Long time since I published a blog, way back in 2011, an eon in this write-it-as-soon-as-you-think-it age. That's because I have had to come to terms with the inevitable--that tomorrow's literature will be read on ebooks, and that content will be mostly ephemeral best sellers that won't even make good movies. Publishers will not take chances with ebooks that don't sell except to a small audience. Well-written, well-thought-out adult books will disappear. Even today, anyone with access to the Internet can declare herself or himself an author, and publish an ebook one at a time sans any sign of editing, often at point of purchase. Are you an author? Me, too.
In a recent Jason Epstein article on the future of book publishing, he noted that on cyberspace book shelves today, Keats's nightingale exists alongside Anne Mary's haiku. Traditional publishers with their necessary editing, fact checking, proof reading, storage, back lists, etc. will go out of business in the face of cheap, ubiquitous, albeit mostly irrelevant, ebook publishing. The time has come for us conventional publishers to serve ourselves more realistically. If we don't design new and original ideas about Internet publishing, we're only a heartbeat away from being obsolete or dead.
However, I see us climbing slowly onto the Internet bandwagon. We're starting to change our priorities a little. To compete with the vampires that ebook readers love, we are finally treating mystery titles like quality fiction, and not as dismissive "genre" fiction. I have convinced myself that mystery titles often feature plots you wouldn't laugh at and some stylish writing to boot, but I can't help feeling guilty when I publish Dying on the Dot instead of my version of War and Peace. Maybe enough twitnits and dogbloggers will like mysteries almost as much as they do those wildly-popular zombies and werewolves. Maybe we old fogies can scoop up some of that hysterical enthusiasm, too, if we fight back with something tougher than principle. Even allowing that "information must be free" is nonsense, that our authors can't eat air and neither can we, we MUST learn to live with digital files in the less-than-genteel modern publishing world. Traditional publishers, let's get cracking on learning to publish, sell and flog our brands online. Once we're a presence there, we can always cheat a little. There will always be room to publish a few choice titles between hard covers, just as we've been doing since Gutenberg!
Barbara Phillips
For Epstein's exciting article about the future of publishing in the NY Review of Books for March 11, 2012, go to newyorkbooks.com.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The publishing house I am associated with is called Bridge Works Publishing Co. It is now 20 years old. The first year of our existence Bridge Works published a collection of my short stories, called GOODBYE, FRIENDS. It seemed to me that after many years of writing freelance for magazines and newspapers and selling three stories to small literary magazines and a newspaper, I had paid my dues and should be able to produce an acceptable work of publishable fiction. Principals of small independents do this regularly, publish with their own houses, and for many reasons--too many rejections from the wider publishing world, a burning desire to get their works out to the public, to augment their lists. A cynic would call this no more than vanity publishing. For that reason, I was reluctant to publicize GOODBYE, FRIENDS too much, because I had (and still have) a residual hesitation about the legitimacy of publishing myself. Thus, I must admit unhappily, GOODBYE, FRIENDS had very little publicity and an even shorter shelf life. Many of my friends never heard of my book.
With this phony (to me) short cut to publication always weighing on me, I turned my hand to editing and over 20 years have become proficient in book doctoring. Today, publishers and agents without editors they can rely on turn to me for freelance work.
In the meantime, self-publishing via the Internet has gone legit. Amazon sells self-published material and, as far as I can tell, the interest in it is as great as the material coming from Random House. And while I can attest that the quality of most self publishers would not cause Ernest Hemingway or Martin Amis to lose any sleep, amid the welter of opinion and imagination are some adult works that are not totally embarrassing.
No, more problematic than the legitimacy of self-publishing today is that the young don't read long-form content, preferring to get their opinions and kicks on Twitter, while adults clamor for young people's works (see Harry Potter and Anne Rice's vampires), rather than challenge their intellects or imagination. The truth is, today we don't know a good book from a bad book and what's worse, nobody cares.
Even with this state of affairs, I have decided to challenge myself to write another work of fiction. For 20 years, I didn't have the courage to risk more rejection, more advice to give up. Maybe I will even have to publish the work myself just as I did 20 years ago. You might call me a slow starter and and an even slower learner!
B. Phillips
With this phony (to me) short cut to publication always weighing on me, I turned my hand to editing and over 20 years have become proficient in book doctoring. Today, publishers and agents without editors they can rely on turn to me for freelance work.
In the meantime, self-publishing via the Internet has gone legit. Amazon sells self-published material and, as far as I can tell, the interest in it is as great as the material coming from Random House. And while I can attest that the quality of most self publishers would not cause Ernest Hemingway or Martin Amis to lose any sleep, amid the welter of opinion and imagination are some adult works that are not totally embarrassing.
No, more problematic than the legitimacy of self-publishing today is that the young don't read long-form content, preferring to get their opinions and kicks on Twitter, while adults clamor for young people's works (see Harry Potter and Anne Rice's vampires), rather than challenge their intellects or imagination. The truth is, today we don't know a good book from a bad book and what's worse, nobody cares.
Even with this state of affairs, I have decided to challenge myself to write another work of fiction. For 20 years, I didn't have the courage to risk more rejection, more advice to give up. Maybe I will even have to publish the work myself just as I did 20 years ago. You might call me a slow starter and and an even slower learner!
B. Phillips
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Today, I am pasting into my blog the second half of the talk I gave to the Cosmopolitan Club in NY in June 2011. Thus concludes my position statement on the role of the editor in book publishing.
IN MY OWN PRESS, CHOOSING WHO WILL MAKE THE CUT SHOULD BE EASY, BECAUSE I ALONE DECIDE WHAT WE WILL PUBLISH. I AM A COMMITTEE OF ONE, THE MOST EFFICIENT KIND. I CAN TELL FROM THE FIRST PAGE OF A MANUSCRIPT WHETHER IT CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO A PUBLISHABLE TITLE THAT WILL APPEAL TO READERS. MOST OF WHAT I CHOOSE IS INITIALLY ROUGHER THAN SUBMISSIONS TO THE LARGE PRESSES BECAUSE IT’S A GIVEN THAT IF A SMALL PRESS RECEIVES A SUBMISSION, IT HAS BEEN THE ROUNDS OF THE BIGGIES, UNTIL IT FINALLY LANDS IN MY MAIL BOX, SOMEWHAT TATTERED AROUND THE EDGES. THAT’S WHY MOST OF OUR AUTHORS ARE FIRST-TIME WRITERS. BUT THERE’S GOOD NEWS TO THIS SITUATION. MOST OF THESE FIRST-TIMERS HAVE BEEN REJECTED AND EJECTED FROM THE BIG PUBLISHERS SO OFTEN THEY HAVE LOST ALL HOPE IN THEIR PRECIOUS BABIES. BUT NOW….HEY, IT’S NOT RANDOM HOUSE, BUT I’M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED!!!
AND, SOMETIMES THROUGH THE ODDEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE RIGHT PHASE OF THE MOON, I RECEIVE A MANUSCRIPT THAT IS PRACTICALLY PERFECT. I BRIEFLY PONDER WHY FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX TURNED IT DOWN. THEN I DO A LITTLE JIG. I’VE GOT A LIVE ONE, THAT RAREST OF BIRDS, A GOOD WRITER WHO CAN PUT IT ALL TOGETHER IN A CLEVER, UNDERSTATED WAY WITH LITTLE HELP FROM ME. I WORKED WITH ONE GENTLEMAN WHO HAD ALREADY PUBLISHED TWO WORKS, BUT HE HADN’T BEEN EDITED IN EITHER OF THEM. MAYBE HIS FORMER EDITORS WERE SCARED OF HIM. I CERTAINLY WAS. HE WAS A FORMIDABLE MAN, A HIGH RANKING MILITARY OFFICER, ERECT, TALL, SERIOUS IN DEMEANOR AND WRITING STYLE. BUT BECAUSE HE WAS INTERESTED IN LEARNING THE EDITING PROCESS, HE RARELY COMPLAINED ABOUT ANY CHANGES AND WE HAD A WONDERFUL, NO-STRESS TIME TOGETHER. HIS WORK WAS PERHAPS MY FAVORITE OF ALL--A SAD, BUT HIGHLY AUTHENTIC STORY ABOUT THE TRAGEDY OF PUSHING ONE’S CHILD TOO HARD TO GAIN A SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSION. WE KNOW THIS HAPPENS ALL TOO OFTEN—THE PUSHY PARENTS, THE HAPLESS CHILD VICTIM. MY AUTHOR KNEW THE SITUATION FIRST HAND. AND WE BOTH KNEW BEFORE WE STARTED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO HAPPY ENDING. I DON’T KNOW; MAYBE I GOT HIS MS BECAUSE I’M KNOWN AS THE EDITOR OF UNHAPPY ENDINGS.
LIKE MOST EDITORS, I HAVE MY OWN RULES AND PRACTICES. EDITING IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE. ONCE YOU VENTURE BEYOND THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN. HOW I WORK WITH A MANUSCRIPT IS COMPLETELY, UTTERLY MY OWN DESIGN AND EXECUTION. I START WITH THE PRELIMS. AS SOON AS THE CONTRACT IS SIGNED, I TRY TO SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME DETERMINING THROUGH EMAILS AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS THE WRITER’S ABILITY TO MAKE CHANGES TO HER WORK WITHOUT FREAKING OUT. BEFORE PUTTING ONE DELETE ON THE PAGE, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME PRAISING WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THE WORK AND WHY I LIKE IT. THIS IS MY DISARMING TACTIC, MY REASSURING TACTIC, MY PERHAPS HYPOCRITICAL TACTIC. IT MOSTLY WORKS, BUT NOT FOR LONG ENOUGH. ALL TOO SOON, MY OPTIMISM IS TRIED, I SEE THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A SLOG, WHILE THE AUTHOR, ALTERNATELY DESPAIRS AND CONTEMPLATES MY DEMISE. EXASPERATED, HE GOES, “WHY DID YOU TAKE THIS BLEEPING MANUSCRIPT IF YOU BASICALLY DON’T LIKE IT?” THIS REQUIRES MORE REASSURANCE ON MY PART, AS I CONTINUE TO COUNTER THAT THE WORK AS A WHOLE HAS MERIT. BUT PAGES 1-35 MUST GO. YOU SEE THAT DON’T YOU? YOU SEE THAT IT WILL MAKE THE NOVEL TIGHTER, STRONGER? THE AUTHOR DOES NOT SEE THAT AT ALL. THE AUTHOR IS GAZING AT MY THROAT.
THEN, AFTER THE OPENING ACTS, IT’S ONTO THE MAIN EVENT, LINE EDITING, WHERE THE TWO OF US GO OVER LINE BY LINE, PARAGRAPH BY PARAGRAPH, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER, THE ENTIRE WORK. IT’S MY JOB TO ENSURE THAT THE PLOT STRUCTURE IS SOLID, THERE IS LITTLE OR NO REPETITION, THE CHARACTERS ARE WELL-ROUNDED, THE PHYSICAL SETTING IS AUTHENTIC AND HELPFUL TO THE STORY. I TRY TO ENGAGE THE AUTHOR IN JOINING ME IN WHAT I CALL MY LITERARY CONVERSIONS. I HAVE LEARNED THAT I CAN NEVER GET HIM OR HER TO AGREE WITH THEM ALL, BUT I KEEP PROSELYTIZING ANYWAY.
NO. 1) NEVER START A STORY WITH THE WEATHER. I LEARNED THIS FROM ELMORE LEONARD, A MASTER OF THE THRILLER GENRE, WHO WRITES IN A WAY I ADMIRE, MINIMALIST SPARE. I BREAK THIS RULE OFTEN, UNFORTUNATELY. PROBABLY BECAUSE I GREW UP READING BOOKS THAT BEGAN ‘IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT”. BUT THAT WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW. MY NO. 2RULE ) MAKE THE FIRST PARAGRAPH SO GRIPPING, SO EXHILIRATING, THAT THE READER CAN’T RESIST GOING ON. IF YOU ONLY KNEW HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE BEEN THROWN DOWN IN DISGUST AFTER THE FIRST PAGE, YOU’D UNDERSTAND MY ADAMANCE ON THIS POINT. 3) WRITE TIGHT. DON’T RAMBLE. THERE’S A LOT OF COMPETITION OUT THERE. YOU MIGHT BE AWARE OF TWO HIGHLY LAUDED RECENT TITLES: LIFE BY THE ROLLING STONE KEITH RICHARDS AND THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN, BOTH MORE THAN 500 PAGES. (I THINK THE MARK TWAIN IS ALMOST 800 AND THAT’S JUST VOL 1.) WHAT ARE THE PUBLISHERS THINKING OF EVEN THE LIKES OF US BOOKIES ARE NOT GOING TO BE CAPTIVATED BY SUCH LANGUAGE HYSTERIA. I FEEL THAT IF A NOVEL CAN’T FIND OIL IN 300 PAGES OR LESS, THEY SHOULD STOP BORING. 4) GO EASY ON ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS. FOR SOME REASON, THERE IS A SUPERFLUITY OF THESE TWO PARTS OF SPEECH IN ROMANCE NOVELS. AND 5) THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL, ALWAYS WRITE WITH THE READER IN MIND. SINCE WE PUBLISH MOSTLY NOVELS, I IMAGINE THAT MY READER IS GENERALLY A COLLEGE-EDUCATED WOMAN, OCCASIONALLY A MAN, WHO ENJOYS A GOOD MAIN-STREAM READ, ENTERTAINING BUT POSSESSING, HOPEFULLY, SOME NEW IDEAS TO BE THOUGHT ABOUT.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WITH ALL THESE VITAL CONVERSIONS, THE EDITORIAL/WRITER RELATIONSHIP IS NOT FOR SISSIES. BUT I STILL BELIEVE, IN SPITE OF CERTAIN EVIDENCE OF HYSTERICS AND FOUL LANGUAGE THAT HAS COME MY WAY, THAT THE MAJORITY OF EDITED WRITERS, NO MATTER HOW RELUCTANT, EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE AT LEAST A SMALL FRISSON OF SATISFACTION. THERE WILL BE NO COMPLIMENTS AT THE END, BUT I BELIEVE HE RECOGNIZES THAT HIS WRITING HAS BECOME SMOOTHER, CLEARER, MORE FELICITOUS, MORE STYLISH. AND THAT ANTAGONISM OF THREE WEEKS EARLIER WHEN I SUGGESTED THAT IT ISN’T A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE TOO MUCH EMPHASIS TO A CHARACTER WHO IS KILLED OFF IN THE FIRST CHAPTER AND, FURTHERMORE, TELLING THE STORY WITH TOO MANY POV’S IS HARD TO DO SUCCESSFULLY UNLESS YOU ARE WILLIAM FAULKNER, HAS SOMEWHAT WANED. WORN DOWN BY MY PERSISTENCE. NOW THE AUTHOR WANTS NOTHING BUT THE END OF THE PROCESS, FOLLOWED BY A GOOD, STRONG DRINK.
I CAN HEAR YOU THINKING, “SO, WHY DO YOU TORTURE YOURSELF AND THE WRITER LIKE THIS? WHY NOT REJECT HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE AND SAVE BOTH OF YOU A LOT OF TROUBLE?”
THE ANSWER IS TWO-FOLD. FIRST, THERE MUST BE A BIT OF THE MASOCHIST IN MANY EDITORS. WE FIND A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT HAS POSSIBILITIES LURKING AMID THE INCOHERENT AND THE INCHOATE, IF ONLY WE CAN CONVINCE THE AUTHOR THAT THE CHANGES WILLBE MODEST AND REQUIRE, AT THE MOST, A PAGE OR TWO OF REWRITE. AND MORE OFTEN THAN I LIKE TO ADMIT, I HAVE PLUNGED IN WITHOUT ADEQUATELY TESTING THE WATER FOR SHARKS. INSTEAD, I, WHO LOVES WRITING NOT WISELY BUT TOO WELL, FIND MYSELF ACCEPTING A MS BECAUSE I LIKE ONLY ONE OF THE MANY ELEMENTS OF THE WORK, PERHAPS JUST THE CONCEPT OR ITS EXOTIC SETTING OR THE HORSE THE HERO RODE IN ON.
SO I TAKE MANY MORE CHANCES THAN I SHOULD. I WORKED ONCE WITH A GUY WHO HAD SERVED TIME IN JAIL FOR A YOUTHFUL DRUG OFFENSE. HE WROTE A MARVEL OF A NATURALISTIC NOVEL BASED ON HIS EXPERIENCES. THE STORY CENTERED AROUND A SOCIOPATHIC JAIL BIRD AND THE SORRY AFTERMATH OF HIS FREEDOM. IT WAS A RAW AND TOUGH STORY, AND I WANTED THE WORK EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WOULDN’T BE MOST READERS’ MEAT AND POTATOES, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST DEPICTION OF PRISON LIFE THAT I WOULD EVER GET TO PUBLISH. TO ME, THAT WORK WILL ALWAYS BE A TOP NOTCH ORIGINAL. BUT WHAT HAPPENED? TODAY THAT GUY IS A PRIZE-WINNING YOUNG ADULT WRITER. I OFTEN ASK MYSELF: WHICH WAS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE--MY HEAVY HANDED EDITING THAT I THOUGHT WAS ONLY APPROPRIATE FOR SUCH A SUBJECT AND THAT HE COULD DEAL WITH OR, JUST AS I FEARED, THE SUBSEQUENT INDIFFERENCE OF THE READING PUBLIC? WHICHEVER OR BOTH, I’LL NEVER KNOW, BUT I HOPE (BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER READ HIS YA WORKS), HE ISN’T TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE HOW TO GET OUT OF JAIL FREE.
