• About
  • Cats Dig Hemingway
  • Guest Bookings
  • John King’s Publications
  • Literary Memes
  • Podcast Episode Guide
  • Store!
  • The Rogue’s Guide to Shakespeare on Film
  • Videos
  • Writing Craft Discussions

The Drunken Odyssey

~ A Podcast About the Writing Life

The Drunken Odyssey

Category Archives: Editing

Pensive Prowler #19: A Life in the Day of an Editor

21 Monday May 2018

Posted by thedrunkenodyssey in Editing, Pensive Prowler

≈ 1 Comment

Pensive Prowler #19 by Dmetri Kakmi

A Life in the Day of an Editor 

When I’m not being a writer, I am disguised as a mild mannered freelance editor, complete with spectacles, and I do what all editors must do to earn a buck. Prostitute myself. That’s to say, I sell myself to publishers and authors who wish to use and abuse my services.

Editing is a complex, multi-faceted task. It’s a responsible position, not to be taken lightly. You are after all facilitating the process by which an author brings a book into the world; and thereby creating literature, the life blood of a nation. In a way, putting yourself forward to do the job is hubris. You’re tempting the gods. You’re saying you know better how to fix this and how to correct that. It takes a special kind of extravert-introvert to display that kind of guts. You work long hours for paltry pay and little thanks.

Yet there is no book without the editor. Just like there is no manuscript without the author. While working together, the editor becomes an extension of the author, representing his or her interests to the publisher, and sometimes even acting as therapist and punching bag. During this time, they are the best and worst friends, conjoined for a time and ripped apart at the end. Though enduring professional relationships can develop.

 Still, people ask: What does an editor actually do?

Where to begin?

Without going to too much detail, the first thing an editor does is read the manuscript and form an intelligent opinion about it. This stage is called structural editing. You look at what works and what doesn’t work. Locate strengths and weaknesses. Character development, themes, story logic and coherence, that sort of thing. Is the structure strong or is it going to topple half way through?

Along the way, you ask yourself myriad questions. Is it interesting? Do I care about the story, the characters? Is the writing engaging? How can we build on various aspects? Sometimes you read the manuscript two or three times before you get a proper handle on it.

When you’re done, you present the author with a carefully worded manuscript assessment. And hope they don’t hang themselves when they read it. Why? Because no matter how famous or experienced they are, a first draft is never perfect. It is never ready to be copy edited. It’s the beginning of the road, not the end. You need many drafts before that can happen. Sometimes three or four. Sometimes ten. Depends on the author’s expertise, patience and pulling power.

This is the most rewarding and most tortuous part of the process for the author. It’s the part I enjoy most as an editor, watching the layers build. Few authors see it that way. It’s hell for many, like pulling teeth without anaesthetic. In fact, this is the stage where a story comes together and develops subtleties and nuances. It’s the slow percolating phase. That’s why it’s wise not to rush. Take your time, I tell the author. Don’t hurry. Despite tight schedules and their desire to be rid of the project and move on to new pastures.

A lot of hand-holding is done at this stage.

Let’s skip forward and pretend the necessary drafts have been completed. Everyone is happy and the manuscript is ready to be copy edited. This is the part I like least. But it must be done. To coin a metaphor, making a book is like fashioning a beautiful garment, the most perfect scintillating object in creation, and now you must sew on the precious pearl buttons or the invisible zipper that will seal the shimmering perfection over the corpus. It must be done or else the garment will not hang properly.

In aid of this, you diligently check for typos, punctuation, grammar, inconsistencies etc. You tighten sentences, make them more eloquent, more precise… And then you have to pass it by the author who may or may not like what you’ve done. This is acceptable. That isn’t. Leave as is. When it’s gone through the approval phase, you proofread the first pages to make sure the typesetter has taken in all the edits exactly as you wish. Sometimes you may have to go to two or three sets of page proofs before everything is to your satisfaction, by which stage you’re ready to poke out your eyes with a fork. Or take up pole dancing, which is more profitable.

Behind the scenes, you’ve been quietly working with a designer who is coming up with cover concepts. The author is consulted during this process but they rarely have final say. Unless they’re incredibly famous and powerful. Or if they’re working with small publishers, who tend to be more inclusive. Sales and marketing carry most weight in big publishing houses. Even the editor can be sidelined during this process, and I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut at cover meetings. Idiotic decisions can be made by people who have not read the manuscript. When a cover is approved, the editor, whether he likes it or not, emails a jpeg to the author with the following caveat. “We love this cover and hope you like it too.” Meaning you better like it, ‘cause this is it, baby.

