CHAPTER 15

The Editorial Process

After your manuscript has been submitted and accepted, it may be quite a while before you see it again. Publishing companies are, in some ways, designed as factories. To make sure books do not hit the shelves with mistakes in them, specific editorial duties are assigned to different experts, and each one in turn reads a manuscript with their one specialty in mind. For examples, fact-checkers make sure nonfiction books are accurate, copyeditors look for textual inconsistencies and confusions, and structural editors make sure the book flows smoothly. All of these people play essential roles in the editorial process. This chapter will guide you through each of those roles, and through your ongoing duties, as writer, during the process.

Your Main Contact

Up until now, you have probably been dealing with only one person directly — an acquisitions editor. An acquisitions editor's job, on a very basic level, is to acquire books.

Acquisitions editors have to sift through piles of submitted manuscripts every day. Sometimes they will have an assistant do this for them, since the piles can take up quite a bit of time. The assistant or editor will weed out the unacceptable manuscripts and set aside promising ones. From this narrowed group, the editor will choose the manuscripts she believes will make good additions to the company's list.

Pitching to the Pub Board

These days, acquisitions editors are rarely responsible for the final decision. Several staff members must all agree before a book is purchased, which means that the acquisitions editor will have to pitch the manuscript to a team of staff members at a publication board meeting. Because this is the selling point for the manuscript, the editor must be prepared to give it a very strong sales pitch.

The acquisitions editor will act as the liaison between you and the publishing company. It is not likely that you will have contact with all those people who work on the production of your work. If you have questions about the different phases your manuscript goes through, you should contact your acquisitions editor first instead of trying to track down the art director or publicist.

The editor may request several revisions from the author before taking the manuscript to the publication board. If the manuscript is in good shape, the editor may choose to postpone the revision process until after the board has accepted the manuscript. Even in these cases, there is a ton of work to be done by the acquisitions editor to sell the book. She must gather information about competitive titles and how well they are selling, and collect pertinent market information and reasons why this book would be a good addition to the list, any biographical information about the author that may work as a strong selling point, and any other information that will help convince the publication board to vote yes.

In addition to all of this research information, the editor must also present an idea of what the final product will look like. For instance, she will need to decide whether the book should be hardcover or paperback, what the trim size should be, how many pages and the type of binding the book will have, what the title will be, and any other details that pertain to the book.

As you can see, the acquisitions editor works hard to sell and support those manuscripts she believes the publisher should add to its list. But the acquisitions editor's work doesn't stop there.

Back to the Author

The acquisitions editor then has the pleasure of informing the author that the company wishes to publish the manuscript. After suffering minor loss of hearing when the author screams in her ear, the editor will explain what is to happen with the manuscript. The editor will work with the legal department to produce an appropriate contract, which she will send to the writer. Once the contract has been signed and returned by the author, the editor will usually take it to her superior for approval and signature. With the contract out of the way, the editor will work with the author to revise and restructure the manuscript to get it into the very best shape possible.

The acquisitions editor usually has the responsibility of writing catalog and back cover copy, and sometimes flap copy. Catalog copy is the text that accompanies your book in the publishing company's catalog, which is used by the sales department to pitch the list to buyers. Back cover copy is the text on the back of the book. If the book is hardcover and will have a jacket, the editor must also sometimes write flap copy, which is the text on the inside flap of the jacket. Sometimes the text for all three types of copy is the same; sometimes it isn't. In any case, your editor must craft compelling copy to help sell your book.

This is a summary of what an acquisitions editor does. There are usually more duties beyond those just described, and publishing houses require their acquisitions editors to perform various tasks beyond even those associated with the role of editor. For example, an acquisitions editor may manage a book series, and so her role will include some contract negotiations, author correspondence, etc., in addition to editing.

Types of Editing

Even though your manuscript has been accepted, you will need to make revisions after you sign the contract. In most cases, your acquisitions editor will request the first changes after he does a thorough read-through of the text. Additional editors may request more revisions later, although these may come to you through the acquisitions editor (your main contact) as well.

On the one hand, you certainly want to listen to the advice and suggestions your editor makes for revisions. After all, this is the editor's job. The editor is paid for his knowledge and experience, so don't be afraid to use his expertise to benefit your manuscript. The fact is that sales figures from your first book will affect what future contracts you are offered, and doing what your editor says will maximize your chances of publishing a successful first book.

While you may be involved in the editorial process — making revisions, checking proofs, etc. — this is not always the case, depending on the procedures of the publishing company. If you have agreed to a work-for-hire contract, the publisher will sometimes stipulate that it has say over all changes that need to be made, giving you no authority over what happens to the manuscript after you turn it in.

On the other hand, you need to keep in mind that this is your story. Do not scramble to make every little suggested revision before you have really thought about what you are changing. If you agree with the suggestions and feel that they will improve your manuscript, then by all means, implement them. Whether or not you eventually accept each revision, try to understand why your editor has recommended them. You may find that your editor has considered an angle you have missed, or that his changes will help clarify your ideas to the reader.

