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Lydia McClaran is a freelance children's book editor and PR Coordinator at Smith Publicity. She received her BA from Western Washington University where she majored in dance and minored in Spanish and anthropology. In 2019, she attended the Summer Publishing Institute at New York University and fell in love with the idea of helping books come to life.

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To learn as much about the world of publishing as possible, Lydia has worked at a local lifestyle magazine, interned as a reader at a literary agency, interned in the grants department at a non-profit publisher, and worked as a volunteer and as a page in her local library system, all of which have given her great insight into the industry. 

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Her publicity clients have been featured in national and international media such as Authority Magazine, Newsweek, AskMen, Well + Good, Toronto Guardian, BuiltIn, and FOX.

 

Lydia lives in the beautiful PNW and enjoys walks in the woods, practicing yoga, baking treats to match with books for her bookstagram account, and putting silly hats on her cat, Tato. Her favorite genres to read are YA fantasy, rom-coms, historical fiction, and personal development.

Resume

Education

New York University | New York, NY

July 2019

Graduate Certificate Program: Summer Publishing Institute

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Writer's Digest University | Online

March 2018

Copyediting Certificate

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Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA

March 2015

BA in dance, Minors in Anthropology and Spanish

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Professional Experience

PR Coordinator | Smith Publicity, Inc.

Remote 

PR Coordinator | Jan 2024 - Present

  • Pitch print, online, and broadcast media outlets

  • Create media guides, publicity reports, and end of campaign reports

  • Coordinate interviews and article submissions between authors and media

  • Audit clients' LinkedIn and social media pages for better optimization

  • Attend client meetings

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Intern | Mar 2023 - Jan 2024

  • Researched media outlets and reporters

  • Wrote pitches and created media guides

  • Updated publicity reports and created end of campaign reports

  • Researched book awards

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Freelance Social Media Manager

Remote | Apr 2022 - Jan 2023​

  • Create content for Instagram and Facebook

  • Engage with prospective and current followers daily

  • Reach out to podcasts, magazines, and others for interviews

  • Run book giveaway contests to promote author visibility

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Freelance Editor 

Remote | Apr 2021 - Present​

  • Proofreading, copyediting, and developmental editing

  • Freelancer through Village Books Independent Publishing Press

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Intern | Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency

Remote | Apr 2022 - Aug 2022

  • Monitored inbox for incoming manuscripts and read queries

  • Read manuscripts and wrote reader reports and editorial notes

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Assistant | The Bowl Maker

Acme, Washington | Sept 2021 - Feb 2022

  • Packaged materials

  • Maintained website and website page creation

  • Managed invoices

 

Development Intern | Red Hen Press

Remote | Oct 2020 - Feb 2021

  • Drafted, proofread, and submitted grant proposals and LOIs

  • Researched new potential sources of funding daily

  • Maintained and updated development databases daily

  • Researched and contacted nonprofit presses for a cohort study

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Page | Whatcom County Library System

Lynden, WA | Dec 2019 - Feb 2021

  • Processed and shelved materials

  • Assisted patrons, answered phones, and scheduled curbside pickups

  • Member of Diversity Advisory Committee

 

Marketing Assistant | K & L Media, Inc.

Bellingham, WA 

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Marketing Assistant | Sept 2018 - May 2019

  • Managed website, social media platforms, and subscriptions

  • Proofread Bellingham Alive! Magazine pre-publication monthly

  • Wrote email campaigns, events newsletter, blog posts, app reviews

  • Prepared for events: set up/take down, filled and distributed swag bags

  • Supervised interns

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Marketing Intern | Jul 2018 – Aug 2018

  • Wrote events newsletter and blog post

  • Managed websites and social media platforms

 

Dance Instructor | Private Contractor

Whatcom County, WA | May 2011 - Mar 2020

  • Instructor at Opus, summer camps, YMCA, NBT, Cedar Tree Montessori

  • Organized classes, events, costumes, payments
     

Receptionist | Premier Agendas

Bellingham, WA | Apr 2017-Sep 2017 and May 2015-Sep 2015

  • Directed incoming calls on multi-line telephone system

  • Prepared packages for prompt shipment

  • Updated client accounts and processed payments

 

Volunteer Experience

  • Alicia Rule Campaign | July 2020 - November 2020

  • Whatcom County Library System | February 2018 - September 2019

  • International Outreach Initiative | October 2017 - November 2017

  • Foothills Food Bank | July 2016 - January 2018

  • World Dance Project | February 2015 - November 2015

Skills

  • Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition

  • Conversational Spanish

  • Social media management

  • Marketing

  • Research

  • Time management

  • Entertainment and events coordinating

  • Project managing

  • Ability to learn and apply new information quickly

Technical Skills

  • Publicity: Cision, Sales Force, Qwoted, Rephonic

  • Content Editing: WordPress, Weebly, Shopify, and Wix website editing; Canva; Issuu; Canva, basic understanding of Adobe Photoshop and InDesign

  • Social Media Platforms: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn

  • Marketing Platforms: Mailchimp, Zoho, Event Brite, Pagemodo, Wishpond

  • Productivity Software: Microsoft Office Suite, Outlook, Google Suite, Zoom, Slack

  • WPM: 60

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