Editor Interview: 7.13 Books

debut literary fiction

I was inspired by indie publishers like Civil Coping Mechanisms (Michael Seidlinger), Akashic (Johnny Temple), and Small Beer Press (Kelly Link).

I personally think cover letters should be extremely short. The description to the book should be akin to a logline for a screenplay. I would always include a couple of recent comparables. And then always include a brief bio below the signature.

I try to read 25-50 pages before deciding, but a few things will make a piece easy to reject. If it's single-spaced or has typos on the first page, it's an automatic rejection.

I think it's important for submitting writers to remember that accepted manuscripts are not superior to rejected ones. We do such a limited list and we want that list to be eclectic and inclusive in terms of gender, race, and other measures. Many great manuscripts get rejected just because of timing (e.g. I might have just accepted two men and am looking for two women, so if you happen to be the next guy up in the queue, you might be rejected no matter how good the manuscript is.). In fact, many of the manuscripts I've rejected have gone on to be published elsewhere and win prizes. Do not despair (too much).

I'm usually pretty focused on the next book/author coming out. The editing is the most time-consuming. Next most time-consuming would be the interior layout. We're lucky to have fabulous freelance designers. The physical product has looked really good, in my opinion. Unfortunately, reading submissions happens sporadically on weekends. We're just starting to get help with reading so I hope to be better about response times going forward.

We do substantive editing. I let my authors make the final call on edits. They're the artist and they should have final say about their work. It's my job to give the author a push in the direction that I think will be positive for the book. If they choose to disagree with me, it's their book not mine.