of project management to new heights. Having worked in entrepreneurial ventures for most of his career, he has had hands-on experience with every part of the process. He brings a unique level of calm and intelligence to every book he develops, no matter how tight the schedule or how challenging the design or how demanding the author.”—Susan Weinberg, SVP & Publisher for Perseus BooksOver the years, Robert has served as the project manager for numerous high-profile authors, including:Hanif Abdurraqib, Go Ahead in the RainAkhil Reed Amar, America’s Unwritten ConstitutionArthur C. Brooks, Gross National HappinessJoseph A. Califano, Jr., InsideLou Cannon, President ReaganCharles E. Cobb Jr., This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You KilledDavid N. Dinkins with Peter Knobler, A Mayor’s LifeGeoff Dyer, The Street Philosophy of Garry WinograndKenneth Feinberg, What Is Life Worth?Margaret Heffernan, A Bigger PrizeDiana Kennedy, Nothing FancyJohn Kerry & Teresa Heinz Kerry, This Moment on EarthDavid Kessler, A Question of IntentToni Tipton-Martin, The Jemima CodeScott McClellan, What HappenedRobert McNamara, Argument Without EndAndrew Nathan, The Tiananmen PapersRichard Ravitch, So Much to DoLinda Robinson, One Hundred VictoriesAndy Rooney, Sincerely, Andy RooneyJeremy Scahill, Dirty WarsSherry Sontag & Chris Drew, Blind Man’s BluffGeorge Soros, The Tragedy of the European UnionMuhammad Yunus, Banker to the PoorJuan Zarate, Treasury’s War



The Basic Books Group

• Managing Editor

  • May 2008 - Mar 2012

  Direct responsibility for scheduling approximately 120 titles per year, communicating between editorial, art, marketing, publicity, production, and manufacturing departments, and advising publisher on timing, cost, and budgetary considerations. Direct responsibility for scheduling approximately 120 titles per year, communicating between editorial, art, marketing, publicity, production, and manufacturing departments, and advising publisher on timing, cost, and budgetary considerations.



Perseus Books Group

• United States
• Book and Periodical Publishing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Vice President & Group Managing Editor

  • Nov 2005 - Nov 2011

  Budget & Operations: Direct responsibility for departmental budgets totaling $1 million, a $4 million annual production budget, and a pivotal role in the corporate budget process, which includes over 600 titles per year. Operations duties include upgrading data systems, researching and implementing innovations in book production, and investigating new technologies. Managerial: Supervisor of more than 20 production editors, designers, and managing editors in five cities. Budget & Operations: Direct responsibility for departmental budgets totaling $1 million, a $4 million annual production budget, and a pivotal role in the corporate budget process, which includes over 600 titles per year. Operations duties include upgrading data systems, researching and implementing innovations in book production, and investigating new technologies. Managerial: Supervisor of more than 20 production editors, designers, and managing editors in five cities.



PublicAffairs

• Founding Executive, Managing Editor, Assistant Publisher, VP

  • Sep 1997 - Oct 2005

  Budgeting & Managerial: Initiated annual budget, reviewed departmental budgets, and $600,000 production budget. Oversaw freelance pool for jacket design, copyediting, page design, composition, proofreading, and indexing for a list that grew from 8 to 60 titles per year. Acquisitions Editor: Acquired, edited, and managed a select number of nonfiction manuscripts by historians, journalists, and social activists. Production Editor: Guided high-profile authors through production process, including copyediting, proofreading, and indexing of entire publications list. On-line presence: Supervised website creation and implemented shopping cart capability. Coordinated with departments to update and promote titles on-line.



Human Rights Watch

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Publications Director

  • Feb 1994 - Aug 1997

  Managed production of approximately 70 reports a year, devised a sales strategy for the library and academic markets that quintupled gross sales, reorganized the fulfillment and production departments, negotiated distribution deals in the U.S. and Europe, implemented a redesign of the reports, and established the organization’s on-line presence.

• Human Rights Watch Books, Editor, Yale University Press, Adjunct Editor

  • Apr 1990 - Feb 1994

  Edited, copyedited, proofread, and indexed books, monographs, and newsletters, and worked with both HRW & Yale to select viable book projects on human rights in Iraq, Syria, El Salvador, Peru, and communal violence.



New York University Summer Publishing Institute

• Assistant Coordinator

  • Jun 1989 - Jul 1993

  Coordinated curriculum for 3-week book publishing seminar attended by more than 60 recent college graduates. Coordinated curriculum for 3-week book publishing seminar attended by more than 60 recent college graduates.



Macmillan

• United States
• Book and Periodical Publishing
• 700 & Above Employee

• Assistant Editor

  • Aug 1986 - Apr 1990

  Solicited, acquired, and edited manuscripts for Collier Books, Scribner's, and Atheneum at large book publisher. Solicited, acquired, and edited manuscripts for Collier Books, Scribner's, and Atheneum at large book publisher.