Sometimes all hell breaks loose, sometimes a few jiggles are required to pass it through the eye of the needle. Then it’s time to send the whole lot to the printer. Months later, while you’re working on nine or ten other books, an advance copy hits your desk and you jubilantly cry, “My baby is here,” having forgotten the agony you went through to deliver this one.

That’s it really. Nothing to it. Probably explains why even the stationary boy gets more money than an editor. Or why the State Library of Victoria can advertise the position of journal editor and unashamedly say it’s a voluntary appointment; no remuneration.

But that’s another story…


dmetri-kakmi

Dmetri Kakmi (Episode 158) is a writer and editor based in Melbourne, Australia. The memoir Mother Land was shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards in Australia; and is published in England and Turkey. His essays and short stories appear in anthologies and journals. You can find out more about him here.

Episode 279: Leslie Salas!

23 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by thedrunkenodyssey in Craft of Fiction Writing, Creative Nonfiction, Editing, Episode, Flash Fiction

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bethany Duvall, Burrow Press, David James Poissant, Denver Publishing Institute, leslie salas, Libretto of the Damned, Madison Strake Bernath, Other Orlandos, Ryan Rivas

Episode 279 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

On this week’s show, I talk editing and publishing and writing and the post-MFA malaise with Leslie Salas.

Leslie Salas

TEXTS DISCUSSED

Other Orlandos

15 Views of Orlando

15 views 2

 

NOTES

Leslie Salas currently blogs for The Gloria Sirens, and is an editor at Sweet.


Episode 279 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

Online, shop here:

If you must, shop Amazon and help the show.

Audible.com

Blogs

Not forgotten

Categories

  • 21st Century Bronte
  • A Word from the King
  • Aesthetic Drift
  • animation
  • Anime
  • Art
  • Autobiography
  • AWP
  • Biography
  • Blog Post
  • Bloomsday
  • Buddhism
  • Buzzed Books
  • Cheryl Strayed
  • Children's Literature
  • Christmas
  • Christmas literature
  • Comedy
  • Comic Books
  • Comics Are Trying to Break Your Heart
  • Craft of Fiction Writing
  • Creative Nonfiction
  • David Foster Wallace
  • David James Poissant
  • David Lynch
  • David Sedaris
  • Disney
  • Dispatches from the Funkstown Clarion
  • Doctor Who
  • Drinking
  • Dungeons and Dragons
  • Editing
  • Education
  • Episode
  • Erotic Literature
  • Essay
  • Fan Fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Film
  • Flash Fiction
  • Florida Literature
  • Francesca Lia Block
  • Functionally Literate
  • Ghost writing
  • Graphic Novels
  • Gutter Space
  • Help me!
  • Heroes Never Rust
  • History
  • Horror
  • Humor
  • Hunter S. Thompson
  • In Boozo Veritas
  • Irish Literature
  • Jack Kerouac
  • James Bond
  • James Joyce
  • Jazz
  • Journalism
  • Kerouac House
  • Kung Fu
  • Like a Geek God
  • Literary Magazines
  • Literary Prizes
  • Literary rizes
  • Literature of Florida
  • Litlando
  • Live Show
  • Loading the Canon
  • Loose Lips Reading Series
  • Lost Chords & Serenades Divine
  • Magic Realism
  • Mailbag
  • manga
  • McMillan's Codex
  • Memoir
  • Miami Book Fair
  • Michael Caine
  • Military Literature
  • Mixtape
  • Music
  • New York City
  • O, Miami
  • Old Poem Revue
  • On Top of It
  • Pensive Prowler
  • Philosophy
  • Photography
  • Poetry
  • politics
  • Postmodernism
  • Publishing
  • Recommendation
  • Repeal Day
  • Science Fiction
  • Screenwriting
  • Sexuality
  • Shakespeare
  • Shakespearing
  • Sozzled Scribbler
  • Sports
  • Star Wars
  • Television
  • The Bible
  • The Curator of Schlock
  • The Global Barfly's Companion
  • The Lists
  • The Perfect Life
  • The Pink Fire Revue
  • The Rogue's Guide to Shakespeare on Film
  • Theater
  • There Will Be Words
  • translation
  • Travel Writing
  • Vanessa Blakeslee
  • Versify
  • Video Games
  • Violence
  • Virginia Woolf
  • War
  • Word From the King
  • Young Adult
  • Your Next Beach Read
  • Zombies

Recent Posts

  • Comics Are Trying to Break Your Heart #118: Swamps & Things
  • Episode 467: Ciara Shuttleworth!
  • The Curator of Schlock #349: Greyhound
  • Aesthetic Drift #29: Chewing on the Words of Miami’s Incarcerated
  • Lost Chords & Serenades Divine #20: Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain (2020)

Archives

  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×