AND EVEN WHEN FINALLY, AFTER PAGES AND PAGES OF DELETIONS AND REWRITING, THE HEROINE HAVING BEEN CHANGED FROM A SEXY BABE TO A TRANSVESTITE AND THE SETTING MOVED FROM DAYTON, OHIO, TO MALIBU, THAT TITLE GOES OUT INTO THE WORLD, BUT THE AGONY IS NOT OVER. REALLY, IT’S JUST STARTING. WILL IT GET ROTTEN REVIEWS? WILL IT GET A REVIEW AT ALL? WILL ANYONE OTHER THAN THE WRITER’S MOTHER READ IT? I REMEMBER A YOUNG WOMAN FROM THE MIDWEST WHO SENT ME WHAT IS KNOWN AS ‘CHICK LIT’, A ROMANCE NOVEL, ONE OF MY FEW NOVELS WITH A HAPPY ENDING. BUT A WORK OF SUCH CHARM, SUCH HUMOR. IT WAS ABOUT A HOMEY BEAUTY PARLOR THAT SERVED AS A SHRINK’S COUCH FOR BOTH CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES. WE SLAVED OVER THAT WORK, STRUGGLING TO SAVE THE GOOD PARTS AND DELETE THE MAJOR IRRELEVANCIES. AND WHEN WE FINISHED AND I HOPED THE AUTHOR WOULD BE PLEASED WITH THE RESULT, SHE THREW A FIT WHEN I TOLD HER NOT TO GET UPSET IF THE NYTIMES DIDN’T REVIEW HER BOOK. SHE CRIED OUT, “CAN’T YOU MAKE THEM?”
TO MY UTTER SURPRISE, WHILE I WAS CORRECT AND THE NYTIMES DID NOT REVIEW THE WORK, WORD OF MOUTH AMONG READERS AND BOOK SELLERS MADE PATTY JANE’S HOUSE OF CURL THE MOST FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL TITLE BRIDGE WORKS EVER PUBLISHED. (THE AUTHOR’S SEXY BOOK JACKET PHOTO DIDN’T HURT, EITHER.)
BUT BECAUSE SHE NEEDED SUCH HEAVY EDITING, WE ELECTED NOT TO TAKE HER ON FOR A SECOND WORK, WHICH WAS NOT AS COMPELLING AS THE FIRST, FEELING THAT THE EDITING WOULD BE TOO MUCH OF A LOAD. THAT WAS A FIRST CLASS MISTAKE. SHE WENT ELSEWHERE AND HAS BECOME A STAPLE IN THE CHICK LIT FIELD. ON THE OTHER HAND, SINCE SHE WOULD ALWAYS RESENT ME FOR NEVER GETTING HER REVIEWED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, MAYBE I WAS SMART ENOUGH TO QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD.
SOMETIMES, IT ONLY TAKES THAT ONE SUCCESSFUL TITLE FOR WRITERS TO ANNOUNCE THAT WITH SPELLCHECK AND THEIR OWN SELF-CONFIDENCE, FROM HERE ON THEY WILL EDIT THEMSELVES. ONE OF OUR AUTHORS, PRONOUNCED A NATURAL” BY NO LESS THAN MICHIKO KAKUTANI, DID JUST THAT. HE WAS AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR, AN OLDER WRITER TO BE STARTING OUT. BUT HIS FIRST NOVEL WAS AN ABSOLUTELY PITCH-PERFECT MELD OF TRAGIC-COMEDY. HIS STORY WAS ABOUT A GROUP OF ELDERLY DENIZENS OF A RETIREMENT HOME PUTTING ON THE PLAY, HAMLET. I WAS SO IMPRESSED AT HOW WELL THE AUTHOR PORTRAYED THESE OLD FOLKS, KNEW THE CHARACTERS, THEIR FOIBLES, THEIR WEAKNESSES, THEIR HUMOR. ALL HE NEEDED TO CHANGE WAS THE COLD AND UNCOMPROMISING PERSONA OF HIS ELDERLY PROTAGONIST. WE GAVE THIS MAN, A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, SOME EMOTIONS AND SOME WEAKNESSES. THE PRINCE OF WEST END AVENUE TOOK OFF IN SALES AND AWARDS. AFTER A SECOND TITLE FOR US, THE AUTHOR LEFT TO GO ON TO A FANCY AGENT AND A BIGGER PUBLISHING HOUSE, WHEREUPON HIS EGO, BOLSTERED BY FAME AND FORTUNE, CAUSED HIM TO PRONOUNCE IN PUBLIC THAT HE PERSONALLY FELT EDITORS WERE UNNECESSARY. I WON’T BE SO IMMODEST AS TO SUGGEST THAT THE MORAL IS OBVIOUS, BUT THIS PARTICULAR WRITER SUBSEQUENTLY DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT. TO US LITERARY MEDDLERS, A WRITER, NO MATTER HOW SKILLED, WILL ALWAYS NEED SOMEONE OBJECTIVE TO HELP POLISH HIS MATERIAL, SOMEONE TO BE A SURROGATE FOR THE READER. WHAT GOES ON TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IS AS UNCLEAR TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD AS A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE, BUT MAYBE I HAVE GIVEN YOU SOME HINTS.
I AM IMMENSELY PROUD OF THE ALMOST TWO HUNDRED WRITERS WHO HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BY BRIDGE WORKS IN 20 YEARS AND I FEEL VINDICATED, IN MANY CASES, BY THOSE WHO HAVE WON PRIZES, SECURED MOVIE PRODUCTION CONTRACTS OR GONE ON TO LARGER AND MORE DEEP-POCKETED PUBLISHING HOUSES. IT’S GOOD FOR THEM AND GOOD P.R. FOR US, THE FARM TEAM. TOM PERROTTA, FOR INSTANCE, A FIRST-TIME AUTHOR WHO, AFTER GETTING LOTS OF PUBLICITY WITH OUR “BAD HAIR DAY”, A SENSITIVE STUDY OF A BOY’S ADOLESCENCE, LEFT ME IN A HUFF (IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE EDITING) FOR A BIG AGENT AND A LARGE PUBLISHING HOUSE. SINCE THEN HE HAS WRITTEN A SERIES OF FORGETTABLE NOVELS THAT, FORTUNATELY FOR HIM, MAKE GOOD MOVIES. (ELECTION, LITTLE CHILDREN.) I’VE ALWAYS FANTASIZED THAT IF HE HAD STAYED WITH ME, HIS SUBSEQUENT BOOKS COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER WRITTEN AND HOLLYWOOD WOULD HAVE COME CALLING, TOO. BUT, LET’S FACE IT. AS I SAID, EDITING IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE. WHAT YOU THINK WILL BE FANTASTIC IS IGNORED COMPLETELY, WHILE YOU PERSONALLY DISLIKE YOURSELF IS EATEN UP BY THE READING PUBLIC. YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME.
AND THE TRUTH IS, NEITHER OF US, AUTHOR AND EDITOR, WILL EVER BE FULLY SATISFIED AT THE END OF THE PROCESS. NOR CAN IT BE SAID THAT THE PROCESS HAS BROUGHT US CLOSER TO A PEACE TREATY. THE WRITER WILL TELL HIS FRIENDS THAT REALLY VERY FEW CHANGES WERE MADE, BARBARA HARDLY TOUCHED A THING. I AM SURE THAT WHAT I TOUCHED WAS THE MAJOR REASON FOR LIFTING THIS GUY OUT OF ANONYMITY. THERE WAS A MAJOR SCANDAL IN THE WRITING WORLD A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN THE WIDOW OF RAYMOND CARVER, THE CELEBRATED SHORT STORY WRITER, DECIDED THAT SHE (AND BY EXTENSION, HER LATE HUSBAND) WAS DISSATISFIED WITH THE RESULT OF HIS COLLABORATION WITH GORDON LISH, A CELEBRATED EDITOR. SHE WISHED TO REPUBLISH CARVER’S WORKS IN THEIR ORIGINAL, UNEDITED STATE. NOW, SOME SAY THAT IT WAS GORDON LISH’S CAREFUL CUTTING OF CARVER’S OFTEN ROUTINE WRITING THAT MADE THE WRITER FAMOUS AS THE EPITOME OF MINIMALISM. NATURALLY, THE PUBLISHERS REFUSED TO CHANGE A WORD OF THE WORKS THEY HAD SPONSORED. SO, EVEN WHEN AUTHORS ARE UNHAPPY, SOMETIMES EDITORS JUST HAVE TO SAY, “TAKE TWO ASPIRIN AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING”.
BUT WHILE I EXPECT THE WRITER TO STRAIGHTEN UP HER BACK AND HER DOUBTS, AND COME BACK THE NEXT DAY FOR MORE OF THE SAME, I STILL HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT AND AWE FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING I HAVE ONLY DONE ONCE, GOTTEN A BOOK PUBLISHED. AND DESPITE OCCASIONAL BACK PATS TO MYSELF, I KNOW FULL WELL THAT IT IS THE AUTHOR’S IMAGINATION AND YEARS OF WORK THAT HAVE BROUGHT THIS TITLE TO THE LIGHT OF DAY. I HAVE ONLY BEEN THE MIDWIFE IN A PROCESS THAT SEEMS LIKE A MIRACLE, A WORK OF ART THAT, WITH LUCK, MAY LAST FOREVER.
SO, I THINK I’VE TOLD YOU ENOUGH ABOUT THAT SO-CALLED VITAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDITOR AND WRITER. AND WHILE IT ISN’T ALWAYS GOOD TO PULL ASIDE THE CURTAIN TO REVEAL THE PROPS LYING AROUND BACKSTAGE, IN THE END BOOKS AND WRITERS STILL ENTHRALL US ALL. WE INTUIT THAT WE ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS. AND MOSTLY WE ARE. I’VE TRIED NOT TO BE JUST ANOTHER PROVIDER OF LONG FORM CONTENT (WHAT A PHRASE!). I’VE TRIED NOT TO PUBLICLY PRAISE LITERARY WORKS, WHILE PUBLISHING MOSTLY MASS MARKET STUFF, BECAUSE IT SELLS LIKE BAGELS AND BRINGS IN THE MONEY. AND WHILE I REALIZE I’M RUNNING A BUSINESS THAT CAN’T SURVIVE UNLESS SALES ARE GOOD, I HAVE DONE MY BEST NOT TO COMPROMISE WITH QUALITY. I’VE NEVER PUBLISHED FORMULAIC BEST SELLERS, WRITTEN BY COMMITTE. IVE ALWAYS STRIVED TO NURTURE THE BEST WRITERS I CAN FIND, PUTTING OUT THE BEST WORK THAT CIRCUMSTANCES PERMIT. MAYBE NO PULITZERS OR FAREWELL KISSES, BUT I’LL KEEP HONORING BRIDGE WORKS’S AUTHORS WHILE LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE SPARRING PARTNERS.
AND JUST A POSTSCRIPT. IF YOU, GOOD PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAT SO PATIENTLY WHILE I RANTED ON, CAN DO ONE THING FOR OUR CIVILIZATION, KEEP PROMOTING READING AND WRITING. IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN OR ARE CLOSE TO FRIENDS’ CHILDREN, HEAP THE BOOKS ON THEM. DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH IF YOU HATE HARRY POTTER OR THINK ZOMBIES AND VAMPIRES ARE HORRIBLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGSTERS. IF THE KIDS WILL ONLY READ A BOOK ON A KINDLE OR AN IPAD. BUY THEM A KINDLE. BUY THEM AN IPAD. WHATEVER IT TAKES. LONG AGO, WHILE GOING FOR A GRADUATE DEGREE, I NOTICED A LOT OF MY CLASSMATES WERE NODDING OUT IN CLASS, WHEN THEY WEREN’T YELLING “OFF THE PIGS” OUTSIDE SCHOOL. FEELING DEPRESSED ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD AND ITS YOUNG PEOPLE ONE DAY, I NOTICED A SLOGAN PAINTED ON A WALL THAT READ, “HOOKED ON BOOKS”. I’VE DONE MY BEST TO KEEP THAT APHORISM ALIVE. JOIN ME AND ENSURE THAT THE WORLD WON’T FORGET IT, EITHER.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS?
REMEMBER TO HAND OUT TWO QUESTIONS FOR STARTERS.
IN MY OWN PRESS, CHOOSING WHO WILL MAKE THE CUT SHOULD BE EASY, BECAUSE I ALONE DECIDE WHAT WE WILL PUBLISH. I AM A COMMITTEE OF ONE, THE MOST EFFICIENT KIND. I CAN TELL FROM THE FIRST PAGE OF A MANUSCRIPT WHETHER IT CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO A PUBLISHABLE TITLE THAT WILL APPEAL TO READERS. MOST OF WHAT I CHOOSE IS INITIALLY ROUGHER THAN SUBMISSIONS TO THE LARGE PRESSES BECAUSE IT’S A GIVEN THAT IF A SMALL PRESS RECEIVES A SUBMISSION, IT HAS BEEN THE ROUNDS OF THE BIGGIES, UNTIL IT FINALLY LANDS IN MY MAIL BOX, SOMEWHAT TATTERED AROUND THE EDGES. THAT’S WHY MOST OF OUR AUTHORS ARE FIRST-TIME WRITERS. BUT THERE’S GOOD NEWS TO THIS SITUATION. MOST OF THESE FIRST-TIMERS HAVE BEEN REJECTED AND EJECTED FROM THE BIG PUBLISHERS SO OFTEN THEY HAVE LOST ALL HOPE IN THEIR PRECIOUS BABIES. BUT NOW….HEY, IT’S NOT RANDOM HOUSE, BUT I’M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED!!!
AND, SOMETIMES THROUGH THE ODDEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE RIGHT PHASE OF THE MOON, I RECEIVE A MANUSCRIPT THAT IS PRACTICALLY PERFECT. I BRIEFLY PONDER WHY FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX TURNED IT DOWN. THEN I DO A LITTLE JIG. I’VE GOT A LIVE ONE, THAT RAREST OF BIRDS, A GOOD WRITER WHO CAN PUT IT ALL TOGETHER IN A CLEVER, UNDERSTATED WAY WITH LITTLE HELP FROM ME. I WORKED WITH ONE GENTLEMAN WHO HAD ALREADY PUBLISHED TWO WORKS, BUT HE HADN’T BEEN EDITED IN EITHER OF THEM. MAYBE HIS FORMER EDITORS WERE SCARED OF HIM. I CERTAINLY WAS. HE WAS A FORMIDABLE MAN, A HIGH RANKING MILITARY OFFICER, ERECT, TALL, SERIOUS IN DEMEANOR AND WRITING STYLE. BUT BECAUSE HE WAS INTERESTED IN LEARNING THE EDITING PROCESS, HE RARELY COMPLAINED ABOUT ANY CHANGES AND WE HAD A WONDERFUL, NO-STRESS TIME TOGETHER. HIS WORK WAS PERHAPS MY FAVORITE OF ALL--A SAD, BUT HIGHLY AUTHENTIC STORY ABOUT THE TRAGEDY OF PUSHING ONE’S CHILD TOO HARD TO GAIN A SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSION. WE KNOW THIS HAPPENS ALL TOO OFTEN—THE PUSHY PARENTS, THE HAPLESS CHILD VICTIM. MY AUTHOR KNEW THE SITUATION FIRST HAND. AND WE BOTH KNEW BEFORE WE STARTED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO HAPPY ENDING. I DON’T KNOW; MAYBE I GOT HIS MS BECAUSE I’M KNOWN AS THE EDITOR OF UNHAPPY ENDINGS.
LIKE MOST EDITORS, I HAVE MY OWN RULES AND PRACTICES. EDITING IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE. ONCE YOU VENTURE BEYOND THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN. HOW I WORK WITH A MANUSCRIPT IS COMPLETELY, UTTERLY MY OWN DESIGN AND EXECUTION. I START WITH THE PRELIMS. AS SOON AS THE CONTRACT IS SIGNED, I TRY TO SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME DETERMINING THROUGH EMAILS AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS THE WRITER’S ABILITY TO MAKE CHANGES TO HER WORK WITHOUT FREAKING OUT. BEFORE PUTTING ONE DELETE ON THE PAGE, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME PRAISING WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THE WORK AND WHY I LIKE IT. THIS IS MY DISARMING TACTIC, MY REASSURING TACTIC, MY PERHAPS HYPOCRITICAL TACTIC. IT MOSTLY WORKS, BUT NOT FOR LONG ENOUGH. ALL TOO SOON, MY OPTIMISM IS TRIED, I SEE THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A SLOG, WHILE THE AUTHOR, ALTERNATELY DESPAIRS AND CONTEMPLATES MY DEMISE. EXASPERATED, HE GOES, “WHY DID YOU TAKE THIS BLEEPING MANUSCRIPT IF YOU BASICALLY DON’T LIKE IT?” THIS REQUIRES MORE REASSURANCE ON MY PART, AS I CONTINUE TO COUNTER THAT THE WORK AS A WHOLE HAS MERIT. BUT PAGES 1-35 MUST GO. YOU SEE THAT DON’T YOU? YOU SEE THAT IT WILL MAKE THE NOVEL TIGHTER, STRONGER? THE AUTHOR DOES NOT SEE THAT AT ALL. THE AUTHOR IS GAZING AT MY THROAT.
