What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing
Chicago: University of Chicago Press (2017), 310 pp.
Contains glossary pp. 275-290, bibliogr. pp. 291-297, index
Series: Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing
ISBN 978-0-226-29997-6
Signature commbox: 20-Books-E 2017
"[This book] gathers essays from twenty-seven leading figures in book publishing about their work. Representing both large houses and small, and encompassing trade, textbook, academic, and children's publishing, the contributors make the case for why editing remains a vital function to writers–and readers–everywhere. Ironically for an industry built on words, there has been a scarcity of written guidance on how to actually approach the work of editing. This book will serve as a compendium of professional advice and will be a resource both for those entering the profession (or already in it) and for those outside publishing who seek an understanding of it. It sheds light on how editors acquire books, what constitutes a strong author-editor relationship, and the editor's vital role at each stage of the publishing process–a role that extends far beyond marking up the author's text. This collection treats editing as both art and craft, and also as a career. It explores how editors balance passion against the economic realities of publishing." (Publisher description)
Introduction. The Three Phases of Editing, 1
PART I. ACQUISTION: FINDING THE BOOK
1 Where it all Begins / Peter Ginna, 17
2 The Alchemy of Acquisitions: Twelve Rules for Trade Editors / Jonathan Karp, 30
3 Thinking like a Scholarly Editor: The How and Why of Academic Publishing / Gregory M. Britton, 40
4 The Lords of Disciplines: Acquiring College Textbooks / Peter Coveney, 49
PART II. THE EDITING PROCESS: FROM PROPOSAL TO BOOK
5 The Book's Journey / Nancy S. Miller, 59
6 What Love's Got to Do with It: The Author– Editor Relationship / Betsy Lerner, 69
7 The Other Side of the Desk: What I Learned about Editing When I Became a Literary Agent / Susan Rabiner, 77
8 Open-Heart Surgery, Or Just Nip and Tuck? Developmental Editing / Scott Norton, 85
9 This Needs Just a Little Work: On Line Editing / George Witte, 96
10 Toward Accuracy, Clarity, and Consistency: What Copyeditors Do / Carol Fisher Saller, 106
PART III: PUBLICATION: BRINGING THE BOOK TO THE READER
11 The Flip Side of the Pizza: The Editor as Manager / Michael Pietsch, 119
12 Start Spreading the News: The Editor as Evangelist / Calvert D. Morgan Jr., 131
13 The Half-Open Door: Independent Publishing and Community / Jeff Shotts, 141
PART IV: FROM MYSTERY TO MEMOIIR: CATEGORIES AND CASE STUDIES
14 Listening to the Music: Editing Literary Fiction / Erika Goldman, 151
15 Dukes, Deaths, and Dragons: Editing Genre Fiction / Diana Gill, 159
16 Marginalia: On Editing General Nonfiction / Matt Weiland, 169
17 'Once Upon a Time' Lasts Forever: Editing Books for Children / Nancy Siscoe, 177
18 Lives that Matter: Editing Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir / Wendy Wolf, 187
19 Of Monographs and Magnum Opuses: Editing Works of Scholarship / Susan Ferber, 197
20 Reliable Sources: Reference Editing and Publishing / Anne Savarese, 205
21 The Pink Should be a Surprise: Creating Illustrated Books / Deb Aaronson, 213
PART V: PURSUING A PUBLISHING CAREER: VARIETIES OF EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE
22 Widening the Gates: Why Publishing Needs Diversity / Chris Jackson, 223
23 The Apprentice: On Being an Editorial Assistant / Katie Henderson Adams, 231
24 This Pencil for Hire: Making a Career as a Freelance Editor / Katharine O’Moore- Klopf, 238
25 The Self-Publisher as Self-Editor / Arielle Eckstut, David Henry Sterry, 248
26 A New Age of Discovery: The Editor’s Role in a Changing Publishing Industry / Jane Friedman, 256
Conclusion. As Time Goes By: The Past and Future of Editing, 269
PART I. ACQUISTION: FINDING THE BOOK
1 Where it all Begins / Peter Ginna, 17
2 The Alchemy of Acquisitions: Twelve Rules for Trade Editors / Jonathan Karp, 30
3 Thinking like a Scholarly Editor: The How and Why of Academic Publishing / Gregory M. Britton, 40
4 The Lords of Disciplines: Acquiring College Textbooks / Peter Coveney, 49
PART II. THE EDITING PROCESS: FROM PROPOSAL TO BOOK
5 The Book's Journey / Nancy S. Miller, 59
6 What Love's Got to Do with It: The Author– Editor Relationship / Betsy Lerner, 69
7 The Other Side of the Desk: What I Learned about Editing When I Became a Literary Agent / Susan Rabiner, 77
8 Open-Heart Surgery, Or Just Nip and Tuck? Developmental Editing / Scott Norton, 85
9 This Needs Just a Little Work: On Line Editing / George Witte, 96
10 Toward Accuracy, Clarity, and Consistency: What Copyeditors Do / Carol Fisher Saller, 106
PART III: PUBLICATION: BRINGING THE BOOK TO THE READER
11 The Flip Side of the Pizza: The Editor as Manager / Michael Pietsch, 119
12 Start Spreading the News: The Editor as Evangelist / Calvert D. Morgan Jr., 131
13 The Half-Open Door: Independent Publishing and Community / Jeff Shotts, 141
PART IV: FROM MYSTERY TO MEMOIIR: CATEGORIES AND CASE STUDIES
14 Listening to the Music: Editing Literary Fiction / Erika Goldman, 151
15 Dukes, Deaths, and Dragons: Editing Genre Fiction / Diana Gill, 159
16 Marginalia: On Editing General Nonfiction / Matt Weiland, 169
17 'Once Upon a Time' Lasts Forever: Editing Books for Children / Nancy Siscoe, 177
18 Lives that Matter: Editing Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir / Wendy Wolf, 187
19 Of Monographs and Magnum Opuses: Editing Works of Scholarship / Susan Ferber, 197
20 Reliable Sources: Reference Editing and Publishing / Anne Savarese, 205
21 The Pink Should be a Surprise: Creating Illustrated Books / Deb Aaronson, 213
PART V: PURSUING A PUBLISHING CAREER: VARIETIES OF EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE
22 Widening the Gates: Why Publishing Needs Diversity / Chris Jackson, 223
23 The Apprentice: On Being an Editorial Assistant / Katie Henderson Adams, 231
24 This Pencil for Hire: Making a Career as a Freelance Editor / Katharine O’Moore- Klopf, 238
25 The Self-Publisher as Self-Editor / Arielle Eckstut, David Henry Sterry, 248
26 A New Age of Discovery: The Editor’s Role in a Changing Publishing Industry / Jane Friedman, 256
Conclusion. As Time Goes By: The Past and Future of Editing, 269
