You have a website. I don't see one for most editors. Why is that?
I freelanced on my own for many years, after getting laid off during the Great Recession. That meant I was competing for freelance editing opportunities with other really great people. I found having a personal website that showcased the books I worked on and explained the services I offered to be really helpful in getting clients.
Though I'm not a freelancer anymore, I've kept the website active because it’s common for writers, agents, peers, and people curious about the book publishing industry to google me ahead of meeting or speaking with me. This website gives them some introductory information. I like meeting people and not having to begin exactly at square one. It creates a nice feeling of warmth and familiarity without getting weird.
What does an editor do? Is it reading all day?
No, I don't read all day, but I usually read for chunks of it. That includes submissions that are coming in from literary agents, things my authors have written and want my feedback on, and all sorts of documents that my colleagues and I work on in-house.
At the root of it, my job consists of three primary responsibilities: I acquire books, I edit books, and I help publish books. Each step requires a bunch of other steps. But boiled down, acquisitions, editing and publishing is what I do every day.
Also emails and meetings. Lots of those.
Can you say more about the three primary responsibilities of your job?
Sure. The acquisitions process usually involves a literary agent, who represents a book that an author is trying to sell. If I’m interested in the book, the literary agent arranges my initial meeting with the author, sets the guidelines for any offer I want to make, and negotiates the contractual terms if my offer is accepted. The acquisitions process can be intense and competitive. Editors can lose themselves in the intensity and competition if we're not careful.
The editing process is the part most familiar to people. When my author finishes writing their manuscript, they send it to me. I read it and send my thoughts, in the form of an editorial letter and line edit. My goal is to get the very best book out of them that I can. For an early draft of a manuscript where my author is still sorting the book out, I might only send developmental notes via an editorial letter. If the manuscript is developmentally sound and already organized and flowing well, I might simultaneously offer line edits. It's common, however, for me to do a couple rounds of only developmental work on early drafts. Then something clicks for my author, the next draft is a huge leap forward from previous ones, and then I begin line editing. It really depends on how much work the manuscript needs and how game my author is to be in the editorial trenches with me. Sometimes I only do one edit on a manuscript. Sometimes I do four or five. I think my record is eight? In any case, I do all the editing myself and try to be the best reader for the book that I can be. As I'm reading, I keep in mind three things: 1) my author's biggest intentions; 2) how close the manuscript in front of me is to what I actually signed up; and 3) satisfying the readership we're targeting. I keep these things front of mind because 1) I want my author to be happy and to feel they've accomplished what they set out to accomplish; 2) I want to deliver to the publishing house the book I said I would; and 3) I want as many people as possible to read and engage with my author's work. Making all of this happen is a tall order but it's my attempt each time.
The publishing process is the hardest part of my job to understand and takes the longest to become truly excellent at. In short: I set my books up for everybody else to work on in-house. In long: once a manuscript is ready, I hand it over to my colleagues in the Managing Editorial, Production, Art, Design, Marketing, Publicity, Subrights, Sales, Finance, and Legal departments. Collectively, these good folks work diligently to turn manuscripts into hardcover/paperback books, audiobooks, and e-books that regular people out in the regular world will hear great things about, want to read and purchase, and be able to purchase easily and lawfully. Each person working on a book is very important. Think of it like how each instrument in an orchestra is really important. You need the horns as much as you need the woodwinds as much as you need percussion and strings. Every sound matters and affects how you hear the music. The way I see it, as editor on a book, I’m not one of the instrumentalists. I’m the conductor. The music I’m leading my team to play is the book the author has written. I set my books up so that everybody working on them can play their parts with as much ease, creativity, and success as possible. We try to have a little fun while we’re at it.
The publishing process typically takes about a year, from when the manuscript is final and ready for my colleagues to receive it, to when it's on sale. I spend that time making sure everybody working on a book has what they need to do their jobs at a high level. And I make sure we're all talking about the book in the same way, and with the same energy and understanding. I don't want folks hype about a book they can't discuss with fluency and confidence. And I don't want folks discussing a book perfectly well but in a way that doesn't sell it. So for the year or so that the house is working behind the scenes to prepare a book for publication, I am using every professional soft skill imaginable to position my books as ones worthy of a lot of attention. If I sense attention diverting or any kind of misalignment, I step in immediately. In my opinion, this part of my job is the most critical and consequential. It's what distinguishes good editors from great editors and great editors from the legends. It's emotional intelligence, finesse, having a game plan, having stamina, knowing when to cheerlead ... and when to correct. To be clear, you can’t exercise any of these qualities meaningfully without an amazing manuscript. It's just that the top editors know exactly what to do when they have a manuscript like that. They know how to conduct the orchestra.
Acquisitions. Editing. Publishing. Basically that's my job.
Any fun acquisitions stories?
