Literary Agents, Book Editors, and You: Who Really Does the Editing?
BY LISA SILVERMAN
If you’re an aspiring novelist, two major obstacles exist on the path to glory. First, finding a literary agent. Second, with the help of that agent, finding an acquiring editor at a publishing house to sign you to a book contract. One is the seller, the other the buyer, but you’d be surprised at how thin the line has grown between the two.
As in many industries, the major book imprints/publishers have become increasingly consolidated in the hands of a few large international corporations: HarperCollins is owned by News Corp., Random House by Bertelsmann, Simon & Schuster by Viacom, etc. Decisions about whether or not to acquire manuscripts are at the discretion more of “money†departments such as sales and marketing than of the editors, especially those not high on the totem pole. And if they have to sell the “money people†on a project, editors are forced to think in bottom-line terms more and more.
How does this affect the process of polishing and selling your manuscript? The current climate makes it difficult for debut novelists to break in — after all, novels are always a gamble. Publishers can’t estimate a novel’s audience as they can for a nonfiction book. So they’re rarely willing to invest much advance time or money. Editing takes time. Translation: If your manuscript needs much editing, if any, it’s not likely to sell.
For this reason, agents who represent fiction need to make certain a manuscript is in tip-top shape before submitting it to an editor at a publishing house. Sadly, many agents have given up on fiction entirely, but heroes still exist who are dedicated to representing new novelists — ironically, many are former editors looking for the close relationships with writers now enjoyed more often by agents. Such agents must be committed to working with writing clients to perfect their manuscripts.
Of course, agents need to make a living, too, and since they get paid only on commission, they need to concentrate on selling. Translation: If your manuscript needs much editing, many agents won’t take it on.
The bottom line is that you can’t just get to the last page of your manuscript and decide it’s ready to show the world, expecting the agent who represents it or the publisher who buys it to do any necessary editing. You need to rewrite, edit, polish, get feedback. You usually get only one chance to sell an agent or an editor on your manuscript. So make the most of that one chance by making the most of your writing first.
Lisa Silverman is a freelance book editor and works in the copyediting department at one of New York’s most prestigious literary publishing houses. She has also worked as a ghostwriter and a literary agent representing both book authors and screenwriters. She founded Be Your Own Editor in order to provide writers with free advice on both writing and the publishing business.
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