THEN, AFTER THE OPENING ACTS, IT’S ONTO THE MAIN EVENT, LINE EDITING, WHERE THE TWO OF US GO OVER LINE BY LINE, PARAGRAPH BY PARAGRAPH, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER, THE ENTIRE WORK. IT’S MY JOB TO ENSURE THAT THE PLOT STRUCTURE IS SOLID, THERE IS LITTLE OR NO REPETITION, THE CHARACTERS ARE WELL-ROUNDED, THE PHYSICAL SETTING IS AUTHENTIC AND HELPFUL TO THE STORY. I TRY TO ENGAGE THE AUTHOR IN JOINING ME IN WHAT I CALL MY LITERARY CONVERSIONS. I HAVE LEARNED THAT I CAN NEVER GET HIM OR HER TO AGREE WITH THEM ALL, BUT I KEEP PROSELYTIZING ANYWAY.
NO. 1) NEVER START A STORY WITH THE WEATHER. I LEARNED THIS FROM ELMORE LEONARD, A MASTER OF THE THRILLER GENRE, WHO WRITES IN A WAY I ADMIRE, MINIMALIST SPARE. I BREAK THIS RULE OFTEN, UNFORTUNATELY. PROBABLY BECAUSE I GREW UP READING BOOKS THAT BEGAN ‘IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT”. BUT THAT WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW. MY NO. 2RULE ) MAKE THE FIRST PARAGRAPH SO GRIPPING, SO EXHILIRATING, THAT THE READER CAN’T RESIST GOING ON. IF YOU ONLY KNEW HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE BEEN THROWN DOWN IN DISGUST AFTER THE FIRST PAGE, YOU’D UNDERSTAND MY ADAMANCE ON THIS POINT. 3) WRITE TIGHT. DON’T RAMBLE. THERE’S A LOT OF COMPETITION OUT THERE. YOU MIGHT BE AWARE OF TWO HIGHLY LAUDED RECENT TITLES: LIFE BY THE ROLLING STONE KEITH RICHARDS AND THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN, BOTH MORE THAN 500 PAGES. (I THINK THE MARK TWAIN IS ALMOST 800 AND THAT’S JUST VOL 1.) WHAT ARE THE PUBLISHERS THINKING OF EVEN THE LIKES OF US BOOKIES ARE NOT GOING TO BE CAPTIVATED BY SUCH LANGUAGE HYSTERIA. I FEEL THAT IF A NOVEL CAN’T FIND OIL IN 300 PAGES OR LESS, THEY SHOULD STOP BORING. 4) GO EASY ON ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS. FOR SOME REASON, THERE IS A SUPERFLUITY OF THESE TWO PARTS OF SPEECH IN ROMANCE NOVELS. AND 5) THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL, ALWAYS WRITE WITH THE READER IN MIND. SINCE WE PUBLISH MOSTLY NOVELS, I IMAGINE THAT MY READER IS GENERALLY A COLLEGE-EDUCATED WOMAN, OCCASIONALLY A MAN, WHO ENJOYS A GOOD MAIN-STREAM READ, ENTERTAINING BUT POSSESSING, HOPEFULLY, SOME NEW IDEAS TO BE THOUGHT ABOUT.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WITH ALL THESE VITAL CONVERSIONS, THE EDITORIAL/WRITER RELATIONSHIP IS NOT FOR SISSIES. BUT I STILL BELIEVE, IN SPITE OF CERTAIN EVIDENCE OF HYSTERICS AND FOUL LANGUAGE THAT HAS COME MY WAY, THAT THE MAJORITY OF EDITED WRITERS, NO MATTER HOW RELUCTANT, EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE AT LEAST A SMALL FRISSON OF SATISFACTION. THERE WILL BE NO COMPLIMENTS AT THE END, BUT I BELIEVE HE RECOGNIZES THAT HIS WRITING HAS BECOME SMOOTHER, CLEARER, MORE FELICITOUS, MORE STYLISH. AND THAT ANTAGONISM OF THREE WEEKS EARLIER WHEN I SUGGESTED THAT IT ISN’T A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE TOO MUCH EMPHASIS TO A CHARACTER WHO IS KILLED OFF IN THE FIRST CHAPTER AND, FURTHERMORE, TELLING THE STORY WITH TOO MANY POV’S IS HARD TO DO SUCCESSFULLY UNLESS YOU ARE WILLIAM FAULKNER, HAS SOMEWHAT WANED. WORN DOWN BY MY PERSISTENCE. NOW THE AUTHOR WANTS NOTHING BUT THE END OF THE PROCESS, FOLLOWED BY A GOOD, STRONG DRINK.
I CAN HEAR YOU THINKING, “SO, WHY DO YOU TORTURE YOURSELF AND THE WRITER LIKE THIS? WHY NOT REJECT HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE AND SAVE BOTH OF YOU A LOT OF TROUBLE?”
THE ANSWER IS TWO-FOLD. FIRST, THERE MUST BE A BIT OF THE MASOCHIST IN MANY EDITORS. WE FIND A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT HAS POSSIBILITIES LURKING AMID THE INCOHERENT AND THE INCHOATE, IF ONLY WE CAN CONVINCE THE AUTHOR THAT THE CHANGES WILLBE MODEST AND REQUIRE, AT THE MOST, A PAGE OR TWO OF REWRITE. AND MORE OFTEN THAN I LIKE TO ADMIT, I HAVE PLUNGED IN WITHOUT ADEQUATELY TESTING THE WATER FOR SHARKS. INSTEAD, I, WHO LOVES WRITING NOT WISELY BUT TOO WELL, FIND MYSELF ACCEPTING A MS BECAUSE I LIKE ONLY ONE OF THE MANY ELEMENTS OF THE WORK, PERHAPS JUST THE CONCEPT OR ITS EXOTIC SETTING OR THE HORSE THE HERO RODE IN ON.
SO I TAKE MANY MORE CHANCES THAN I SHOULD. I WORKED ONCE WITH A GUY WHO HAD SERVED TIME IN JAIL FOR A YOUTHFUL DRUG OFFENSE. HE WROTE A MARVEL OF A NATURALISTIC NOVEL BASED ON HIS EXPERIENCES. THE STORY CENTERED AROUND A SOCIOPATHIC JAIL BIRD AND THE SORRY AFTERMATH OF HIS FREEDOM. IT WAS A RAW AND TOUGH STORY, AND I WANTED THE WORK EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WOULDN’T BE MOST READERS’ MEAT AND POTATOES, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST DEPICTION OF PRISON LIFE THAT I WOULD EVER GET TO PUBLISH. TO ME, THAT WORK WILL ALWAYS BE A TOP NOTCH ORIGINAL. BUT WHAT HAPPENED? TODAY THAT GUY IS A PRIZE-WINNING YOUNG ADULT WRITER. I OFTEN ASK MYSELF: WHICH WAS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE--MY HEAVY HANDED EDITING THAT I THOUGHT WAS ONLY APPROPRIATE FOR SUCH A SUBJECT AND THAT HE COULD DEAL WITH OR, JUST AS I FEARED, THE SUBSEQUENT INDIFFERENCE OF THE READING PUBLIC? WHICHEVER OR BOTH, I’LL NEVER KNOW, BUT I HOPE (BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER READ HIS YA WORKS), HE ISN’T TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE HOW TO GET OUT OF JAIL FREE.
AND EVEN WHEN FINALLY, AFTER PAGES AND PAGES OF DELETIONS AND REWRITING, THE HEROINE HAVING BEEN CHANGED FROM A SEXY BABE TO A TRANSVESTITE AND THE SETTING MOVED FROM DAYTON, OHIO, TO MALIBU, THAT TITLE GOES OUT INTO THE WORLD, BUT THE AGONY IS NOT OVER. REALLY, IT’S JUST STARTING. WILL IT GET ROTTEN REVIEWS? WILL IT GET A REVIEW AT ALL? WILL ANYONE OTHER THAN THE WRITER’S MOTHER READ IT? I REMEMBER A YOUNG WOMAN FROM THE MIDWEST WHO SENT ME WHAT IS KNOWN AS ‘CHICK LIT’, A ROMANCE NOVEL, ONE OF MY FEW NOVELS WITH A HAPPY ENDING. BUT A WORK OF SUCH CHARM, SUCH HUMOR. IT WAS ABOUT A HOMEY BEAUTY PARLOR THAT SERVED AS A SHRINK’S COUCH FOR BOTH CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES. WE SLAVED OVER THAT WORK, STRUGGLING TO SAVE THE GOOD PARTS AND DELETE THE MAJOR IRRELEVANCIES. AND WHEN WE FINISHED AND I HOPED THE AUTHOR WOULD BE PLEASED WITH THE RESULT, SHE THREW A FIT WHEN I TOLD HER NOT TO GET UPSET IF THE NYTIMES DIDN’T REVIEW HER BOOK. SHE CRIED OUT, “CAN’T YOU MAKE THEM?”
TO MY UTTER SURPRISE, WHILE I WAS CORRECT AND THE NYTIMES DID NOT REVIEW THE WORK, WORD OF MOUTH AMONG READERS AND BOOK SELLERS MADE PATTY JANE’S HOUSE OF CURL THE MOST FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL TITLE BRIDGE WORKS EVER PUBLISHED. (THE AUTHOR’S SEXY BOOK JACKET PHOTO DIDN’T HURT, EITHER.)
BUT BECAUSE SHE NEEDED SUCH HEAVY EDITING, WE ELECTED NOT TO TAKE HER ON FOR A SECOND WORK, WHICH WAS NOT AS COMPELLING AS THE FIRST, FEELING THAT THE EDITING WOULD BE TOO MUCH OF A LOAD. THAT WAS A FIRST CLASS MISTAKE. SHE WENT ELSEWHERE AND HAS BECOME A STAPLE IN THE CHICK LIT FIELD. ON THE OTHER HAND, SINCE SHE WOULD ALWAYS RESENT ME FOR NEVER GETTING HER REVIEWED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, MAYBE I WAS SMART ENOUGH TO QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD.
SOMETIMES, IT ONLY TAKES THAT ONE SUCCESSFUL TITLE FOR WRITERS TO ANNOUNCE THAT WITH SPELLCHECK AND THEIR OWN SELF-CONFIDENCE, FROM HERE ON THEY WILL EDIT THEMSELVES. ONE OF OUR AUTHORS, PRONOUNCED A NATURAL” BY NO LESS THAN MICHIKO KAKUTANI, DID JUST THAT. HE WAS AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR, AN OLDER WRITER TO BE STARTING OUT. BUT HIS FIRST NOVEL WAS AN ABSOLUTELY PITCH-PERFECT MELD OF TRAGIC-COMEDY. HIS STORY WAS ABOUT A GROUP OF ELDERLY DENIZENS OF A RETIREMENT HOME PUTTING ON THE PLAY, HAMLET. I WAS SO IMPRESSED AT HOW WELL THE AUTHOR PORTRAYED THESE OLD FOLKS, KNEW THE CHARACTERS, THEIR FOIBLES, THEIR WEAKNESSES, THEIR HUMOR. ALL HE NEEDED TO CHANGE WAS THE COLD AND UNCOMPROMISING PERSONA OF HIS ELDERLY PROTAGONIST. WE GAVE THIS MAN, A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, SOME EMOTIONS AND SOME WEAKNESSES. THE PRINCE OF WEST END AVENUE TOOK OFF IN SALES AND AWARDS. AFTER A SECOND TITLE FOR US, THE AUTHOR LEFT TO GO ON TO A FANCY AGENT AND A BIGGER PUBLISHING HOUSE, WHEREUPON HIS EGO, BOLSTERED BY FAME AND FORTUNE, CAUSED HIM TO PRONOUNCE IN PUBLIC THAT HE PERSONALLY FELT EDITORS WERE UNNECESSARY. I WON’T BE SO IMMODEST AS TO SUGGEST THAT THE MORAL IS OBVIOUS, BUT THIS PARTICULAR WRITER SUBSEQUENTLY DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT. TO US LITERARY MEDDLERS, A WRITER, NO MATTER HOW SKILLED, WILL ALWAYS NEED SOMEONE OBJECTIVE TO HELP POLISH HIS MATERIAL, SOMEONE TO BE A SURROGATE FOR THE READER. WHAT GOES ON TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IS AS UNCLEAR TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD AS A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE, BUT MAYBE I HAVE GIVEN YOU SOME HINTS.
I AM IMMENSELY PROUD OF THE ALMOST TWO HUNDRED WRITERS WHO HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BY BRIDGE WORKS IN 20 YEARS AND I FEEL VINDICATED, IN MANY CASES, BY THOSE WHO HAVE WON PRIZES, SECURED MOVIE PRODUCTION CONTRACTS OR GONE ON TO LARGER AND MORE DEEP-POCKETED PUBLISHING HOUSES. IT’S GOOD FOR THEM AND GOOD P.R. FOR US, THE FARM TEAM. TOM PERROTTA, FOR INSTANCE, A FIRST-TIME AUTHOR WHO, AFTER GETTING LOTS OF PUBLICITY WITH OUR “BAD HAIR DAY”, A SENSITIVE STUDY OF A BOY’S ADOLESCENCE, LEFT ME IN A HUFF (IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE EDITING) FOR A BIG AGENT AND A LARGE PUBLISHING HOUSE. SINCE THEN HE HAS WRITTEN A SERIES OF FORGETTABLE NOVELS THAT, FORTUNATELY FOR HIM, MAKE GOOD MOVIES. (ELECTION, LITTLE CHILDREN.) I’VE ALWAYS FANTASIZED THAT IF HE HAD STAYED WITH ME, HIS SUBSEQUENT BOOKS COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER WRITTEN AND HOLLYWOOD WOULD HAVE COME CALLING, TOO. BUT, LET’S FACE IT. AS I SAID, EDITING IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE. WHAT YOU THINK WILL BE FANTASTIC IS IGNORED COMPLETELY, WHILE YOU PERSONALLY DISLIKE YOURSELF IS EATEN UP BY THE READING PUBLIC. YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME.
AND THE TRUTH IS, NEITHER OF US, AUTHOR AND EDITOR, WILL EVER BE FULLY SATISFIED AT THE END OF THE PROCESS. NOR CAN IT BE SAID THAT THE PROCESS HAS BROUGHT US CLOSER TO A PEACE TREATY. THE WRITER WILL TELL HIS FRIENDS THAT REALLY VERY FEW CHANGES WERE MADE, BARBARA HARDLY TOUCHED A THING. I AM SURE THAT WHAT I TOUCHED WAS THE MAJOR REASON FOR LIFTING THIS GUY OUT OF ANONYMITY. THERE WAS A MAJOR SCANDAL IN THE WRITING WORLD A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN THE WIDOW OF RAYMOND CARVER, THE CELEBRATED SHORT STORY WRITER, DECIDED THAT SHE (AND BY EXTENSION, HER LATE HUSBAND) WAS DISSATISFIED WITH THE RESULT OF HIS COLLABORATION WITH GORDON LISH, A CELEBRATED EDITOR. SHE WISHED TO REPUBLISH CARVER’S WORKS IN THEIR ORIGINAL, UNEDITED STATE. NOW, SOME SAY THAT IT WAS GORDON LISH’S CAREFUL CUTTING OF CARVER’S OFTEN ROUTINE WRITING THAT MADE THE WRITER FAMOUS AS THE EPITOME OF MINIMALISM. NATURALLY, THE PUBLISHERS REFUSED TO CHANGE A WORD OF THE WORKS THEY HAD SPONSORED. SO, EVEN WHEN AUTHORS ARE UNHAPPY, SOMETIMES EDITORS JUST HAVE TO SAY, “TAKE TWO ASPIRIN AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING”.
BUT WHILE I EXPECT THE WRITER TO STRAIGHTEN UP HER BACK AND HER DOUBTS, AND COME BACK THE NEXT DAY FOR MORE OF THE SAME, I STILL HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT AND AWE FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING I HAVE ONLY DONE ONCE, GOTTEN A BOOK PUBLISHED. AND DESPITE OCCASIONAL BACK PATS TO MYSELF, I KNOW FULL WELL THAT IT IS THE AUTHOR’S IMAGINATION AND YEARS OF WORK THAT HAVE BROUGHT THIS TITLE TO THE LIGHT OF DAY. I HAVE ONLY BEEN THE MIDWIFE IN A PROCESS THAT SEEMS LIKE A MIRACLE, A WORK OF ART THAT, WITH LUCK, MAY LAST FOREVER.