Depending on what type of book you have written and how the publishing company is staffed, your manuscript may pass through not only the acquisitions editor's hands but also the developmental editor's hands for revisions. In children's book publishing, the acquisitions editor frequently makes the initial edits himself. There are two different types of editing completed in this first phase.

Structural or Developmental Editing

If you recall, in Chapter 8 you put your manuscript through three different stages of revision. During the first read-through, you looked at the manuscript as a whole and focused on structure and content. This is called structural, or developmental, editing and is the first phase of editing the publisher will put your manuscript through.

Basically, the developmental editor will check the organization and consistency of the manuscript. Let's say your manuscript begins with two chapters giving background information about the characters and establishing the setting in great detail. The developmental editor may decide that the story would work better if you cut these and began instead with the third chapter, which is where the action begins. The editor may ask you to integrate some of the information from the two chapters throughout the first half of the manuscript, and delete any other information from the first two chapters that is not essential to the story line.

This is just one example of what a developmental editor does. She will also look for consistency in character descriptions, flesh out any confusing parts of the manuscript, watch for unintentional tense or point-of-view changes, check the breakdown of chapters, and view the manuscript in terms of the “big picture.” The editor will usually write an editorial letter to the author addressing any issues, asking questions, and making suggestions. The revision is then left up to the author.

Line Editing

Once the author turns in a revised manuscript meeting the developmental editor's needs, the manuscript goes through a line edit. While structural editing views the manuscript as a whole, line editing views it line by line. This is where the nitty-gritty work begins.

The editor will be looking at individual lines or sentences to see how well they are structured on their own and in conjunction with the surrounding sentences. The editor will probably first consider whether the sentence has any unnecessary words, whether it is too long or too short, and if it is clear and concise. Are the best words chosen? Is the writing in active voice, or does it fall into passive voice? The editor will then read the sentences surrounding it. Do they all flow smoothly together? Is there a rhythm to their flow, or are they choppy? Does the sentence relate to the others in a sensible and logical way, or does it stand out on its own?

The editor will probably make suggestions for revision directly on the hard copy of the manuscript or by using the track changes feature on the computer. He may include an editorial letter with the manuscript if there are substantial changes that need to be made or if there is something needing detailed explanation. But for the most part, the author will be working off of the actual manuscript, rather than from an editorial letter, because the changes made during line editing are normally smaller and more succinct than those made during structural editing.

The Next Line of Defense: Copyeditors

The copyeditor checks grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and makes sure the text corresponds with the house style.

What is house style?
A publishing company will normally follow the Chicago Manual of Style's rules for grammar and flow. However, publishing companies may differ on a small list of style issues. For instance, one publishing company may use E-mail, another may use email, and yet another may use e-mail. Variances are established in the company's house style.

While your acquisitions editor may have done both structural and line editing, he will not do copyediting. Copyediting requires a different mindset from the other two types of editing. A copyeditor must be detail-oriented and able to focus on one word at a time. Since it is extremely difficult to copyedit your own work, professional copyeditors are truly invaluable.

A publishing company usually has a copy chief who traffics the manuscripts through to the copyeditors. While a company may have copyeditors on staff, many hire freelance copyeditors as well. Because every manuscript the company publishes must go through copyediting, this process can sometimes take several weeks to complete.

It is highly unlikely that you will have any contact with the copyeditor; you probably won't even know his name. Remember, your primary connection with the publishing company lies with the acquisitions editor. When the manuscript has been copyedited and is ready for your review, the acquisitions editor will typically be the one to send it to you.

Having a copyeditor go over your work with a fine-tooth comb is a blessing, so don't complain that the editor's work is too nitpicky. The copyeditor is doing you a tremendous service by making your manuscript read as if you have perfect command of the English language.

As in line editing, the copyeditor will mark changes directly on the manuscript, or using track changes. You will be asked to review the changes made by the copyeditor. Often the changes are simply corrections of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. However, sometimes a copyeditor will revise phrases or query the author about inconsistencies or unclear sections. If you disagree with a change or do not understand a query, talk to your acquisitions editor about it.

The copyeditor is most likely going to be the last person who edits your text. This is also the last time that you will be able to make changes to the text without it costing you. Carefully peruse a copyedited manuscript and make sure that it meets your final approval.

Fact-Checking or Technical Review

If you have written a nonfiction book, your work may also be run by a fact-checker or technical reviewer, whose job it is to verify the accuracy of the text.

This isn't meant to insult you. Obviously the publisher trusts in your abilities, or else you wouldn't have been hired to write the book. But everyone makes mistakes, and an extra pair of eyes never hurt a manuscript.

Fact-checkers and technical reviewers have different, but related, duties. Many books will be edited by one or the other, but usually not by both.