Yes, but none I’m writing about here! What I will say is that my favorite part of acquisitions is my first meeting with the author. If I’ve asked for the meeting, it’s because I’m interested in what the author has written. But the meeting is where I get to probe the thinking behind their work, ask editorial-y questions, and try to see what they’re like as people. Sometimes I like the work more than the author. Or vice versa. I’ve learned only to offer when authors and their work make me want to advocate for them with my full energy for two to three years. I know what my advocacy means. I know the energy and levels of focus, translation, and exhaustion it requires. And I know that I'm going to do all that. If I sense that an author sees me more as a utility and less as a partner, I step aside. My favorite first meetings have been when authors are in full command of the subjects and ideas they're writing about, they show enthusiasm in discussing it, and they clearly want to be in cahoots with me. After all, publishing a book well can feel a lot like pulling off an elaborate heist. I am a co-conspirator.
Any fun editing stories?
The editing is fun only when we get to the end and know we’ve knocked it out of the park. Every step up until then is usually hard work. On particularly thorny books, I can get an “Are we there yet?” feeling. But we’re not there till we’re there. And the author and I have to work till we know we’re there. I don’t put a manuscript into production if I think it’s not ready. Authors are not always happy about this, if I’m being honest. No regrets, though. A better book cures exhaustion – for the author and for me.
Any fun publishing stories?
Oh yes! Publishing is fun! When the whole house gets behind a book and we’re all rowing in the same direction at the same tempo and everybody is just … in? Feels like magic. I am working for that feeling every time.
One of my favorite publishing stories is Brian Broome’s memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods. From the moment I received the submission, this book had a little-engine-that-could vibe. I was able to acquire it, and then Brian and I did a few rounds of editing. Once I put the manuscript into production, the book gained steam in-house, week over week. It was during the pandemic. The publishing house was up for sale. So much was going on. But this book just kept finding converts among my colleagues, despite everything happening around us. It was a fortifying and validating experience when the book was widely lauded and then won the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. I cried like a big ole' baby in my mama's car, watching the virtual ceremony on my cell phone.
Another favorite publishing story is Alua Arthur's Briefly Perfectly Human. I acquired this book during a tricky transition period, and it was a shock to others that my publishing imprint won the auction. We ran with it and didn't look back! I talked about this book to anybody would who listen for about two years. Then the manuscript was ready. Folks read it. Immediate rowing in the same direction at the same tempo. Sweet bliss! When it hit the bestseller list, I was ecstatic. We all were. The team worked incredibly hard. So much thoughtful work. And Alua Arthur is deserving of all her book's success.
I’m in the middle of a few exciting and fun publishing stories right now. Can’t talk about ‘em too much yet. (Though if you peep what I’ve got coming down the pipeline, you can probably guess what they are.)
Why’d you get into publishing? How'd you get started?
I love books, storytelling and culture stuff. Once I realized there was a job that would let me tackle all three at once, it was too alluring not to try.
I took the Columbia Publishing Course the year after I graduated college and had two job offers at the end of it. The job offer I accepted was as a rotational associate at HarperCollins. It was geared for new graduates who maybe had some internship experience but hadn't had their first full-time publishing job yet. In the rotational associate role, I floated across departments to fill in for assistants who were on vacation or to help senior managers with special projects. It was a good way to learn what each department did and how they all worked together. I remember the phones ringing in Publicity a lot. Publicists wore headsets to handle all the calls. Marketing was a great balance of art and commerce. I seriously considered going into Marketing. Sales was lots of spreadsheets. I don't remember why exactly, but I was a little nervous about being in Sales. (Maybe it was the spreadsheets?) Then I rotated to Editorial and got to sit in my first editorial meeting. Right away I knew I'd found my people. It was exactly what I wanted to do. So I let my supervisor know that Editorial was the department I hoped to land in, and I kept on rotating to other departments in the meantime. When an editorial assistant job opened up after three or four months, I moved to that job. From there, it has been a slow climb across many different publishers over two-plus decades.
Any advice for someone wanting to get their book published?
Writers write. Make sure you’re writing.
Wherever you live, seek out other writers. It’s important to have community.
Get a subscription (or at least someone else's login info) to Publishers Marketplace. It'll help you get to know which literary agents and editors work in genres most similar to your work. And you can follow industry news.
Be patient. Fast doesn't mean good.
If you receive multiple offers, really investigate the publishing teams and their track records. You want the best fit, not just the most money.
Don't worry so much about social media. It's fickle, unpredictable, and probably a time-suck for you.
Any advice for someone wanting to break into the publishing industry?
For the love of all that is holy, keep company with people who know more than you. Your immediate peers are valuable, but experts will know more and will tell you hard truths. Seek out mentors. In your quest, don’t be fixated on fancy job titles. Scope out what other people actually know. When you come across someone who knows more than you and is generous with their knowledge, ask questions and initiate conversations that show your interests and curiosity. See how you can help them and share your knowledge, too. That's how you'll develop a real mentor-mentee relationship. I think some people view mentors as contacts they rely on when they want a new job, a favor or a sympathetic ear. It has to be more than that. With a mentor, you don’t only receive. You give.
I’d also encourage folks to look beyond Editorial. I love what I do, and it's the right fit for me. But there are lots of ways to contribute.