As Peter Ginna writes in his 2017 book, What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing, there are three main phases of editing. First is acquisition—finding new works to champion, as well as promising writers. Next is text development, what most people most associate with an “editor.” Here, the manuscript undergoes a series of edits (conceptual editing/developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, and proofreading). The last phase is publication—taking the finished product and putting it out in the marketplace for readers to read. This section will focus on the first two steps: acquisition and text development.
Acquisition and the Relationship Between Editor, Author, and Agent
Acquisitions are important to publishing houses as they determine their identity and success. Some houses produce commercial and genre fiction, while others produce high-quality literary fiction or cookbooks. Usually, editors are out of the office looking for the next big thing, whether it be reading literary magazines, meeting with agents, attending readings and conferences, visiting MFA writing programs, or, more recently, searching social media. One important thing to note is that, unlike most fiction projects, nonfiction projects usually start as proposals, a complete summary of a book an author is looking to pitch with an agent. Although the entire book hasn’t been written yet, it’s in the earlier stages where an editor (usually one who specializes in the topic) can tailor the needs of the book.
In What Editors Do, CEO of Simon and Schuster, Jonathan Karp writes that, out of his twelve rules for trade editors, rule #1 is “Love it.” If an editor simply does not “love” the project or proposal, then it would make the entire editorial process harder. How can an editor make the case to the rest of their house and to their readers if they are simply not invested in the project they are undertaking?
Once they meet with an author and their agent (rarely do unagented manuscripts get considered; unsolicited works usually work their way to the ‘slush’ pile), then the editor must decide what it’s worth—every acquisition is a financial investment.
Editors then have the grand task of grappling with a list of questions and considerations: How many copies of this book can we sell? At what price? Who is the audience for this book? Is it a small, niche audience or a “general” reader, whatever that means? What are some comparative titles that this book could use to make an argument for its financial case? What can we, as a publishing house, gain from publishing this title?
Once everything has been considered and the editor is intent on taking on this project, then contracts and advances are negotiated. If the author has submitted their manuscript/proposal to other houses simultaneously, then those houses will offer their best bid on it. (If hotly contested, then not only do these auctions make the news, but they also result in multimillion-dollar contracts.)
During this process, the editor must sell, too. They must sell the project to their colleagues—get the rest of the house eager to involve themselves in publishing this title. They must also sell to the author—that their house is the best place for them to publish their writing.
Once the contract is signed, a timeline has been established, and the check goes out to the author, the book has been acquired!
Text Development: The Red Pencil
Once the editor has received the author’s first-draft manuscript, the two begin discussions on big-picture matters. This is developmental editing, sometimes known as conceptual editing. Here, the first draft, as with all first drafts, is rough. In this stage, editors look at structure, focus, pacing, plotting, characters, gaps in the narrative, continuity errors, creating subplots, excising extraneous material, and making the book more cohesive. During this stage, the editor may also want to work on the book’s title and subtitle. Developmental editing is difficult. To be a good editor, one must know what makes a good book good. Unfortunately, no one exactly knows. But there are ideas.
Next is line editing, otherwise known as content editing. Line editing addresses a smaller range of edits compared to developmental edits, but is larger than copyediting. The line editor looks at syntax, the rearranging of sentences and words, taking note of transitions that need work, suggesting omissions, and asking an author to clarify where it needs clarification. Despite these edits and suggestions, ultimately, the author makes the final call. It is imperative that the line editor and the subsequent editors must respect the author’s voice.
During this stage, the editor must also assess if the manuscript needs legal vetting. Is there any material that’s particularly libelous? Would certain sections (or the whole book itself) defame real-life individuals? Typically, before transmittal, an in-house lawyer will check the manuscript.
After the line edits and legal vetting, the manuscript is turned into a transmittal—it is transmitted from the acquiring editor to the editorial production department. The transmittal itself contains all the material so far, as well as front matter (title page, copyright page, contents page, epigraph/dedication), back matter (bibliography, notes, or appendices), and an art log that contains all the images/artwork that will be used. At this stage, the editor hands over the manuscript to the managing editor, who will take it through the copyediting, proofreading, and galley setting phases.
The transmittal is now in the hands of the managing editor, who hands it over to the editorial production department for copyediting. Copyediting addresses spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Copyeditors can also suggest line edits. Typically, this is the last stage where the author can directly make changes to their writing.
Once everything has been edited to completion, the copyeditor then sends the finalized edits to a compositor/typesetter who will produce the first round of typeset page proofs, otherwise known as pass pages or galleys. The editor is reintroduced to the process and is given this galley. The author also receives a galley. The two review the proof in its entirety and mark up any corrections, taking note of any typographical or typesetting issues (widows and orphans, awkward line breaks). After these edits, it is then sent once again to the compositor so they can generate a second pass. Typically, during this stage, bound galleys or advanced reading copies (ARCs) are sent to people the editor and author think would provide a good review or blurb/praise for the book. It’s also sent to booksellers to generate excitement. After a thorough review of the second pass, a third pass is usually enough for the text to be devoid of error. This third pass is then finally sent to a press to be put out onto shelves everywhere! The book has been published!
by Aleander Santos