Karen Niemann has always been an editor, whether working for an advertising agency or working on her hobbies.
"I love reading. I love editing," she said. "It used to be that I edited as I typed on a typewriter or computer. If it didn't sound right to me, I could change it at that time. It's something I really enjoy doing."
So, when she became a proofreader at Eco Partners in 2001, she knew it was the right work for her. "I can notice anything, practically," she said.
Niemann's attention to detail is also important when she cares for her 1,000 orchids or is looking for candle-toppers to add to her collection. "I'm very finicky...I won't buy just any candle topper," she said.
"I've always been very meticulous...I can see right off if there are two spaces between a word and if the letters aren't the same size or if the type's changing. A part of that, too, is when I set up orchid displays. It's all about aesthetics, the flow of colors, heights and depths. [Editing] is a part of all the things I do."
Another thing Niemann does is participate in recycling. She takes correct recycling very seriously, and has learned about how important that is since proofreading Trash Talk! and One Person's Trash.
"There's no place to put things anymore. It's not healthy for the environment and it's such a small thing to ask of people to clean their reusable things and make sure they can be reused," she said. "It's so simple. [It's] important to future generations that we stop dumping all this stuff and burying it in the earth."