SO, I THINK I’VE TOLD YOU ENOUGH ABOUT THAT SO-CALLED VITAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDITOR AND WRITER. AND WHILE IT ISN’T ALWAYS GOOD TO PULL ASIDE THE CURTAIN TO REVEAL THE PROPS LYING AROUND BACKSTAGE, IN THE END BOOKS AND WRITERS STILL ENTHRALL US ALL. WE INTUIT THAT WE ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS. AND MOSTLY WE ARE. I’VE TRIED NOT TO BE JUST ANOTHER PROVIDER OF LONG FORM CONTENT (WHAT A PHRASE!). I’VE TRIED NOT TO PUBLICLY PRAISE LITERARY WORKS, WHILE PUBLISHING MOSTLY MASS MARKET STUFF, BECAUSE IT SELLS LIKE BAGELS AND BRINGS IN THE MONEY. AND WHILE I REALIZE I’M RUNNING A BUSINESS THAT CAN’T SURVIVE UNLESS SALES ARE GOOD, I HAVE DONE MY BEST NOT TO COMPROMISE WITH QUALITY. I’VE NEVER PUBLISHED FORMULAIC BEST SELLERS, WRITTEN BY COMMITTE. IVE ALWAYS STRIVED TO NURTURE THE BEST WRITERS I CAN FIND, PUTTING OUT THE BEST WORK THAT CIRCUMSTANCES PERMIT. MAYBE NO PULITZERS OR FAREWELL KISSES, BUT I’LL KEEP HONORING BRIDGE WORKS’S AUTHORS WHILE LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE SPARRING PARTNERS.
AND JUST A POSTSCRIPT. IF YOU, GOOD PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAT SO PATIENTLY WHILE I RANTED ON, CAN DO ONE THING FOR OUR CIVILIZATION, KEEP PROMOTING READING AND WRITING. IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN OR ARE CLOSE TO FRIENDS’ CHILDREN, HEAP THE BOOKS ON THEM. DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH IF YOU HATE HARRY POTTER OR THINK ZOMBIES AND VAMPIRES ARE HORRIBLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGSTERS. IF THE KIDS WILL ONLY READ A BOOK ON A KINDLE OR AN IPAD. BUY THEM A KINDLE. BUY THEM AN IPAD. WHATEVER IT TAKES. LONG AGO, WHILE GOING FOR A GRADUATE DEGREE, I NOTICED A LOT OF MY CLASSMATES WERE NODDING OUT IN CLASS, WHEN THEY WEREN’T YELLING “OFF THE PIGS” OUTSIDE SCHOOL. FEELING DEPRESSED ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD AND ITS YOUNG PEOPLE ONE DAY, I NOTICED A SLOGAN PAINTED ON A WALL THAT READ, “HOOKED ON BOOKS”. I’VE DONE MY BEST TO KEEP THAT APHORISM ALIVE. JOIN ME AND ENSURE THAT THE WORLD WON’T FORGET IT, EITHER.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS?
REMEMBER TO HAND OUT TWO QUESTIONS FOR STARTERS.
IN MY OWN PRESS, CHOOSING WHO WILL MAKE THE CUT SHOULD BE EASY, BECAUSE I ALONE DECIDE WHAT WE WILL PUBLISH. I AM A COMMITTEE OF ONE, THE MOST EFFICIENT KIND. I CAN TELL FROM THE FIRST PAGE OF A MANUSCRIPT WHETHER IT CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO A PUBLISHABLE TITLE THAT WILL APPEAL TO READERS. MOST OF WHAT I CHOOSE IS INITIALLY ROUGHER THAN SUBMISSIONS TO THE LARGE PRESSES BECAUSE IT’S A GIVEN THAT IF A SMALL PRESS RECEIVES A SUBMISSION, IT HAS BEEN THE ROUNDS OF THE BIGGIES, UNTIL IT FINALLY LANDS IN MY MAIL BOX, SOMEWHAT TATTERED AROUND THE EDGES. THAT’S WHY MOST OF OUR AUTHORS ARE FIRST-TIME WRITERS. BUT THERE’S GOOD NEWS TO THIS SITUATION. MOST OF THESE FIRST-TIMERS HAVE BEEN REJECTED AND EJECTED FROM THE BIG PUBLISHERS SO OFTEN THEY HAVE LOST ALL HOPE IN THEIR PRECIOUS BABIES. BUT NOW….HEY, IT’S NOT RANDOM HOUSE, BUT I’M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED!!!
AND, SOMETIMES THROUGH THE ODDEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE RIGHT PHASE OF THE MOON, I RECEIVE A MANUSCRIPT THAT IS PRACTICALLY PERFECT. I BRIEFLY PONDER WHY FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX TURNED IT DOWN. THEN I DO A LITTLE JIG. I’VE GOT A LIVE ONE, THAT RAREST OF BIRDS, A GOOD WRITER WHO CAN PUT IT ALL TOGETHER IN A CLEVER, UNDERSTATED WAY WITH LITTLE HELP FROM ME. I WORKED WITH ONE GENTLEMAN WHO HAD ALREADY PUBLISHED TWO WORKS, BUT HE HADN’T BEEN EDITED IN EITHER OF THEM. MAYBE HIS FORMER EDITORS WERE SCARED OF HIM. I CERTAINLY WAS. HE WAS A FORMIDABLE MAN, A HIGH RANKING MILITARY OFFICER, ERECT, TALL, SERIOUS IN DEMEANOR AND WRITING STYLE. BUT BECAUSE HE WAS INTERESTED IN LEARNING THE EDITING PROCESS, HE RARELY COMPLAINED ABOUT ANY CHANGES AND WE HAD A WONDERFUL, NO-STRESS TIME TOGETHER. HIS WORK WAS PERHAPS MY FAVORITE OF ALL--A SAD, BUT HIGHLY AUTHENTIC STORY ABOUT THE TRAGEDY OF PUSHING ONE’S CHILD TOO HARD TO GAIN A SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSION. WE KNOW THIS HAPPENS ALL TOO OFTEN—THE PUSHY PARENTS, THE HAPLESS CHILD VICTIM. MY AUTHOR KNEW THE SITUATION FIRST HAND. AND WE BOTH KNEW BEFORE WE STARTED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO HAPPY ENDING. I DON’T KNOW; MAYBE I GOT HIS MS BECAUSE I’M KNOWN AS THE EDITOR OF UNHAPPY ENDINGS.
LIKE MOST EDITORS, I HAVE MY OWN RULES AND PRACTICES. EDITING IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE. ONCE YOU VENTURE BEYOND THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN. HOW I WORK WITH A MANUSCRIPT IS COMPLETELY, UTTERLY MY OWN DESIGN AND EXECUTION. I START WITH THE PRELIMS. AS SOON AS THE CONTRACT IS SIGNED, I TRY TO SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME DETERMINING THROUGH EMAILS AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS THE WRITER’S ABILITY TO MAKE CHANGES TO HER WORK WITHOUT FREAKING OUT. BEFORE PUTTING ONE DELETE ON THE PAGE, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME PRAISING WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THE WORK AND WHY I LIKE IT. THIS IS MY DISARMING TACTIC, MY REASSURING TACTIC, MY PERHAPS HYPOCRITICAL TACTIC. IT MOSTLY WORKS, BUT NOT FOR LONG ENOUGH. ALL TOO SOON, MY OPTIMISM IS TRIED, I SEE THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A SLOG, WHILE THE AUTHOR, ALTERNATELY DESPAIRS AND CONTEMPLATES MY DEMISE. EXASPERATED, HE GOES, “WHY DID YOU TAKE THIS BLEEPING MANUSCRIPT IF YOU BASICALLY DON’T LIKE IT?” THIS REQUIRES MORE REASSURANCE ON MY PART, AS I CONTINUE TO COUNTER THAT THE WORK AS A WHOLE HAS MERIT. BUT PAGES 1-35 MUST GO. YOU SEE THAT DON’T YOU? YOU SEE THAT IT WILL MAKE THE NOVEL TIGHTER, STRONGER? THE AUTHOR DOES NOT SEE THAT AT ALL. THE AUTHOR IS GAZING AT MY THROAT.
THEN, AFTER THE OPENING ACTS, IT’S ONTO THE MAIN EVENT, LINE EDITING, WHERE THE TWO OF US GO OVER LINE BY LINE, PARAGRAPH BY PARAGRAPH, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER, THE ENTIRE WORK. IT’S MY JOB TO ENSURE THAT THE PLOT STRUCTURE IS SOLID, THERE IS LITTLE OR NO REPETITION, THE CHARACTERS ARE WELL-ROUNDED, THE PHYSICAL SETTING IS AUTHENTIC AND HELPFUL TO THE STORY. I TRY TO ENGAGE THE AUTHOR IN JOINING ME IN WHAT I CALL MY LITERARY CONVERSIONS. I HAVE LEARNED THAT I CAN NEVER GET HIM OR HER TO AGREE WITH THEM ALL, BUT I KEEP PROSELYTIZING ANYWAY.
NO. 1) NEVER START A STORY WITH THE WEATHER. I LEARNED THIS FROM ELMORE LEONARD, A MASTER OF THE THRILLER GENRE, WHO WRITES IN A WAY I ADMIRE, MINIMALIST SPARE. I BREAK THIS RULE OFTEN, UNFORTUNATELY. PROBABLY BECAUSE I GREW UP READING BOOKS THAT BEGAN ‘IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT”. BUT THAT WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW. MY NO. 2RULE ) MAKE THE FIRST PARAGRAPH SO GRIPPING, SO EXHILIRATING, THAT THE READER CAN’T RESIST GOING ON. IF YOU ONLY KNEW HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE BEEN THROWN DOWN IN DISGUST AFTER THE FIRST PAGE, YOU’D UNDERSTAND MY ADAMANCE ON THIS POINT. 3) WRITE TIGHT. DON’T RAMBLE. THERE’S A LOT OF COMPETITION OUT THERE. YOU MIGHT BE AWARE OF TWO HIGHLY LAUDED RECENT TITLES: LIFE BY THE ROLLING STONE KEITH RICHARDS AND THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN, BOTH MORE THAN 500 PAGES. (I THINK THE MARK TWAIN IS ALMOST 800 AND THAT’S JUST VOL 1.) WHAT ARE THE PUBLISHERS THINKING OF EVEN THE LIKES OF US BOOKIES ARE NOT GOING TO BE CAPTIVATED BY SUCH LANGUAGE HYSTERIA. I FEEL THAT IF A NOVEL CAN’T FIND OIL IN 300 PAGES OR LESS, THEY SHOULD STOP BORING. 4) GO EASY ON ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS. FOR SOME REASON, THERE IS A SUPERFLUITY OF THESE TWO PARTS OF SPEECH IN ROMANCE NOVELS. AND 5) THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL, ALWAYS WRITE WITH THE READER IN MIND. SINCE WE PUBLISH MOSTLY NOVELS, I IMAGINE THAT MY READER IS GENERALLY A COLLEGE-EDUCATED WOMAN, OCCASIONALLY A MAN, WHO ENJOYS A GOOD MAIN-STREAM READ, ENTERTAINING BUT POSSESSING, HOPEFULLY, SOME NEW IDEAS TO BE THOUGHT ABOUT.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WITH ALL THESE VITAL CONVERSIONS, THE EDITORIAL/WRITER RELATIONSHIP IS NOT FOR SISSIES. BUT I STILL BELIEVE, IN SPITE OF CERTAIN EVIDENCE OF HYSTERICS AND FOUL LANGUAGE THAT HAS COME MY WAY, THAT THE MAJORITY OF EDITED WRITERS, NO MATTER HOW RELUCTANT, EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE AT LEAST A SMALL FRISSON OF SATISFACTION. THERE WILL BE NO COMPLIMENTS AT THE END, BUT I BELIEVE HE RECOGNIZES THAT HIS WRITING HAS BECOME SMOOTHER, CLEARER, MORE FELICITOUS, MORE STYLISH. AND THAT ANTAGONISM OF THREE WEEKS EARLIER WHEN I SUGGESTED THAT IT ISN’T A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE TOO MUCH EMPHASIS TO A CHARACTER WHO IS KILLED OFF IN THE FIRST CHAPTER AND, FURTHERMORE, TELLING THE STORY WITH TOO MANY POV’S IS HARD TO DO SUCCESSFULLY UNLESS YOU ARE WILLIAM FAULKNER, HAS SOMEWHAT WANED. WORN DOWN BY MY PERSISTENCE. NOW THE AUTHOR WANTS NOTHING BUT THE END OF THE PROCESS, FOLLOWED BY A GOOD, STRONG DRINK.
I CAN HEAR YOU THINKING, “SO, WHY DO YOU TORTURE YOURSELF AND THE WRITER LIKE THIS? WHY NOT REJECT HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE AND SAVE BOTH OF YOU A LOT OF TROUBLE?”
THE ANSWER IS TWO-FOLD. FIRST, THERE MUST BE A BIT OF THE MASOCHIST IN MANY EDITORS. WE FIND A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT HAS POSSIBILITIES LURKING AMID THE INCOHERENT AND THE INCHOATE, IF ONLY WE CAN CONVINCE THE AUTHOR THAT THE CHANGES WILLBE MODEST AND REQUIRE, AT THE MOST, A PAGE OR TWO OF REWRITE. AND MORE OFTEN THAN I LIKE TO ADMIT, I HAVE PLUNGED IN WITHOUT ADEQUATELY TESTING THE WATER FOR SHARKS. INSTEAD, I, WHO LOVES WRITING NOT WISELY BUT TOO WELL, FIND MYSELF ACCEPTING A MS BECAUSE I LIKE ONLY ONE OF THE MANY ELEMENTS OF THE WORK, PERHAPS JUST THE CONCEPT OR ITS EXOTIC SETTING OR THE HORSE THE HERO RODE IN ON.
SO I TAKE MANY MORE CHANCES THAN I SHOULD. I WORKED ONCE WITH A GUY WHO HAD SERVED TIME IN JAIL FOR A YOUTHFUL DRUG OFFENSE. HE WROTE A MARVEL OF A NATURALISTIC NOVEL BASED ON HIS EXPERIENCES. THE STORY CENTERED AROUND A SOCIOPATHIC JAIL BIRD AND THE SORRY AFTERMATH OF HIS FREEDOM. IT WAS A RAW AND TOUGH STORY, AND I WANTED THE WORK EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WOULDN’T BE MOST READERS’ MEAT AND POTATOES, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST DEPICTION OF PRISON LIFE THAT I WOULD EVER GET TO PUBLISH. TO ME, THAT WORK WILL ALWAYS BE A TOP NOTCH ORIGINAL. BUT WHAT HAPPENED? TODAY THAT GUY IS A PRIZE-WINNING YOUNG ADULT WRITER. I OFTEN ASK MYSELF: WHICH WAS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE--MY HEAVY HANDED EDITING THAT I THOUGHT WAS ONLY APPROPRIATE FOR SUCH A SUBJECT AND THAT HE COULD DEAL WITH OR, JUST AS I FEARED, THE SUBSEQUENT INDIFFERENCE OF THE READING PUBLIC? WHICHEVER OR BOTH, I’LL NEVER KNOW, BUT I HOPE (BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER READ HIS YA WORKS), HE ISN’T TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE HOW TO GET OUT OF JAIL FREE.
AND EVEN WHEN FINALLY, AFTER PAGES AND PAGES OF DELETIONS AND REWRITING, THE HEROINE HAVING BEEN CHANGED FROM A SEXY BABE TO A TRANSVESTITE AND THE SETTING MOVED FROM DAYTON, OHIO, TO MALIBU, THAT TITLE GOES OUT INTO THE WORLD, BUT THE AGONY IS NOT OVER. REALLY, IT’S JUST STARTING. WILL IT GET ROTTEN REVIEWS? WILL IT GET A REVIEW AT ALL? WILL ANYONE OTHER THAN THE WRITER’S MOTHER READ IT? I REMEMBER A YOUNG WOMAN FROM THE MIDWEST WHO SENT ME WHAT IS KNOWN AS ‘CHICK LIT’, A ROMANCE NOVEL, ONE OF MY FEW NOVELS WITH A HAPPY ENDING. BUT A WORK OF SUCH CHARM, SUCH HUMOR. IT WAS ABOUT A HOMEY BEAUTY PARLOR THAT SERVED AS A SHRINK’S COUCH FOR BOTH CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES. WE SLAVED OVER THAT WORK, STRUGGLING TO SAVE THE GOOD PARTS AND DELETE THE MAJOR IRRELEVANCIES. AND WHEN WE FINISHED AND I HOPED THE AUTHOR WOULD BE PLEASED WITH THE RESULT, SHE THREW A FIT WHEN I TOLD HER NOT TO GET UPSET IF THE NYTIMES DIDN’T REVIEW HER BOOK. SHE CRIED OUT, “CAN’T YOU MAKE THEM?”
TO MY UTTER SURPRISE, WHILE I WAS CORRECT AND THE NYTIMES DID NOT REVIEW THE WORK, WORD OF MOUTH AMONG READERS AND BOOK SELLERS MADE PATTY JANE’S HOUSE OF CURL THE MOST FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL TITLE BRIDGE WORKS EVER PUBLISHED. (THE AUTHOR’S SEXY BOOK JACKET PHOTO DIDN’T HURT, EITHER.)
