Meet the Staff: Patrick Maloney

Each week get to know one of our amazing staff members as they talk about their writing heroes, advice to writers, and what book is currently sitting on their nightstand.

This week, meet Patrick Maloney!

Wise Ink: Describe your role at Wise Ink in two sentences or less.

Patrick Maloney: I handle the production of our books—copyediting, design, and printing. I am also the office DJ.

WI: What is your day at Wise Ink normally look like?

PM: My favorite part of my job is that each day can be so radically different. Last week I was tweaking the colors in a children’s book, and this week I’m proofreading a memoir for a radio personality.  

WI: What types of books are your favorites to publish, and why?

PM: I love working on books with our nonprofits partners, who help promote literacy and community awareness.

WI: Who are some of your writing heroes?

PM: I’m particularly fond of Malcolm Gladwell because he can write about pretty much anything. I just read a riveting essay of his on the ketchup industry.

WI: If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring author, what would you say?

PM: To quote the late George Michael: “If you’re gonna do it, do it right.”

WI: What are you currently reading?

PM: I’m always reading two or three books at a time—right now it’s The Art of Cruelty by Maggie Nelson, an art criticism text; The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jameson, an essay collection; and The Secrets of Story by Matt Bird, a craft book for writing fiction.