Independent Publishing Professional
San Francisco Bay Area
- Current
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- Director of Publishing at Asian Art Museum
- Writing and Translation at Christensen Literary Services (Sole Proprietorship)
- Past
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- Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief at Mercury House
- Senior Publishing Specialist at ComputerLand Corporation
- Senior Editor at North Point Press
- Education
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- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Connections
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55
connections
- Industry
- Publishing
- Websites
Thomas Christensen’s Summary
All aspects of print and electronic publishing, from writing and editing through image work, design, typesetting, and final publication.
Thomas Christensen’s Experience
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Director of Publishing
Asian Art Museum
(Museums and Institutions industry)
1999 — Present (10 years )
At the Asian Art Museum I produce or oversee the production of a wide variety of publications, including object labels, text panels, books, brochures, magazines, and other educational, promotional, and development materials. I also write magazine articles and a variety of other copy, as well as manage the museum’s website. At the Asian I have reduced expenses by bringing work in-house that was formerly out-sourced, and I have strengthened the editorial content and production values of our publications. Of 25 AAM books actively sold and featured on the museum's website, 18 were produced during my tenure at the museum.
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Writing and Translation
Christensen Literary Services (Sole Proprietorship)
(Sole Proprietorship; Writing and Editing industry)
1988 — Present (21 years )
As author, editor, or translator, I have published some eighteen books, most recently New World / New Words: Recent Writing from the Americas, A Bilingual Anthology (University of Washington Press). Other titles include the best-seller Like Water for Chocolate (as co-translator); a companion book to a PBS series, The U.S.–Mexican War; an anthology, The Discovery of America and Other Myths; new editions of neglected literary classics with my introductions; and translations of works by Alejo Carpentier, L-F Céline, Julio Cortázar, Carlos Fuentes, and others. My work has also appeared in magazines (Playboy, Omni, Harper’s, etc.), newspapers (San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, etc.), and reviews and journals (TriQuarterly, ZYZZYVA, Parabola, ComputerLand Magazine, etc.). My original writing has been translated into several languages. I have been associated with three New York Times national best-sellers.
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Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief
Mercury House
(Publishing industry)
1990 — 1999 (9 years )
As executive director and editor-in-chief of Mercury House I was responsible for acquiring twelve to twenty books a year and overseeing all the staff and all the operations of the press. During my tenure at Mercury House we more than doubled average titles sales, improved production values, improved editorial focus and quality, greatly increased publicity and press recognition, reduced acquisition costs, dramatically improved backlist performance, and substantially reduced the cost of book production. Awards included a Publishers Weekly “Best Nonfiction Book of the Year” and a Carey Thomas Award nomination for innovation in publishing.
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Senior Publishing Specialist
ComputerLand Corporation
(Publishing industry)
1988 — 1990 (2 years )
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Senior Editor
North Point Press
(Publishing industry)
1980 — 1988 (8 years )
Thomas Christensen’s Education
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
BA, MA, ABD ,