BUT BECAUSE SHE NEEDED SUCH HEAVY EDITING, WE ELECTED NOT TO TAKE HER ON FOR A SECOND WORK, WHICH WAS NOT AS COMPELLING AS THE FIRST, FEELING THAT THE EDITING WOULD BE TOO MUCH OF A LOAD. THAT WAS A FIRST CLASS MISTAKE. SHE WENT ELSEWHERE AND HAS BECOME A STAPLE IN THE CHICK LIT FIELD. ON THE OTHER HAND, SINCE SHE WOULD ALWAYS RESENT ME FOR NEVER GETTING HER REVIEWED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, MAYBE I WAS SMART ENOUGH TO QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD.
SOMETIMES, IT ONLY TAKES THAT ONE SUCCESSFUL TITLE FOR WRITERS TO ANNOUNCE THAT WITH SPELLCHECK AND THEIR OWN SELF-CONFIDENCE, FROM HERE ON THEY WILL EDIT THEMSELVES. ONE OF OUR AUTHORS, PRONOUNCED A NATURAL” BY NO LESS THAN MICHIKO KAKUTANI, DID JUST THAT. HE WAS AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR, AN OLDER WRITER TO BE STARTING OUT. BUT HIS FIRST NOVEL WAS AN ABSOLUTELY PITCH-PERFECT MELD OF TRAGIC-COMEDY. HIS STORY WAS ABOUT A GROUP OF ELDERLY DENIZENS OF A RETIREMENT HOME PUTTING ON THE PLAY, HAMLET. I WAS SO IMPRESSED AT HOW WELL THE AUTHOR PORTRAYED THESE OLD FOLKS, KNEW THE CHARACTERS, THEIR FOIBLES, THEIR WEAKNESSES, THEIR HUMOR. ALL HE NEEDED TO CHANGE WAS THE COLD AND UNCOMPROMISING PERSONA OF HIS ELDERLY PROTAGONIST. WE GAVE THIS MAN, A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, SOME EMOTIONS AND SOME WEAKNESSES. THE PRINCE OF WEST END AVENUE TOOK OFF IN SALES AND AWARDS. AFTER A SECOND TITLE FOR US, THE AUTHOR LEFT TO GO ON TO A FANCY AGENT AND A BIGGER PUBLISHING HOUSE, WHEREUPON HIS EGO, BOLSTERED BY FAME AND FORTUNE, CAUSED HIM TO PRONOUNCE IN PUBLIC THAT HE PERSONALLY FELT EDITORS WERE UNNECESSARY. I WON’T BE SO IMMODEST AS TO SUGGEST THAT THE MORAL IS OBVIOUS, BUT THIS PARTICULAR WRITER SUBSEQUENTLY DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT. TO US LITERARY MEDDLERS, A WRITER, NO MATTER HOW SKILLED, WILL ALWAYS NEED SOMEONE OBJECTIVE TO HELP POLISH HIS MATERIAL, SOMEONE TO BE A SURROGATE FOR THE READER. WHAT GOES ON TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IS AS UNCLEAR TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD AS A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE, BUT MAYBE I HAVE GIVEN YOU SOME HINTS.
I AM IMMENSELY PROUD OF THE ALMOST TWO HUNDRED WRITERS WHO HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BY BRIDGE WORKS IN 20 YEARS AND I FEEL VINDICATED, IN MANY CASES, BY THOSE WHO HAVE WON PRIZES, SECURED MOVIE PRODUCTION CONTRACTS OR GONE ON TO LARGER AND MORE DEEP-POCKETED PUBLISHING HOUSES. IT’S GOOD FOR THEM AND GOOD P.R. FOR US, THE FARM TEAM. TOM PERROTTA, FOR INSTANCE, A FIRST-TIME AUTHOR WHO, AFTER GETTING LOTS OF PUBLICITY WITH OUR “BAD HAIR DAY”, A SENSITIVE STUDY OF A BOY’S ADOLESCENCE, LEFT ME IN A HUFF (IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE EDITING) FOR A BIG AGENT AND A LARGE PUBLISHING HOUSE. SINCE THEN HE HAS WRITTEN A SERIES OF FORGETTABLE NOVELS THAT, FORTUNATELY FOR HIM, MAKE GOOD MOVIES. (ELECTION, LITTLE CHILDREN.) I’VE ALWAYS FANTASIZED THAT IF HE HAD STAYED WITH ME, HIS SUBSEQUENT BOOKS COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER WRITTEN AND HOLLYWOOD WOULD HAVE COME CALLING, TOO. BUT, LET’S FACE IT. AS I SAID, EDITING IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE. WHAT YOU THINK WILL BE FANTASTIC IS IGNORED COMPLETELY, WHILE YOU PERSONALLY DISLIKE YOURSELF IS EATEN UP BY THE READING PUBLIC. YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME.
AND THE TRUTH IS, NEITHER OF US, AUTHOR AND EDITOR, WILL EVER BE FULLY SATISFIED AT THE END OF THE PROCESS. NOR CAN IT BE SAID THAT THE PROCESS HAS BROUGHT US CLOSER TO A PEACE TREATY. THE WRITER WILL TELL HIS FRIENDS THAT REALLY VERY FEW CHANGES WERE MADE, BARBARA HARDLY TOUCHED A THING. I AM SURE THAT WHAT I TOUCHED WAS THE MAJOR REASON FOR LIFTING THIS GUY OUT OF ANONYMITY. THERE WAS A MAJOR SCANDAL IN THE WRITING WORLD A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN THE WIDOW OF RAYMOND CARVER, THE CELEBRATED SHORT STORY WRITER, DECIDED THAT SHE (AND BY EXTENSION, HER LATE HUSBAND) WAS DISSATISFIED WITH THE RESULT OF HIS COLLABORATION WITH GORDON LISH, A CELEBRATED EDITOR. SHE WISHED TO REPUBLISH CARVER’S WORKS IN THEIR ORIGINAL, UNEDITED STATE. NOW, SOME SAY THAT IT WAS GORDON LISH’S CAREFUL CUTTING OF CARVER’S OFTEN ROUTINE WRITING THAT MADE THE WRITER FAMOUS AS THE EPITOME OF MINIMALISM. NATURALLY, THE PUBLISHERS REFUSED TO CHANGE A WORD OF THE WORKS THEY HAD SPONSORED. SO, EVEN WHEN AUTHORS ARE UNHAPPY, SOMETIMES EDITORS JUST HAVE TO SAY, “TAKE TWO ASPIRIN AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING”.
BUT WHILE I EXPECT THE WRITER TO STRAIGHTEN UP HER BACK AND HER DOUBTS, AND COME BACK THE NEXT DAY FOR MORE OF THE SAME, I STILL HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT AND AWE FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING I HAVE ONLY DONE ONCE, GOTTEN A BOOK PUBLISHED. AND DESPITE OCCASIONAL BACK PATS TO MYSELF, I KNOW FULL WELL THAT IT IS THE AUTHOR’S IMAGINATION AND YEARS OF WORK THAT HAVE BROUGHT THIS TITLE TO THE LIGHT OF DAY. I HAVE ONLY BEEN THE MIDWIFE IN A PROCESS THAT SEEMS LIKE A MIRACLE, A WORK OF ART THAT, WITH LUCK, MAY LAST FOREVER.
SO, I THINK I’VE TOLD YOU ENOUGH ABOUT THAT SO-CALLED VITAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDITOR AND WRITER. AND WHILE IT ISN’T ALWAYS GOOD TO PULL ASIDE THE CURTAIN TO REVEAL THE PROPS LYING AROUND BACKSTAGE, IN THE END BOOKS AND WRITERS STILL ENTHRALL US ALL. WE INTUIT THAT WE ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS. AND MOSTLY WE ARE. I’VE TRIED NOT TO BE JUST ANOTHER PROVIDER OF LONG FORM CONTENT (WHAT A PHRASE!). I’VE TRIED NOT TO PUBLICLY PRAISE LITERARY WORKS, WHILE PUBLISHING MOSTLY MASS MARKET STUFF, BECAUSE IT SELLS LIKE BAGELS AND BRINGS IN THE MONEY. AND WHILE I REALIZE I’M RUNNING A BUSINESS THAT CAN’T SURVIVE UNLESS SALES ARE GOOD, I HAVE DONE MY BEST NOT TO COMPROMISE WITH QUALITY. I’VE NEVER PUBLISHED FORMULAIC BEST SELLERS, WRITTEN BY COMMITTE. IVE ALWAYS STRIVED TO NURTURE THE BEST WRITERS I CAN FIND, PUTTING OUT THE BEST WORK THAT CIRCUMSTANCES PERMIT. MAYBE NO PULITZERS OR FAREWELL KISSES, BUT I’LL KEEP HONORING BRIDGE WORKS’S AUTHORS WHILE LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE SPARRING PARTNERS.
AND JUST A POSTSCRIPT. IF YOU, GOOD PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAT SO PATIENTLY WHILE I RANTED ON, CAN DO ONE THING FOR OUR CIVILIZATION, KEEP PROMOTING READING AND WRITING. IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN OR ARE CLOSE TO FRIENDS’ CHILDREN, HEAP THE BOOKS ON THEM. DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH IF YOU HATE HARRY POTTER OR THINK ZOMBIES AND VAMPIRES ARE HORRIBLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGSTERS. IF THE KIDS WILL ONLY READ A BOOK ON A KINDLE OR AN IPAD. BUY THEM A KINDLE. BUY THEM AN IPAD. WHATEVER IT TAKES. LONG AGO, WHILE GOING FOR A GRADUATE DEGREE, I NOTICED A LOT OF MY CLASSMATES WERE NODDING OUT IN CLASS, WHEN THEY WEREN’T YELLING “OFF THE PIGS” OUTSIDE SCHOOL. FEELING DEPRESSED ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD AND ITS YOUNG PEOPLE ONE DAY, I NOTICED A SLOGAN PAINTED ON A WALL THAT READ, “HOOKED ON BOOKS”. I’VE DONE MY BEST TO KEEP THAT APHORISM ALIVE. JOIN ME AND ENSURE THAT THE WORLD WON’T FORGET IT, EITHER.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS?
REMEMBER TO HAND OUT TWO QUESTIONS FOR STARTERS.
IN MY OWN PRESS, CHOOSING WHO WILL MAKE THE CUT SHOULD BE EASY, BECAUSE I ALONE DECIDE WHAT WE WILL PUBLISH. I AM A COMMITTEE OF ONE, THE MOST EFFICIENT KIND. I CAN TELL FROM THE FIRST PAGE OF A MANUSCRIPT WHETHER IT CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO A PUBLISHABLE TITLE THAT WILL APPEAL TO READERS. MOST OF WHAT I CHOOSE IS INITIALLY ROUGHER THAN SUBMISSIONS TO THE LARGE PRESSES BECAUSE IT’S A GIVEN THAT IF A SMALL PRESS RECEIVES A SUBMISSION, IT HAS BEEN THE ROUNDS OF THE BIGGIES, UNTIL IT FINALLY LANDS IN MY MAIL BOX, SOMEWHAT TATTERED AROUND THE EDGES. THAT’S WHY MOST OF OUR AUTHORS ARE FIRST-TIME WRITERS. BUT THERE’S GOOD NEWS TO THIS SITUATION. MOST OF THESE FIRST-TIMERS HAVE BEEN REJECTED AND EJECTED FROM THE BIG PUBLISHERS SO OFTEN THEY HAVE LOST ALL HOPE IN THEIR PRECIOUS BABIES. BUT NOW….HEY, IT’S NOT RANDOM HOUSE, BUT I’M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED!!!
AND, SOMETIMES THROUGH THE ODDEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE RIGHT PHASE OF THE MOON, I RECEIVE A MANUSCRIPT THAT IS PRACTICALLY PERFECT. I BRIEFLY PONDER WHY FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX TURNED IT DOWN. THEN I DO A LITTLE JIG. I’VE GOT A LIVE ONE, THAT RAREST OF BIRDS, A GOOD WRITER WHO CAN PUT IT ALL TOGETHER IN A CLEVER, UNDERSTATED WAY WITH LITTLE HELP FROM ME. I WORKED WITH ONE GENTLEMAN WHO HAD ALREADY PUBLISHED TWO WORKS, BUT HE HADN’T BEEN EDITED IN EITHER OF THEM. MAYBE HIS FORMER EDITORS WERE SCARED OF HIM. I CERTAINLY WAS. HE WAS A FORMIDABLE MAN, A HIGH RANKING MILITARY OFFICER, ERECT, TALL, SERIOUS IN DEMEANOR AND WRITING STYLE. BUT BECAUSE HE WAS INTERESTED IN LEARNING THE EDITING PROCESS, HE RARELY COMPLAINED ABOUT ANY CHANGES AND WE HAD A WONDERFUL, NO-STRESS TIME TOGETHER. HIS WORK WAS PERHAPS MY FAVORITE OF ALL--A SAD, BUT HIGHLY AUTHENTIC STORY ABOUT THE TRAGEDY OF PUSHING ONE’S CHILD TOO HARD TO GAIN A SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSION. WE KNOW THIS HAPPENS ALL TOO OFTEN—THE PUSHY PARENTS, THE HAPLESS CHILD VICTIM. MY AUTHOR KNEW THE SITUATION FIRST HAND. AND WE BOTH KNEW BEFORE WE STARTED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO HAPPY ENDING. I DON’T KNOW; MAYBE I GOT HIS MS BECAUSE I’M KNOWN AS THE EDITOR OF UNHAPPY ENDINGS.
LIKE MOST EDITORS, I HAVE MY OWN RULES AND PRACTICES. EDITING IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE. ONCE YOU VENTURE BEYOND THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN. HOW I WORK WITH A MANUSCRIPT IS COMPLETELY, UTTERLY MY OWN DESIGN AND EXECUTION. I START WITH THE PRELIMS. AS SOON AS THE CONTRACT IS SIGNED, I TRY TO SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME DETERMINING THROUGH EMAILS AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS THE WRITER’S ABILITY TO MAKE CHANGES TO HER WORK WITHOUT FREAKING OUT. BEFORE PUTTING ONE DELETE ON THE PAGE, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME PRAISING WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THE WORK AND WHY I LIKE IT. THIS IS MY DISARMING TACTIC, MY REASSURING TACTIC, MY PERHAPS HYPOCRITICAL TACTIC. IT MOSTLY WORKS, BUT NOT FOR LONG ENOUGH. ALL TOO SOON, MY OPTIMISM IS TRIED, I SEE THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A SLOG, WHILE THE AUTHOR, ALTERNATELY DESPAIRS AND CONTEMPLATES MY DEMISE. EXASPERATED, HE GOES, “WHY DID YOU TAKE THIS BLEEPING MANUSCRIPT IF YOU BASICALLY DON’T LIKE IT?” THIS REQUIRES MORE REASSURANCE ON MY PART, AS I CONTINUE TO COUNTER THAT THE WORK AS A WHOLE HAS MERIT. BUT PAGES 1-35 MUST GO. YOU SEE THAT DON’T YOU? YOU SEE THAT IT WILL MAKE THE NOVEL TIGHTER, STRONGER? THE AUTHOR DOES NOT SEE THAT AT ALL. THE AUTHOR IS GAZING AT MY THROAT.
THEN, AFTER THE OPENING ACTS, IT’S ONTO THE MAIN EVENT, LINE EDITING, WHERE THE TWO OF US GO OVER LINE BY LINE, PARAGRAPH BY PARAGRAPH, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER, THE ENTIRE WORK. IT’S MY JOB TO ENSURE THAT THE PLOT STRUCTURE IS SOLID, THERE IS LITTLE OR NO REPETITION, THE CHARACTERS ARE WELL-ROUNDED, THE PHYSICAL SETTING IS AUTHENTIC AND HELPFUL TO THE STORY. I TRY TO ENGAGE THE AUTHOR IN JOINING ME IN WHAT I CALL MY LITERARY CONVERSIONS. I HAVE LEARNED THAT I CAN NEVER GET HIM OR HER TO AGREE WITH THEM ALL, BUT I KEEP PROSELYTIZING ANYWAY.
