Be Your Own Editor

I thought about writing an “Ode to the Editorial Assistant” in free verse, but I’m too busy because I have to go pester a few editorial assistants about a few projects I’m working on. So let’s just consider this to be very free verse.

If you’re good enough and lucky enough to land a publishing contract, you’ll interact with a number of people at your publishing house during the process of transformation from manuscript to book. None will be more important to you than your editor’s assistant. They might on any given day play the role of go-between, personal assistant, editor, nag, or therapist. No matter the nature of your relationship, it’s in your best interest to understand what they do.

You will, of course, have a relationship with the editor herself. You’ll work with your editor on any substantive editing of the manuscript (although good assistants sometimes participate in this process as well). Depending on the closeness of your relationship, your editor should be available to you to talk on a fairly regular basis, and will be the one to deal with any significant issues/problems that arise regarding your book.

But editors always have to be busy looking for new projects to sign, so once you’re on their list, anything that’s not urgent or hugely important is likely to be delegated to their assistant. Such as? Well, just off the top of my head:

• Making sure all materials have been supplied on time and in the proper format: your manuscript, any illustrations, author photo, etc.
• Contacting you with text queries that come up during the copyediting and proofreading stages.
• Acting as liaison with not only the editor, but other departments such as sales, publicity, production, contracts, and subrights.
• Making sure (or making you make sure) that permission has been secured to use any copyrighted material in the book.
• Keeping you apprised of the production schedule and making sure you get proofs, galleys, and copies of the book.
• Answering (or trying to answer) the million and one little questions you will have as a first-time author.

That list only scratches the surface, and it doesn’t include any of their responsibilities pertaining to prospective authors/projects. You’ll come to depend on this person to shepherd you through the experience, so whether you like them personally or not, try to stay on their good side. Don’t call every single day asking when you’ll get to see the jacket, or to find out if any more reviews have come in, or to check in on sales figures, or for any other reason.

The average editorial assistant is in their mid-twenties, perhaps on their first job out of college, and it’s a job that keeps them overwhelmingly busy. They often work for two or more editors, and they’re expected to spend much of their free time reading manuscripts. (And there ain’t no overtime in publishing.) They don’t get much credit, but they often take the blame for problems that were really their bosses’ fault.

You may develop a friendship with the assistant, but don’t abuse it by monopolizing their time, or they’ll come to resent you. If you annoy them with constant frivolous requests, they’ll be less likely to go out of their way to help you get a few extra copies, or get your editor on the phone during his European vacation, or find out how well the Chinese edition is selling.

The bottom line: respect these hardworking young people, and don’t take them for granted. They’re smart college graduates who chose low-paying publishing jobs over other, more lucrative careers because they love books and aren’t yet jaded about the industry. As with your agent, editor, and everyone else you work with, remember that you’re not their only author—but if you treat them with professionalism, you might become their favorite.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 28th, 2007 at 1:11 pm and is filed under The Book Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.