Latinx in Publishing (LxP): What do you do?
Desiree Rodriguez (DR): I'm an editor with Oni Press, editing single issue and graphic novel titles. I also worked on Lion Forge's Catalyst Prime imprint previously managing and editing the line. I also write short stories - both prose and comics - currently.
LxP: How did you get started?
DR: I started off as an assistant at Lion Forge under Joe Illidge for the Catalyst Prime imprint about five years ago. Before that I wrote for comic and media websites writing articles and essays. The essay that got me my job was for Nerds of Color titled: Being Latinx in Comics.
LxP: What do you wish you knew before getting into the industry?
DR: How to talk to people, networking is a really important skill to have along with being able to articulate yourself in a meaningful way. You have to be able to put yourself out there in social situations to connect with creators and readers alike. Speaking on panels was very new to me and I know I rambled far too much when I first began my career.
LxP: What book are you currently working on or reading?
DR: I'm working on a couple graphic novels that haven't been announced yet but one is with the ChooseCo company, and another is with Jarrett Melendez. For reading, I just finished Faraway Wanderers by Priest and started two new books C.B. Lee’s A Clash of Steel and Bethany C. Morrow’s So Many Beginnings.
Desiree Rodriguez is an Eisner award winning editor, writer and journalist having written stories for DC Comics and Power and Magic Press, and Haunt Publishing and essays for sites such as Women Write About Comics and Nerds of Color. Desiree is currently an Editor at Oni Press.