Fact-Checking

Fact-checking is the process of verifying the accuracy of each and every fact within a manuscript. Copyeditors usually make great fact-checkers, because both jobs require extreme attention to detail. Copy-editors are already tuned into minute details and can pick up on the smallest inconsistency. For this reason, some publishing companies will ask a copy-editor to fact-check the manuscript. Sometimes they are asked to do this while copyediting, though this double duty can result in mistakes. If a copy-editor must check grammar, style, punctuation, and spelling, and also facts, both areas could suffer. To ensure that the manuscript receives maximum attention, publishing companies often send manuscripts to a second copy-editor for the sole purpose of fact-checking.

Some types of fiction are also put through fact-checking. For instance, if you have written a period piece or historical fiction, then the book will include factual accounts and descriptions to set up the story. Books that rely on facts will most likely be sent to a fact-checker.

The fact-checker will rely heavily on your sources and have a few sources of her own. She will mark inconsistencies or false accounts and correct them. You will be sent the completed manuscript and asked to make the necessary changes, just as you would for a copyedited manuscript.

For shorter children's books, fact-checking will not take much time, even though it is a process of singling out every fact and checking it before moving on to the next. For longer books, this can become very time-consuming, and therefore expensive. In these cases, the publisher may choose to send the manuscript to a technical reviewer instead.

Technical Review

The technical review is a form of fact-checking, although it does not involve the tedious process of checking each and every individual fact. Instead, a manuscript in need of a technical review will be sent to a specialist on the particular subject matter of the book.

Let's say you have written a book about making hats. It is likely that the publisher would try to hire a professional milliner or experienced hat shop owner to review the manuscript. Perhaps you have written a how-to book on playing the piano. A publisher may seek out a professional pianist or piano instructor to give the book a technical review.

The technical reviewer won't check every fact for accuracy. Rather, he will read the manuscript as a whole and rely on his expertise to flag any inaccuracies. Again, the technical reviewer will probably highlight the inaccuracy and correct the problem directly on the manuscript. The author then makes the necessary changes.

Proofreading

While proofreaders don't enter the scene until the book has already been typeset, we'll include them here since they are dealing directly with the text and are part of the editorial group. The proofreader's job is to check the set of proofs (the typeset book) to make sure that all corrections have found their way into this stage.

You have probably heard of proofreaders' marks. These marks are what editors use to make corrections to text. If you receive a copy-edited manuscript with proofreaders' marks, don't panic. You can find a list of these marks and what they mean in The Chicago Manual of Style and in most large dictionaries.

The proofreader checks the proofs against the copyedited manuscript for any errors made by the typesetter, such as a repeated paragraph or omitted word. She then sends the corrected set back to the copy chief.

During the proofreading stage, you will receive your own set of proofs. This is the very last stage during which you can make corrections. You will be given a deadline to get in your corrected proofs. Do not miss this deadline. If the acquisitions editor does not receive your returned set, she will assume that the proofs are to your liking and you won't be able to make changes later.

Authors are usually allowed a small number of corrections that will be made at no charge, but going above that number will cost you, since it costs the publisher to make changes. When you return the proofs to your acquisitions editor, your changes will be added to the master set, along with the proofreader's corrections, and sent back for correction. Your changes will be marked with “AA,” which stands for author alteration. If you have made more changes than allowed, you will be charged for these additional corrections and the amount will likely be deducted from your first royalty statement.

The Waiting Room

While you may have some involvement in the editorial process, the different phases your book goes through may each take several weeks. So what are you supposed to do in the meantime? If this is your first book, you may be anxiously waiting to see this one all the way through before starting a new project. The waiting period after you've submitted your revisions can be tough.

Start a New Project

Your best bet is to go ahead and start something new. Hopefully, you already have several ideas in mind — maybe you have already started getting them down on paper. This is the perfect time to revisit your ideas file and begin the writing process anew.

By spending your time gathering information, writing, rewriting, and enjoying writing, time will slip by. Those weeks of no news about your manuscript will seem like minutes (well, hours, anyway). It is likely that just as you get in the groove of writing for your next project, the acquisitions editor will call on you to check the copyedited manuscript or go over proofs.

Talk to Your Editor

Now that you have established a relationship with someone in a position to help you out, you can talk to your editor directly about future projects. Feel out your editor to see if she is interested in seeing more of your work. Editors like to build relationships with good writers whom they can count on for quality work.

If you have a close relationship, your editor may have already requested work from you. If you have a very close relationship, then you probably already know what her interests are from just everyday chitchat. She may have acquired your first book because she admired the passion you brought to a subject, even if it wasn't one of normal interest to her. Now that you know where her real interests lie, channel your passion and creativity into a new proposal she is likely to find interesting.

Get to work. You now know what to expect from an editor and what an editor expects from you. Use this knowledge to your advantage. Keep in mind that writing is an ongoing learning experience. The more you absorb, the better you will be, and the more books you will sell.