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How
to Become a Book Editor
Perhaps the best
way to get ready for the job you’ll soon have is to
understand what an editor’s life is like on a daily
basis. So without further ado, here’s the scoop:
The
beauty of this job is that there is no typical day.
In acquisitions, one day could be spent reading
proposals, another day in meetings, another day with the
office door closed and an editing pencil in hand. (This
last scenario is unlikely.)
Some
days your head will spin because you haven’t sat at
your desk long enough to answer last night’s email,
let alone drink a cup of coffee before your (and your
boss’s) phone starts ringing. Most days are scattered
— a meeting here, a phone call there, running around
for cover art for a while, chasing down a proposal from
an agent — and the day is over while you’re still on
page 1 of the proposal you need to have read by the
end of the week.
A
Copyeditor’s Work
As
a copyeditor, your days will be scattered as well, but
most likely in a quieter sort of way. You could spend
an entire morning doing a global “find and replace”
on an author’s manuscript where a supporting character’s
name was changed halfway through the book.
You
will have regular scheduling meetings to make sure that
books stay on track, that authors aren’t holding projects
up on their end, that the typesetters know when to expect
the manuscripts to be delivered, and so forth. As an
assistant, you’ll likely be taking notes for your boss
and/or the managing editor.
Production
schedules are the bottom line in book publishing
(well, to everyone but the publisher, that is — his
or her bottom line is a dollar sign). A schedule is
built backwards from a book’s publication date to allow
plenty of time for copyediting, typesetting, design,
and proofreading. A book goes through more than one
“pass” (whereby a manuscript is copyedited then returned
to an author with queries for him or her to answer),
so if one stage in the schedule slips, the entire schedule
often needs to be re-created. With several books at
different stages, you can see how there’s a lot for
you to keep straight! ...
The
great majority of your actual editorial work will be
done either on your commute or at home — I cannot emphasize
this enough. But this variety of tasks is what makes
the job so challenging and enjoyable. As my first boss
and mentor used to tell me often, there’s never a
dull moment.
An
Acquisition Editor’s Work
The
primary function of the acquisitions editor’s job is
acquiring new projects, but it takes more than a quick
snap of the fingers to make that happen. There are proposals
to read, agents to wine and dine, publishers to convince
of a project’s merit, contracts to negotiate…and that’s
for every new book you sign up.
And
let’s not forget about the books you’ve already bought
that are at various stages of production: There are
chapters to be edited, cover art to be selected, authors
to be soothed, and marketing tasks to be handled. ...
And
still another part of the job that has nothing to do
with projects you’ve already acquired or proposals you’re
considering: development. As an editor, you’re
constantly developing ideas yourself. How? By reading
and listening. Good editors have a sense about what
will work as a book and what won’t. They have a sense
of who will be a credible author and who won’t (for
non-fiction books).
As
an editorial assistant, do the reading. Talk to people.
Offer suggestions to your boss. I don’t mean saying,
“Maybe we should do a book about X.”
Rather,
do some research and go into your boss and say, “Have
you considered how a book on X might be received? I’ve
read about X recently in A, B, and C publications, and
Y name keeps coming up. Perhaps we could contact him
about writing a book on X.” Even if your boss doesn’t
go for the idea, your boss will certainly be impressed
with your efforts. Best-case scenario? You just got
an attempt at your first acquisition.
This article is an excerpt from
the fabjob.com How to Become a Book Editor. Visit www.fabjob.com
for information.
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