NO. 1) NEVER START A STORY WITH THE WEATHER. I LEARNED THIS FROM ELMORE LEONARD, A MASTER OF THE THRILLER GENRE, WHO WRITES IN A WAY I ADMIRE, MINIMALIST SPARE. I BREAK THIS RULE OFTEN, UNFORTUNATELY. PROBABLY BECAUSE I GREW UP READING BOOKS THAT BEGAN ‘IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT”. BUT THAT WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW. MY NO. 2RULE ) MAKE THE FIRST PARAGRAPH SO GRIPPING, SO EXHILIRATING, THAT THE READER CAN’T RESIST GOING ON. IF YOU ONLY KNEW HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE BEEN THROWN DOWN IN DISGUST AFTER THE FIRST PAGE, YOU’D UNDERSTAND MY ADAMANCE ON THIS POINT. 3) WRITE TIGHT. DON’T RAMBLE. THERE’S A LOT OF COMPETITION OUT THERE. YOU MIGHT BE AWARE OF TWO HIGHLY LAUDED RECENT TITLES: LIFE BY THE ROLLING STONE KEITH RICHARDS AND THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN, BOTH MORE THAN 500 PAGES. (I THINK THE MARK TWAIN IS ALMOST 800 AND THAT’S JUST VOL 1.) WHAT ARE THE PUBLISHERS THINKING OF EVEN THE LIKES OF US BOOKIES ARE NOT GOING TO BE CAPTIVATED BY SUCH LANGUAGE HYSTERIA. I FEEL THAT IF A NOVEL CAN’T FIND OIL IN 300 PAGES OR LESS, THEY SHOULD STOP BORING. 4) GO EASY ON ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS. FOR SOME REASON, THERE IS A SUPERFLUITY OF THESE TWO PARTS OF SPEECH IN ROMANCE NOVELS. AND 5) THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL, ALWAYS WRITE WITH THE READER IN MIND. SINCE WE PUBLISH MOSTLY NOVELS, I IMAGINE THAT MY READER IS GENERALLY A COLLEGE-EDUCATED WOMAN, OCCASIONALLY A MAN, WHO ENJOYS A GOOD MAIN-STREAM READ, ENTERTAINING BUT POSSESSING, HOPEFULLY, SOME NEW IDEAS TO BE THOUGHT ABOUT.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WITH ALL THESE VITAL CONVERSIONS, THE EDITORIAL/WRITER RELATIONSHIP IS NOT FOR SISSIES. BUT I STILL BELIEVE, IN SPITE OF CERTAIN EVIDENCE OF HYSTERICS AND FOUL LANGUAGE THAT HAS COME MY WAY, THAT THE MAJORITY OF EDITED WRITERS, NO MATTER HOW RELUCTANT, EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE AT LEAST A SMALL FRISSON OF SATISFACTION. THERE WILL BE NO COMPLIMENTS AT THE END, BUT I BELIEVE HE RECOGNIZES THAT HIS WRITING HAS BECOME SMOOTHER, CLEARER, MORE FELICITOUS, MORE STYLISH. AND THAT ANTAGONISM OF THREE WEEKS EARLIER WHEN I SUGGESTED THAT IT ISN’T A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE TOO MUCH EMPHASIS TO A CHARACTER WHO IS KILLED OFF IN THE FIRST CHAPTER AND, FURTHERMORE, TELLING THE STORY WITH TOO MANY POV’S IS HARD TO DO SUCCESSFULLY UNLESS YOU ARE WILLIAM FAULKNER, HAS SOMEWHAT WANED. WORN DOWN BY MY PERSISTENCE. NOW THE AUTHOR WANTS NOTHING BUT THE END OF THE PROCESS, FOLLOWED BY A GOOD, STRONG DRINK.
I CAN HEAR YOU THINKING, “SO, WHY DO YOU TORTURE YOURSELF AND THE WRITER LIKE THIS? WHY NOT REJECT HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE AND SAVE BOTH OF YOU A LOT OF TROUBLE?”
THE ANSWER IS TWO-FOLD. FIRST, THERE MUST BE A BIT OF THE MASOCHIST IN MANY EDITORS. WE FIND A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT HAS POSSIBILITIES LURKING AMID THE INCOHERENT AND THE INCHOATE, IF ONLY WE CAN CONVINCE THE AUTHOR THAT THE CHANGES WILLBE MODEST AND REQUIRE, AT THE MOST, A PAGE OR TWO OF REWRITE. AND MORE OFTEN THAN I LIKE TO ADMIT, I HAVE PLUNGED IN WITHOUT ADEQUATELY TESTING THE WATER FOR SHARKS. INSTEAD, I, WHO LOVES WRITING NOT WISELY BUT TOO WELL, FIND MYSELF ACCEPTING A MS BECAUSE I LIKE ONLY ONE OF THE MANY ELEMENTS OF THE WORK, PERHAPS JUST THE CONCEPT OR ITS EXOTIC SETTING OR THE HORSE THE HERO RODE IN ON.
SO I TAKE MANY MORE CHANCES THAN I SHOULD. I WORKED ONCE WITH A GUY WHO HAD SERVED TIME IN JAIL FOR A YOUTHFUL DRUG OFFENSE. HE WROTE A MARVEL OF A NATURALISTIC NOVEL BASED ON HIS EXPERIENCES. THE STORY CENTERED AROUND A SOCIOPATHIC JAIL BIRD AND THE SORRY AFTERMATH OF HIS FREEDOM. IT WAS A RAW AND TOUGH STORY, AND I WANTED THE WORK EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WOULDN’T BE MOST READERS’ MEAT AND POTATOES, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST DEPICTION OF PRISON LIFE THAT I WOULD EVER GET TO PUBLISH. TO ME, THAT WORK WILL ALWAYS BE A TOP NOTCH ORIGINAL. BUT WHAT HAPPENED? TODAY THAT GUY IS A PRIZE-WINNING YOUNG ADULT WRITER. I OFTEN ASK MYSELF: WHICH WAS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE--MY HEAVY HANDED EDITING THAT I THOUGHT WAS ONLY APPROPRIATE FOR SUCH A SUBJECT AND THAT HE COULD DEAL WITH OR, JUST AS I FEARED, THE SUBSEQUENT INDIFFERENCE OF THE READING PUBLIC? WHICHEVER OR BOTH, I’LL NEVER KNOW, BUT I HOPE (BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER READ HIS YA WORKS), HE ISN’T TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE HOW TO GET OUT OF JAIL FREE.
AND EVEN WHEN FINALLY, AFTER PAGES AND PAGES OF DELETIONS AND REWRITING, THE HEROINE HAVING BEEN CHANGED FROM A SEXY BABE TO A TRANSVESTITE AND THE SETTING MOVED FROM DAYTON, OHIO, TO MALIBU, THAT TITLE GOES OUT INTO THE WORLD, BUT THE AGONY IS NOT OVER. REALLY, IT’S JUST STARTING. WILL IT GET ROTTEN REVIEWS? WILL IT GET A REVIEW AT ALL? WILL ANYONE OTHER THAN THE WRITER’S MOTHER READ IT? I REMEMBER A YOUNG WOMAN FROM THE MIDWEST WHO SENT ME WHAT IS KNOWN AS ‘CHICK LIT’, A ROMANCE NOVEL, ONE OF MY FEW NOVELS WITH A HAPPY ENDING. BUT A WORK OF SUCH CHARM, SUCH HUMOR. IT WAS ABOUT A HOMEY BEAUTY PARLOR THAT SERVED AS A SHRINK’S COUCH FOR BOTH CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES. WE SLAVED OVER THAT WORK, STRUGGLING TO SAVE THE GOOD PARTS AND DELETE THE MAJOR IRRELEVANCIES. AND WHEN WE FINISHED AND I HOPED THE AUTHOR WOULD BE PLEASED WITH THE RESULT, SHE THREW A FIT WHEN I TOLD HER NOT TO GET UPSET IF THE NYTIMES DIDN’T REVIEW HER BOOK. SHE CRIED OUT, “CAN’T YOU MAKE THEM?”
TO MY UTTER SURPRISE, WHILE I WAS CORRECT AND THE NYTIMES DID NOT REVIEW THE WORK, WORD OF MOUTH AMONG READERS AND BOOK SELLERS MADE PATTY JANE’S HOUSE OF CURL THE MOST FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL TITLE BRIDGE WORKS EVER PUBLISHED. (THE AUTHOR’S SEXY BOOK JACKET PHOTO DIDN’T HURT, EITHER.)
BUT BECAUSE SHE NEEDED SUCH HEAVY EDITING, WE ELECTED NOT TO TAKE HER ON FOR A SECOND WORK, WHICH WAS NOT AS COMPELLING AS THE FIRST, FEELING THAT THE EDITING WOULD BE TOO MUCH OF A LOAD. THAT WAS A FIRST CLASS MISTAKE. SHE WENT ELSEWHERE AND HAS BECOME A STAPLE IN THE CHICK LIT FIELD. ON THE OTHER HAND, SINCE SHE WOULD ALWAYS RESENT ME FOR NEVER GETTING HER REVIEWED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, MAYBE I WAS SMART ENOUGH TO QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD.
SOMETIMES, IT ONLY TAKES THAT ONE SUCCESSFUL TITLE FOR WRITERS TO ANNOUNCE THAT WITH SPELLCHECK AND THEIR OWN SELF-CONFIDENCE, FROM HERE ON THEY WILL EDIT THEMSELVES. ONE OF OUR AUTHORS, PRONOUNCED A NATURAL” BY NO LESS THAN MICHIKO KAKUTANI, DID JUST THAT. HE WAS AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR, AN OLDER WRITER TO BE STARTING OUT. BUT HIS FIRST NOVEL WAS AN ABSOLUTELY PITCH-PERFECT MELD OF TRAGIC-COMEDY. HIS STORY WAS ABOUT A GROUP OF ELDERLY DENIZENS OF A RETIREMENT HOME PUTTING ON THE PLAY, HAMLET. I WAS SO IMPRESSED AT HOW WELL THE AUTHOR PORTRAYED THESE OLD FOLKS, KNEW THE CHARACTERS, THEIR FOIBLES, THEIR WEAKNESSES, THEIR HUMOR. ALL HE NEEDED TO CHANGE WAS THE COLD AND UNCOMPROMISING PERSONA OF HIS ELDERLY PROTAGONIST. WE GAVE THIS MAN, A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, SOME EMOTIONS AND SOME WEAKNESSES. THE PRINCE OF WEST END AVENUE TOOK OFF IN SALES AND AWARDS. AFTER A SECOND TITLE FOR US, THE AUTHOR LEFT TO GO ON TO A FANCY AGENT AND A BIGGER PUBLISHING HOUSE, WHEREUPON HIS EGO, BOLSTERED BY FAME AND FORTUNE, CAUSED HIM TO PRONOUNCE IN PUBLIC THAT HE PERSONALLY FELT EDITORS WERE UNNECESSARY. I WON’T BE SO IMMODEST AS TO SUGGEST THAT THE MORAL IS OBVIOUS, BUT THIS PARTICULAR WRITER SUBSEQUENTLY DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT. TO US LITERARY MEDDLERS, A WRITER, NO MATTER HOW SKILLED, WILL ALWAYS NEED SOMEONE OBJECTIVE TO HELP POLISH HIS MATERIAL, SOMEONE TO BE A SURROGATE FOR THE READER. WHAT GOES ON TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IS AS UNCLEAR TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD AS A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE, BUT MAYBE I HAVE GIVEN YOU SOME HINTS.
I AM IMMENSELY PROUD OF THE ALMOST TWO HUNDRED WRITERS WHO HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BY BRIDGE WORKS IN 20 YEARS AND I FEEL VINDICATED, IN MANY CASES, BY THOSE WHO HAVE WON PRIZES, SECURED MOVIE PRODUCTION CONTRACTS OR GONE ON TO LARGER AND MORE DEEP-POCKETED PUBLISHING HOUSES. IT’S GOOD FOR THEM AND GOOD P.R. FOR US, THE FARM TEAM. TOM PERROTTA, FOR INSTANCE, A FIRST-TIME AUTHOR WHO, AFTER GETTING LOTS OF PUBLICITY WITH OUR “BAD HAIR DAY”, A SENSITIVE STUDY OF A BOY’S ADOLESCENCE, LEFT ME IN A HUFF (IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE EDITING) FOR A BIG AGENT AND A LARGE PUBLISHING HOUSE. SINCE THEN HE HAS WRITTEN A SERIES OF FORGETTABLE NOVELS THAT, FORTUNATELY FOR HIM, MAKE GOOD MOVIES. (ELECTION, LITTLE CHILDREN.) I’VE ALWAYS FANTASIZED THAT IF HE HAD STAYED WITH ME, HIS SUBSEQUENT BOOKS COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER WRITTEN AND HOLLYWOOD WOULD HAVE COME CALLING, TOO. BUT, LET’S FACE IT. AS I SAID, EDITING IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE. WHAT YOU THINK WILL BE FANTASTIC IS IGNORED COMPLETELY, WHILE YOU PERSONALLY DISLIKE YOURSELF IS EATEN UP BY THE READING PUBLIC. YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME.
AND THE TRUTH IS, NEITHER OF US, AUTHOR AND EDITOR, WILL EVER BE FULLY SATISFIED AT THE END OF THE PROCESS. NOR CAN IT BE SAID THAT THE PROCESS HAS BROUGHT US CLOSER TO A PEACE TREATY. THE WRITER WILL TELL HIS FRIENDS THAT REALLY VERY FEW CHANGES WERE MADE, BARBARA HARDLY TOUCHED A THING. I AM SURE THAT WHAT I TOUCHED WAS THE MAJOR REASON FOR LIFTING THIS GUY OUT OF ANONYMITY. THERE WAS A MAJOR SCANDAL IN THE WRITING WORLD A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN THE WIDOW OF RAYMOND CARVER, THE CELEBRATED SHORT STORY WRITER, DECIDED THAT SHE (AND BY EXTENSION, HER LATE HUSBAND) WAS DISSATISFIED WITH THE RESULT OF HIS COLLABORATION WITH GORDON LISH, A CELEBRATED EDITOR. SHE WISHED TO REPUBLISH CARVER’S WORKS IN THEIR ORIGINAL, UNEDITED STATE. NOW, SOME SAY THAT IT WAS GORDON LISH’S CAREFUL CUTTING OF CARVER’S OFTEN ROUTINE WRITING THAT MADE THE WRITER FAMOUS AS THE EPITOME OF MINIMALISM. NATURALLY, THE PUBLISHERS REFUSED TO CHANGE A WORD OF THE WORKS THEY HAD SPONSORED. SO, EVEN WHEN AUTHORS ARE UNHAPPY, SOMETIMES EDITORS JUST HAVE TO SAY, “TAKE TWO ASPIRIN AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING”.
BUT WHILE I EXPECT THE WRITER TO STRAIGHTEN UP HER BACK AND HER DOUBTS, AND COME BACK THE NEXT DAY FOR MORE OF THE SAME, I STILL HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT AND AWE FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING I HAVE ONLY DONE ONCE, GOTTEN A BOOK PUBLISHED. AND DESPITE OCCASIONAL BACK PATS TO MYSELF, I KNOW FULL WELL THAT IT IS THE AUTHOR’S IMAGINATION AND YEARS OF WORK THAT HAVE BROUGHT THIS TITLE TO THE LIGHT OF DAY. I HAVE ONLY BEEN THE MIDWIFE IN A PROCESS THAT SEEMS LIKE A MIRACLE, A WORK OF ART THAT, WITH LUCK, MAY LAST FOREVER.
SO, I THINK I’VE TOLD YOU ENOUGH ABOUT THAT SO-CALLED VITAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDITOR AND WRITER. AND WHILE IT ISN’T ALWAYS GOOD TO PULL ASIDE THE CURTAIN TO REVEAL THE PROPS LYING AROUND BACKSTAGE, IN THE END BOOKS AND WRITERS STILL ENTHRALL US ALL. WE INTUIT THAT WE ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS. AND MOSTLY WE ARE. I’VE TRIED NOT TO BE JUST ANOTHER PROVIDER OF LONG FORM CONTENT (WHAT A PHRASE!). I’VE TRIED NOT TO PUBLICLY PRAISE LITERARY WORKS, WHILE PUBLISHING MOSTLY MASS MARKET STUFF, BECAUSE IT SELLS LIKE BAGELS AND BRINGS IN THE MONEY. AND WHILE I REALIZE I’M RUNNING A BUSINESS THAT CAN’T SURVIVE UNLESS SALES ARE GOOD, I HAVE DONE MY BEST NOT TO COMPROMISE WITH QUALITY. I’VE NEVER PUBLISHED FORMULAIC BEST SELLERS, WRITTEN BY COMMITTE. IVE ALWAYS STRIVED TO NURTURE THE BEST WRITERS I CAN FIND, PUTTING OUT THE BEST WORK THAT CIRCUMSTANCES PERMIT. MAYBE NO PULITZERS OR FAREWELL KISSES, BUT I’LL KEEP HONORING BRIDGE WORKS’S AUTHORS WHILE LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE SPARRING PARTNERS.
AND JUST A POSTSCRIPT. IF YOU, GOOD PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAT SO PATIENTLY WHILE I RANTED ON, CAN DO ONE THING FOR OUR CIVILIZATION, KEEP PROMOTING READING AND WRITING. IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN OR ARE CLOSE TO FRIENDS’ CHILDREN, HEAP THE BOOKS ON THEM. DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH IF YOU HATE HARRY POTTER OR THINK ZOMBIES AND VAMPIRES ARE HORRIBLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGSTERS. IF THE KIDS WILL ONLY READ A BOOK ON A KINDLE OR AN IPAD. BUY THEM A KINDLE. BUY THEM AN IPAD. WHATEVER IT TAKES. LONG AGO, WHILE GOING FOR A GRADUATE DEGREE, I NOTICED A LOT OF MY CLASSMATES WERE NODDING OUT IN CLASS, WHEN THEY WEREN’T YELLING “OFF THE PIGS” OUTSIDE SCHOOL. FEELING DEPRESSED ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD AND ITS YOUNG PEOPLE ONE DAY, I NOTICED A SLOGAN PAINTED ON A WALL THAT READ, “HOOKED ON BOOKS”. I’VE DONE MY BEST TO KEEP THAT APHORISM ALIVE. JOIN ME AND ENSURE THAT THE WORLD WON’T FORGET IT, EITHER.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS?
