What does an editorial intern do?
An editorial intern can be responsible for a variety of different tasks depending on the publishing house or press that they intern for. Some common tasks include proofreading catalog materials, putting together mailing lists, reading manuscripts and proposals submitted by agents and writing reader reports, attending editorial meetings and editing/proofreading in some cases.
Key Terms in Editorial:
Manuscript (ms): Typically used when referring to fiction; an unpublished version of what can eventually become a book that is submitted to the publishing house for review.
Proposal: Typically used when referring to non-fiction. It is similar to a manuscript in that it also gets sent to the publishing house for review, however, it is not the finished version of a project but rather an overview of it containing sections that function like a business plan including an overview, author bio, audience analysis, comparative titles, and marketing and publicity information.
Galley: An advanced copy of the book in the pre-publication stage. It is normally sent out to reviewers and usually comes right before the final proofreading.
Agent: Someone who works closely with the writer to help find a publisher and get their stories made into books.
ARC (Advance Readers Copy): Copies of a book distributed by an author or publishing company to a select group of readers that are intended for promotional purposes.
Backlist: A list of older books available from a publisher.
Frontlist: A publisher’s list of newly or recently published books.
Comparable titles (Comp Titles): Published books that would appeal to a similar audience as the book in question.
Slush Pile: Unsolicited manuscripts sent by aspiring writers.
What is a reader’s report?
A reader’s report neatly and concisely summarizes a manuscript for those who haven’t read it. It should include the specific genre of the piece, the narrative perspective (for fiction) and anything noteworthy about it. The manuscript’s objective strengths or weaknesses should also be included in the report in order to indicate why the piece should or should not be considered for publication.
I was instructed to write a readers report, now what?
Structure of a reader’s report:
Heading: The top of a reader’s report should include the title of the work (titles are normally written in all caps), the author’s name, the agent’s name and your recommendation (pass or consider).
Summary: No more than a paragraph describing what the manuscript or proposal was about.
Analysis: Around one to two paragraphs describing the strengths/weakness of the piece and comp titles.
Draft Pass note: Polite letter addressed to the agent when the manuscript/proposal is a pass.
Some objective reasons to pass on a manuscript: (Depending on the publisher you intern for some of these might vary but here is a general idea)
- The stakes aren’t high enough or interesting enough to keep the readers engaged.
- The characters are shallowly developed or unavailable
- The plot doesn’t have enough momentum/ there are pacing issues
- The story is overloaded with different threads or characters
- The subject matter is too familiar to be impactful or to distinguish itself in the market
Subjectieve reasons that shouldn’t be the deciding factor for passing: (Depending on the publisher you intern for some of these might vary but here is a general idea)
- The characters aren’t likable
- You don’t like the writing style
- There are small issues within the manuscript that are easily fixable
Questions to ask yourself when writing a readers report:
- What is the book’s primary aim and did it or did it not achieve that claim?
- Is this book offering a new/fresh perspective on the subject matter or something we haven’t seen before?
- Who would the potential audience for this book be?
Harsh reality: Around 95% of submissions will end up being a pass.
Pass note: A note/email sent to the agent when the manuscript is a pass/ won’t be considered for publication. A pass note should be specific enough to demonstrate that you read the book but constructed carefully so that the agent cannot nitpick or argue with your reason for passing. Your aim is to make a short feedback sandwich— you can include one positive thing you liked about the book and pick the most unsuccessful element of the project to explain the pass.
Do’s and Don’t for Reader’s Reports
Do: Try and evaluate the piece objectively
Don’t: Judge the piece merely on what you as a reader enjoy reading
Do: Read enough of the manuscript until you can determine and defend why it should be recommended for consideration or a pass.
Don’t: Read the entire manuscript (normally reading around 30 pages should give you a good feel for the text)
Some more information on reader’s reports:
Literature’s Invisible Arbiters