REMEMBER TO HAND OUT TWO QUESTIONS FOR STARTERS.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Vital Relationship Between Editor and Writer
My next two posts contain the text of a talk I gave to the Cosmopolitan Club in New York City in late June 2011. The subject was the vital relationship between editor and writer. First half of text follows:
MY MISSION TODAY IS TO GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHT INTO THE EDITOR/WRITER RELATIONSHIP, WHICH I BELIEVE IS STILL VITAL AND STILL NECESSARY, BUT AS ENDANGERED, I’M AFRAID, AS SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY.
BUT FIRST, IF YOU’LL ALLOW ME TO DIGRESS A LITTLE, I WOULD LIKE TO PUT THIS RELATIONSHIP INTO CONTEXT, WHICH IS THE CURRENT STATE OF THE BOOK BUSINESS IN AMERICA. I’M SURE MR. ROSENTHAL COVERED THE SUBJECT IN HIS TALK LAST WEEK, SO FORGIVE ANY REPETITION. TO PUT IT BRIEFLY, THE BOOK BUSINESS AND ALL ITS PRACTICIONERS ARE IN FERMENT.
ON THE ONE HAND, WE ALL KNOW THAT THE INTERNET HAS CHANGED THE WAY WE READ. IN A WORLD OF BLOGS, WEBSITES AND SOCIAL NETWORKS (ALL SHORT FORM READING), LONG FORM READING—BOOKS, MOSTLY--SEEMS AS DOOMED AS THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. I CERTAINLY AGREE THAT WE NOW LIVE IN A FRAGMENTED, SHORT ATTENTION-SPANNED ELECTRONIC WORLD, AND EVEN THOSE OF US WHO GREW UP READING BOOKS FIND LESS AND LESS TIME TO SIT DOWN WITH A GOOD READ. I MYSELF CAN WASTE AN ENTIRE DAY PLAYING AROUND ON THE INTERNET, BUYING STUFF, LOOKING UP STUFF, READING GOSSIP ON GAWKER. LATEST STATS SAY LESS THAN 50% OF THE READING PUBLIC HAVE PICKED UP A BOOK IN A YEAR. SOME SAY OUR LONG FORM READING OF THE FUTURE WILL CONSIST OF COMPUTER-GENERATED ADVERTISING SLOGANS. (HOW GHASTLY TO CONTEMPLATE!)
AT THE SAME TIME, MORE BOOKS ARE BEING PUBLISHED. I FOUND THREE DIFFERENT REFERENCES TO THE NUMBER OF CURRENT BOOKS PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES. THE NUMBERS RANGE FROM 500,000 TO 1,000,000, WHICH INDICATES HOW LITTLE THE BOOK BUSINESS KNOWS ABOUT ITSELF, BUT EVEN IF WE TAKE THE LOWER FIGURE, THE PUBLISHING OUTPUT IS EXTRAORDINARY TO THE POINT OF BEING RIDICULOUS. AND NEW GADGETS LIKE EBOOKS AND TABLETS ARE PROVIDING MORE VENUES FOR READING. HOW TO EXPLAIN THIS PARADOX(LESS LONG FORM READING BY THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, BUT WITH THOUSANDS MORE BOOKS AVAILABLE AND MORE PLATFORMS TO READ THEM ON) HAS YET TO BE EXPLAINED CLEARLY TO ME.
I’VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS (WHAT USED TO BE KNOWN AS VANITY PUBLISHING) ARE A BIG PART OF THE PROBLEM. CONSIDERED LEGIT TODAY, MANY SELF-PUBLISHING COMPANIES HAVE SPRUNG UP THAT WILL TAKE YOUR WORK, PUT IT INTO BOOK FORM, ADD A JACKET AND HELP YOU DISTRIBUTE IT. HAVE WE COME TO AN ERA WHERE THERE ARE NOW MORE WRITERS THAN READERS? WHERE ONCE UPON A TIME GRANDDAD WROTE A STORY ABOUT HIS LIFE AND WITH THE HELP OF A LOCAL PRINTER DISTRIBUTED A FEW SOFT-COVERED TOMES FOR HIS GRANDCHILDREN’S EYES ONLY, TODAY THERE ARE MEMOIR-WRITING WORKSHOPS ASSURING STUDENTS THAT THE ENTIRE WORLD IS WAITING BREATHLESSLY FOR THE STORY OF THEIR LIVES. IN ADDITION, WHAT I CALL LITERARY JUNK FOOD--HOW TO’S, INSPIRATIONALS, ROMANCES, CHRISTIAN MYSTERIES, CELEBRITY MEMOIRS, GENERAL PULP FICTION—HAVE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY, UNTIL ONE IS FORCED TO AGREE WITH TRUMAN CAPOTE, WHO FAMOUSLY REMARKED, “THAT’S NOT WRITING; THAT’S TYPING!”
I’M GOING TO TAKE THE HIGHROAD AND BET THAT THIS PERPLEXING SITUATION WILL SORT ITSELF OUT. I’M GOING TO BELIEVE THAT OUR LEADERS OF TOMORROW--THE GEN X’S, THE MILLENNIUMS, ALL THOSE UNDER 40’S-- WILL SOONER OR LATER BECOME BORED WITH THE DAILY AVALANCHE OF ELECTRONIC OUTPOURINGS, MOSTLY DUBIOUS, AND RETURN TO THE IMMENSE PLEASURE OF READING SENSIBLE IDEAS, IN SOLITUDE, IN TRANQUIL SETTINGS. MY ENDANGERED PROFESSION, REQUIRING NURTURING, EDITING, MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKS, WILL ONCE MORE FLOURISH. AND MY PROFESSION, EDITING QUALITY BOOKS, WILL NOT SEEM SO LONELY, SO CONFINED TO THE BACKWATERS OF THE INFORMATION INDUSTRY.
BECAUSE TODAY, ALONG WITH THE DUMBING DOWN OF LITERATURE, THE DOWNSIZING OF PUBLISHING HOUSES, THE TAKING ON OF FEWER WORKS BY PUBLISHERS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WORKS THAT WILL REQUIRE TIME FOR THE AUTHOR TO CATCH ON, THERE ARE VERY FEW REALLY GOOD EDITORS LEFT. SO I NEED TO KEEP TELLING MYSELF THAT THIS VITAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDITOR AND WRITER, WHILE IN DEEP TROUBLE, LIKE THE REST OF THE INDUSTRY, IS STILL EDDYING AROUND IN OUR OWN SMALL BACKWATERS.
I GREW UP BELIEVING THAT EDITORS WERE RELATIVES OF GOOD ENGLISH TEACHERS—THOSE FACT CHECKERS FOR MANKIND—AND AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PUBLISHING PROCESS. AN EDITOR DID NOT NEED TO JUST KNOW WORLD LITERATURE, BUT TO KNOW LIFE AS WELL. EDITORS WERE SCHOLARS, INTIMATE WITH THE CLASSICS, AS WELL AS HAVING A MORE THAN CASUAL INTEREST IN STANDARD ENGLISH USAGE. I WAS TAUGHT HOW TO DIAGRAM SENTENCES, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE!
LUCKILY, HISTORY HAS PROVIDED US WITH A FEW EDITORS WHOM THOSE OF US STILL CARRYING THE FLAG CAN REVERE AND LEARN FROM. PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS, MAX PERKINS OF SCRIBNER, AN EDITOR SO FAMOUS HE HAS HIMSELF BEEN BIOGRAPHED, GATHERED UP THOMAS WOLFE’S TONS OF TYPESCRIPT, CUT 90,000 WORDS, AND PRODUCED A LITERARY MASTERPIECE CALLED LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL.
PERKINS ALSO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN PERSUADING THE SUITS TO KEEP HEMINGWAY’S PROFANITY IN HIS WORKS. THIS WAS A FIRST, AND EVEN THOUGH PERKINS WAS A GENTLEMAN, HE KNEW WHAT STREET TALK SOUNDED LIKE. IT WASN’T STANDARD ENGLISH. BUT IT WAS A NECESSARY ELEMENT OF MODERNISM,SO HE STOOD UP TO THE MORE PRUDISH. AND HE HELPED A REJECT CALLED THE ROMANTIC EGOIST BECOME THIS SIDE OF PARADISE.
IN MORE RECENT TIMES, DIANA ATHILL, THE ENGLISH EDITOR WHO WROTE STET ABOUT HER 50 YEARS EDITING JEAN RHYS AND V. S. NAIPAUL AMONG OTHERS, WAS A BOON TO SOME REALLY DIFFICULT WRITERS. SHE WAS QUOTED AS SAYING SHE LOVED EDITING NAIPAUL BUT WAS GLAD SHE DIDN’T HAVE TO LIVE WITH HIM. AND ROBERT LOOMIS, SOON TO RETIRE FROM RANDOM HOUSE AT 85, HAS LONG BEEN RESPECTED FOR HIS GUIDANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE LIKES OF MAYA ANGELOU AND WILLIAM STYRON.
AMONG THE YOUNGER, RESPECTED EDITORS TODAY IS MICHAEL PIETSCH OF LITTLE BROWN, WHO PROVED TO BE NOT ONLY A CONSUMMATE EDITOR OF THE TROUBLED DAVID FOSTER WALLACE, BUT A REAL FRIEND. UNFORTUNATELY, WHILE HE DID SKILLFULLY EDIT WALLACE’S BRILLIANT, DENSE AND DIFFICULT WORK (CONSIDER THE LOBSTER, INFINITE JEST) INTO CULT STATUS, WHILE TRYING TO COPE WITH THE AUTHOR’S INSTABILITY, IN THE END, HE COULDN’T KEEP WALLACE FROM HIS PREMATURE DATE WITH DEATH.
THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN CONSTERNATION IN THESE EDITORIAL RELATIONSHIPS, EVEN AMONG THE GOLDEN OLDIES. THERE’S A VERY OLD JOKE WHEREIN THE WRITER TELLS HIS EDITOR THAT SHE MUST HAVE A PIMP FOR A BROTHER, SO SHE CAN HAVE SOMEONE TO LOOK UP TO. I MYSELF HAVE HAD SIMILAR STAND-OFFS WITH WRITERS, IF NOT AS COLORFUL. ONCE, AS THE AUTHOR AND I WERE APPROACHING THE END OF THE EDITING OF A BIOGRAPHY OF VICTORIA WOODHULL, THE FIRST WOMAN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT, WE WERE SO CLOSE, WE COULD SEE DAYLIGHT JUST AROUND THE BEND. INSTEAD OF CLOSING THE PROCESS AND SAYING, “GOOD JOB”, I FOUND MYSELF PUSHING FOR JUST ONE MORE CHANGE. AND THE AUTHOR LET ME HAVE IT. “NITPICKER, IF YOU’RE SO GOOD, WHY AREN’T YOU WORKING FOR KNOPF OR PENGUIN?” I TOLD MYSELF THAT MY OWN CHILDREN OFTEN FIRED OFF SUCH ATTACKS ON MY AUTHORITY WHEN THEY WERE FRUSTRATED.
FOR, IN TRUTH, ALL GOOD EDITORS, EVEN IN THOSE GOLDEN YEARS I JUST SPOKE ABOUT, SEEK AN IMPOSSIBLE PERFECTION IN THE POTENTIAL WORKS THEY ARE INVOLVED IN THAT EXISTS ONLY IN THEIR OWN MINDS. MY OWN MODEST OPINION IS THAT EVEN DICKENS AND PHILIP ROTH COULD BE IMPROVED UPON. THAT’S JUST HOW EDITORS THINK. I GREET EVERY INQUIRY WITH ENTHUSIASM, SURE THAT EVEN IF IT HAS FEW DISCERNABLE POSSIBILITIES, WITH A LITTLE WORK ON THE WRITER’S AND MY PART, IT WILL PRODUCE DAZZLING METAPHORS, CAPTIVATING IMAGES, UNIQUE CHARACTERS. AND LET’S THROW IN A PLOT THAT WILL SIZZLE ITS WAY TO THE TOP OF THE HOLLYWOOD PYRAMID. THE AUTHOR, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS SURE THAT ALL THOSE ELEMENTS ARE PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR ALREADY, IS PERFECTLY HAPPY WITH THE WORDS HE HAS BROUGHT FORTH, AND DOES NOT LOOK KINDLY ON MEDDLING. THAT DILEMMA IS PART AND PARCEL OF THE EDITING PROCESS.
SO, PATIENCE, TACT AND COMPROMISE ARE THE WATCH WORDS. AS I WARILY CIRCLE THE WRITER LIKE A FOX CIRCLING THE HENHOUSE, HOPING AGAINST EXPERIENCE THAT HE HAS CHECKED HIS SENSITIVITY AT THE DOOR, AND THAT I WILL DISPLAY A NURTURING INSTINCT THAT MY CHILDREN HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT I LACKED. IN THIS PURSUIT OF EPHEMERAL PERFECTION, SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE—AND HOPEFULLY, NEITHER MY JOB NOR THE AUTHOR’S MIND. IN THIS PROCESS OF IMPROVING THE PLOT STRUCTURE, ROUNDING OUT THE CHARACTERS, GETTING THE AUTHOR TO UNDERSTAND THAT A SINGULAR NOUN DEMANDS A SINGULAR PRONOUN WHEN REFERRING TO ITSELF, THERE IS A LOT OF SPIRITED DIFFERENCE. IF YOU CAN GET TO THE END OF THE PROCESS AVOIDING FISTICUFFS, COUNT IT A VICTORY. A VITAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WRITER AND EDITOR? I OFTEN THINK A MORE PRECISE ADJECTIVE IS CALLED FOR. ADVERSARIAL, MAYBE?
BARBARA PHILLIPS
MY MISSION TODAY IS TO GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHT INTO THE EDITOR/WRITER RELATIONSHIP, WHICH I BELIEVE IS STILL VITAL AND STILL NECESSARY, BUT AS ENDANGERED, I’M AFRAID, AS SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY.
BUT FIRST, IF YOU’LL ALLOW ME TO DIGRESS A LITTLE, I WOULD LIKE TO PUT THIS RELATIONSHIP INTO CONTEXT, WHICH IS THE CURRENT STATE OF THE BOOK BUSINESS IN AMERICA. I’M SURE MR. ROSENTHAL COVERED THE SUBJECT IN HIS TALK LAST WEEK, SO FORGIVE ANY REPETITION. TO PUT IT BRIEFLY, THE BOOK BUSINESS AND ALL ITS PRACTICIONERS ARE IN FERMENT.
ON THE ONE HAND, WE ALL KNOW THAT THE INTERNET HAS CHANGED THE WAY WE READ. IN A WORLD OF BLOGS, WEBSITES AND SOCIAL NETWORKS (ALL SHORT FORM READING), LONG FORM READING—BOOKS, MOSTLY--SEEMS AS DOOMED AS THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. I CERTAINLY AGREE THAT WE NOW LIVE IN A FRAGMENTED, SHORT ATTENTION-SPANNED ELECTRONIC WORLD, AND EVEN THOSE OF US WHO GREW UP READING BOOKS FIND LESS AND LESS TIME TO SIT DOWN WITH A GOOD READ. I MYSELF CAN WASTE AN ENTIRE DAY PLAYING AROUND ON THE INTERNET, BUYING STUFF, LOOKING UP STUFF, READING GOSSIP ON GAWKER. LATEST STATS SAY LESS THAN 50% OF THE READING PUBLIC HAVE PICKED UP A BOOK IN A YEAR. SOME SAY OUR LONG FORM READING OF THE FUTURE WILL CONSIST OF COMPUTER-GENERATED ADVERTISING SLOGANS. (HOW GHASTLY TO CONTEMPLATE!)
AT THE SAME TIME, MORE BOOKS ARE BEING PUBLISHED. I FOUND THREE DIFFERENT REFERENCES TO THE NUMBER OF CURRENT BOOKS PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES. THE NUMBERS RANGE FROM 500,000 TO 1,000,000, WHICH INDICATES HOW LITTLE THE BOOK BUSINESS KNOWS ABOUT ITSELF, BUT EVEN IF WE TAKE THE LOWER FIGURE, THE PUBLISHING OUTPUT IS EXTRAORDINARY TO THE POINT OF BEING RIDICULOUS. AND NEW GADGETS LIKE EBOOKS AND TABLETS ARE PROVIDING MORE VENUES FOR READING. HOW TO EXPLAIN THIS PARADOX(LESS LONG FORM READING BY THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, BUT WITH THOUSANDS MORE BOOKS AVAILABLE AND MORE PLATFORMS TO READ THEM ON) HAS YET TO BE EXPLAINED CLEARLY TO ME.
I’VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS (WHAT USED TO BE KNOWN AS VANITY PUBLISHING) ARE A BIG PART OF THE PROBLEM. CONSIDERED LEGIT TODAY, MANY SELF-PUBLISHING COMPANIES HAVE SPRUNG UP THAT WILL TAKE YOUR WORK, PUT IT INTO BOOK FORM, ADD A JACKET AND HELP YOU DISTRIBUTE IT. HAVE WE COME TO AN ERA WHERE THERE ARE NOW MORE WRITERS THAN READERS? WHERE ONCE UPON A TIME GRANDDAD WROTE A STORY ABOUT HIS LIFE AND WITH THE HELP OF A LOCAL PRINTER DISTRIBUTED A FEW SOFT-COVERED TOMES FOR HIS GRANDCHILDREN’S EYES ONLY, TODAY THERE ARE MEMOIR-WRITING WORKSHOPS ASSURING STUDENTS THAT THE ENTIRE WORLD IS WAITING BREATHLESSLY FOR THE STORY OF THEIR LIVES. IN ADDITION, WHAT I CALL LITERARY JUNK FOOD--HOW TO’S, INSPIRATIONALS, ROMANCES, CHRISTIAN MYSTERIES, CELEBRITY MEMOIRS, GENERAL PULP FICTION—HAVE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY, UNTIL ONE IS FORCED TO AGREE WITH TRUMAN CAPOTE, WHO FAMOUSLY REMARKED, “THAT’S NOT WRITING; THAT’S TYPING!”
I’M GOING TO TAKE THE HIGHROAD AND BET THAT THIS PERPLEXING SITUATION WILL SORT ITSELF OUT. I’M GOING TO BELIEVE THAT OUR LEADERS OF TOMORROW--THE GEN X’S, THE MILLENNIUMS, ALL THOSE UNDER 40’S-- WILL SOONER OR LATER BECOME BORED WITH THE DAILY AVALANCHE OF ELECTRONIC OUTPOURINGS, MOSTLY DUBIOUS, AND RETURN TO THE IMMENSE PLEASURE OF READING SENSIBLE IDEAS, IN SOLITUDE, IN TRANQUIL SETTINGS. MY ENDANGERED PROFESSION, REQUIRING NURTURING, EDITING, MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKS, WILL ONCE MORE FLOURISH. AND MY PROFESSION, EDITING QUALITY BOOKS, WILL NOT SEEM SO LONELY, SO CONFINED TO THE BACKWATERS OF THE INFORMATION INDUSTRY.
BECAUSE TODAY, ALONG WITH THE DUMBING DOWN OF LITERATURE, THE DOWNSIZING OF PUBLISHING HOUSES, THE TAKING ON OF FEWER WORKS BY PUBLISHERS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WORKS THAT WILL REQUIRE TIME FOR THE AUTHOR TO CATCH ON, THERE ARE VERY FEW REALLY GOOD EDITORS LEFT. SO I NEED TO KEEP TELLING MYSELF THAT THIS VITAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDITOR AND WRITER, WHILE IN DEEP TROUBLE, LIKE THE REST OF THE INDUSTRY, IS STILL EDDYING AROUND IN OUR OWN SMALL BACKWATERS.
I GREW UP BELIEVING THAT EDITORS WERE RELATIVES OF GOOD ENGLISH TEACHERS—THOSE FACT CHECKERS FOR MANKIND—AND AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PUBLISHING PROCESS. AN EDITOR DID NOT NEED TO JUST KNOW WORLD LITERATURE, BUT TO KNOW LIFE AS WELL. EDITORS WERE SCHOLARS, INTIMATE WITH THE CLASSICS, AS WELL AS HAVING A MORE THAN CASUAL INTEREST IN STANDARD ENGLISH USAGE. I WAS TAUGHT HOW TO DIAGRAM SENTENCES, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE!
LUCKILY, HISTORY HAS PROVIDED US WITH A FEW EDITORS WHOM THOSE OF US STILL CARRYING THE FLAG CAN REVERE AND LEARN FROM. PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS, MAX PERKINS OF SCRIBNER, AN EDITOR SO FAMOUS HE HAS HIMSELF BEEN BIOGRAPHED, GATHERED UP THOMAS WOLFE’S TONS OF TYPESCRIPT, CUT 90,000 WORDS, AND PRODUCED A LITERARY MASTERPIECE CALLED LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL.
PERKINS ALSO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN PERSUADING THE SUITS TO KEEP HEMINGWAY’S PROFANITY IN HIS WORKS. THIS WAS A FIRST, AND EVEN THOUGH PERKINS WAS A GENTLEMAN, HE KNEW WHAT STREET TALK SOUNDED LIKE. IT WASN’T STANDARD ENGLISH. BUT IT WAS A NECESSARY ELEMENT OF MODERNISM,SO HE STOOD UP TO THE MORE PRUDISH. AND HE HELPED A REJECT CALLED THE ROMANTIC EGOIST BECOME THIS SIDE OF PARADISE.
IN MORE RECENT TIMES, DIANA ATHILL, THE ENGLISH EDITOR WHO WROTE STET ABOUT HER 50 YEARS EDITING JEAN RHYS AND V. S. NAIPAUL AMONG OTHERS, WAS A BOON TO SOME REALLY DIFFICULT WRITERS. SHE WAS QUOTED AS SAYING SHE LOVED EDITING NAIPAUL BUT WAS GLAD SHE DIDN’T HAVE TO LIVE WITH HIM. AND ROBERT LOOMIS, SOON TO RETIRE FROM RANDOM HOUSE AT 85, HAS LONG BEEN RESPECTED FOR HIS GUIDANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE LIKES OF MAYA ANGELOU AND WILLIAM STYRON.
AMONG THE YOUNGER, RESPECTED EDITORS TODAY IS MICHAEL PIETSCH OF LITTLE BROWN, WHO PROVED TO BE NOT ONLY A CONSUMMATE EDITOR OF THE TROUBLED DAVID FOSTER WALLACE, BUT A REAL FRIEND. UNFORTUNATELY, WHILE HE DID SKILLFULLY EDIT WALLACE’S BRILLIANT, DENSE AND DIFFICULT WORK (CONSIDER THE LOBSTER, INFINITE JEST) INTO CULT STATUS, WHILE TRYING TO COPE WITH THE AUTHOR’S INSTABILITY, IN THE END, HE COULDN’T KEEP WALLACE FROM HIS PREMATURE DATE WITH DEATH.
THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN CONSTERNATION IN THESE EDITORIAL RELATIONSHIPS, EVEN AMONG THE GOLDEN OLDIES. THERE’S A VERY OLD JOKE WHEREIN THE WRITER TELLS HIS EDITOR THAT SHE MUST HAVE A PIMP FOR A BROTHER, SO SHE CAN HAVE SOMEONE TO LOOK UP TO. I MYSELF HAVE HAD SIMILAR STAND-OFFS WITH WRITERS, IF NOT AS COLORFUL. ONCE, AS THE AUTHOR AND I WERE APPROACHING THE END OF THE EDITING OF A BIOGRAPHY OF VICTORIA WOODHULL, THE FIRST WOMAN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT, WE WERE SO CLOSE, WE COULD SEE DAYLIGHT JUST AROUND THE BEND. INSTEAD OF CLOSING THE PROCESS AND SAYING, “GOOD JOB”, I FOUND MYSELF PUSHING FOR JUST ONE MORE CHANGE. AND THE AUTHOR LET ME HAVE IT. “NITPICKER, IF YOU’RE SO GOOD, WHY AREN’T YOU WORKING FOR KNOPF OR PENGUIN?” I TOLD MYSELF THAT MY OWN CHILDREN OFTEN FIRED OFF SUCH ATTACKS ON MY AUTHORITY WHEN THEY WERE FRUSTRATED.
FOR, IN TRUTH, ALL GOOD EDITORS, EVEN IN THOSE GOLDEN YEARS I JUST SPOKE ABOUT, SEEK AN IMPOSSIBLE PERFECTION IN THE POTENTIAL WORKS THEY ARE INVOLVED IN THAT EXISTS ONLY IN THEIR OWN MINDS. MY OWN MODEST OPINION IS THAT EVEN DICKENS AND PHILIP ROTH COULD BE IMPROVED UPON. THAT’S JUST HOW EDITORS THINK. I GREET EVERY INQUIRY WITH ENTHUSIASM, SURE THAT EVEN IF IT HAS FEW DISCERNABLE POSSIBILITIES, WITH A LITTLE WORK ON THE WRITER’S AND MY PART, IT WILL PRODUCE DAZZLING METAPHORS, CAPTIVATING IMAGES, UNIQUE CHARACTERS. AND LET’S THROW IN A PLOT THAT WILL SIZZLE ITS WAY TO THE TOP OF THE HOLLYWOOD PYRAMID. THE AUTHOR, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS SURE THAT ALL THOSE ELEMENTS ARE PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR ALREADY, IS PERFECTLY HAPPY WITH THE WORDS HE HAS BROUGHT FORTH, AND DOES NOT LOOK KINDLY ON MEDDLING. THAT DILEMMA IS PART AND PARCEL OF THE EDITING PROCESS.
SO, PATIENCE, TACT AND COMPROMISE ARE THE WATCH WORDS. AS I WARILY CIRCLE THE WRITER LIKE A FOX CIRCLING THE HENHOUSE, HOPING AGAINST EXPERIENCE THAT HE HAS CHECKED HIS SENSITIVITY AT THE DOOR, AND THAT I WILL DISPLAY A NURTURING INSTINCT THAT MY CHILDREN HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT I LACKED. IN THIS PURSUIT OF EPHEMERAL PERFECTION, SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE—AND HOPEFULLY, NEITHER MY JOB NOR THE AUTHOR’S MIND. IN THIS PROCESS OF IMPROVING THE PLOT STRUCTURE, ROUNDING OUT THE CHARACTERS, GETTING THE AUTHOR TO UNDERSTAND THAT A SINGULAR NOUN DEMANDS A SINGULAR PRONOUN WHEN REFERRING TO ITSELF, THERE IS A LOT OF SPIRITED DIFFERENCE. IF YOU CAN GET TO THE END OF THE PROCESS AVOIDING FISTICUFFS, COUNT IT A VICTORY. A VITAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WRITER AND EDITOR? I OFTEN THINK A MORE PRECISE ADJECTIVE IS CALLED FOR. ADVERSARIAL, MAYBE?
BARBARA PHILLIPS
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Celebrity Memoirs
Although I haven't posted since April, I'm still thinking of memoirs. My husband, an ex-newspaperman and CEO, will be published by McGraw Hill in September. Of course, the usual memoirs published by legacy publishers these days are celebrity memoirs, because America eats up celebrities like chocolate bars. And yet, nine-tenths of these tell-alls are ghost written. "Life", the well-reviewed memoir of Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, was praised for its writing style, so unusual in a rock musician. The obvious answer is that Keith Richards didn't write his memoir; he either dictated it or talked to his ghost, the excellent writer, James Fox. Fox then set about to write the book using the musician's chatty, intelligent speech. If Keith Richards or other celebrities did write their memoirs, they would be no more intriguing than the one from the little old lady from Dubuque. Incidentally, my husband is (or was) a celebrity of sorts, and so far the trade reviews like his title. He can also write, having been a journalist and tells good stories. So, congrats to him and the rest of you who have no clout can try X-Libris. B. Phillips
It's My Life, Isn't It?
Last year it was book clubs; this year, it is memoirs. Every other Baby Boomer's parent, feeling the cool hand of death approaching, is scribbling down his/her life's experiences, to have a record for the grandchildren is the excuse, but really it's a hope to get published, achieve that longed-for fifteen minutes of fame. As an acquiring editor for Bridge Works, I receive many of these heartfelt but amateurish writings, and feel bad that someone has convinced the authors that the world is waiting for their life records.
But Granny keeps at it, and today there is a reward. It's called self-publishing. Today, that old geezer who was praised in the St. Louis Post Dispatch for his innovative presidency of Rotary does not have to die anonymously. He simply gives LuLu or X-Libris a copy of his ink-stained, tear-stained manuscript and the self-publishing titans will produce as many copies as desired, complete with a dashing book jacket, blurbs by friends, and even photos or drawings never meant to be seen by other than the family. Most self-published writers think the expense is well worth it.
In today's world, no one's life goes unremarked and there are definitely second acts for anyone with know-how.
Barbara Phillips
B. Phillips
But Granny keeps at it, and today there is a reward. It's called self-publishing. Today, that old geezer who was praised in the St. Louis Post Dispatch for his innovative presidency of Rotary does not have to die anonymously. He simply gives LuLu or X-Libris a copy of his ink-stained, tear-stained manuscript and the self-publishing titans will produce as many copies as desired, complete with a dashing book jacket, blurbs by friends, and even photos or drawings never meant to be seen by other than the family. Most self-published writers think the expense is well worth it.
In today's world, no one's life goes unremarked and there are definitely second acts for anyone with know-how.
Barbara Phillips
B. Phillips
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The End of Reading?
Wow, have things changed since I wrote about the end of plot. There I was, a little down yesterday because I've been festering about the end of Hamlet and his dad, when I met with a really pessimistic friend, Chauncey Mabe, a writer and long-time editor. You can access his blog at http:\\Flcenterlitarts.wordpress.com. He repeated what he wrote in his 3/21/11 post, namely that within two or three generations, we (Americans, the world?) will be functionally illiterate, unable to read sustained works (books and/or newspapers). And to think I was simply concerned about the Prince of Denmark...
Advertising slogans will be just the ticket in this new non-reading world, as they are short and snappy and poetry will gain prominence (every cloud has a silver lining). Even now, Twitter is pushing "twaikus", twitter haikus. The death knell is sounding for "long-form content"--OMG, what a phrase--and those of us "content providers" who are still hooked on books will need to get cracking on a new 140-word writing format or we'll be desperately seeking new jobs!
But in spite of Chauncey and my own doubts, I refuse to believe that longer works will totally disappear. I must say that these 500-600 page bios that are continually rolling off the presses (Mark Twain and Keith Richards)are not exactly reader friendly and even a reader like me who practices total immersion in literature can't stay the course these days. And it is certainly true that there are so many diversions on one's smart phone and IPad that there is little time left over to try out more challenging stuff. But when a millenial's idea of a good read is a friending on Face Book, I'm prepared for "apres moi, le deluge".
Advertising slogans will be just the ticket in this new non-reading world, as they are short and snappy and poetry will gain prominence (every cloud has a silver lining). Even now, Twitter is pushing "twaikus", twitter haikus. The death knell is sounding for "long-form content"--OMG, what a phrase--and those of us "content providers" who are still hooked on books will need to get cracking on a new 140-word writing format or we'll be desperately seeking new jobs!
But in spite of Chauncey and my own doubts, I refuse to believe that longer works will totally disappear. I must say that these 500-600 page bios that are continually rolling off the presses (Mark Twain and Keith Richards)are not exactly reader friendly and even a reader like me who practices total immersion in literature can't stay the course these days. And it is certainly true that there are so many diversions on one's smart phone and IPad that there is little time left over to try out more challenging stuff. But when a millenial's idea of a good read is a friending on Face Book, I'm prepared for "apres moi, le deluge".
Thursday, October 28, 2010
THE END OF PLOT?
The common complaint is that the novel is dead. Don't believe it. Every day new novels dominate review pages, blogs and web sites.
At the same time, there is lots of noise about the death of "plot". Young writers, some critics maintain, don't employ the use of "plot" today. My feeling is that like a lot of dogma, this isn't accurate, either. I think that most readers and writers (especially) are really not sure exactly what "plot" is and how it differs from "story".
It is possible to have a story, that is, a narrative of events that proceeds throughout the book, describing what happens next and then next,without employing a plot. Narrative is the who, what, when, how. Someone once gave the meaning of "story", one that gives you
a sequence of events, as the following: the king died, then the queen died, then the prince died. That can certainly be a good tale, but to make it great, there must be "plot", the "why" behind all these events. Plot is what gives a story meaning and conveys to the reader that deep satisfaction of discovering why she married a dork, why he killed his mother, why friends and lovers betrayed them. And that is why plot will never disappear from fiction (which isn't going to disappear, either.)
We readers will always want to know why. Shakespeare showed us the "why" of Hamlet's family tragedy and created a masterpiece by doing so.
Barbara Phillips
At the same time, there is lots of noise about the death of "plot". Young writers, some critics maintain, don't employ the use of "plot" today. My feeling is that like a lot of dogma, this isn't accurate, either. I think that most readers and writers (especially) are really not sure exactly what "plot" is and how it differs from "story".
It is possible to have a story, that is, a narrative of events that proceeds throughout the book, describing what happens next and then next,without employing a plot. Narrative is the who, what, when, how. Someone once gave the meaning of "story", one that gives you
a sequence of events, as the following: the king died, then the queen died, then the prince died. That can certainly be a good tale, but to make it great, there must be "plot", the "why" behind all these events. Plot is what gives a story meaning and conveys to the reader that deep satisfaction of discovering why she married a dork, why he killed his mother, why friends and lovers betrayed them. And that is why plot will never disappear from fiction (which isn't going to disappear, either.)
We readers will always want to know why. Shakespeare showed us the "why" of Hamlet's family tragedy and created a masterpiece by doing so.
Barbara Phillips
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