Contact Me

Email me
"Hard is not hopeless." - General David Petraeus



Thursday, November 25, 2010

The Editorial Letter

I like to pass along articles and posts when I come across good ones regarding the realm of publishing. If you've ever wondered what it's like to receive an editorial letter from your editor at the publishing house, take a look at John Gilstrap's post over at The Kill Zone. You can find it here:

http://www.killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2010/11/art-of-editorial-letter.html

The most significant thing that struck me when reading this blog post is that in its very essence, this editorial letter is comprised of exactly the kind of feedback you receive from a good crit partner. I don't know what others would say, but I think that this applies especially when you are blessed with a crit partner who reads your WHOLE manuscript and makes comments.

While much great feedback can and is obtained by reading a manuscript piece-meal, there is no substitute for the critical eye of someone going over your manuscript in its entirety. I have been blessed to have had critters who graciously did that for me and I found it invaluable. Ladies, you know who you are and I thank you for it.

I know it is often a struggle for people to find critiquing partnerships, but this is why finding a good critter is so essential.

I appreciate Mr. Gilstrap's willingness to share bits of the publication journey with readers. It is very helpful.

2 comments:

Pat Iacuzzi said...

Brenda--

This was great. You're absolutely right; much easier to deal with the whole manuscript than in bits and pieces.
Believe it or not, I just found that out after all these yrs., and am moving along with my historical (pg. 172)--am not going to keep sending it out and changing things until it's done.
The editorial letter was excellent, --and, James Scott Bell happened to be a Kill Zone author mentioned as a guest! Blessings, Pat I.

BK said...

I think the reason this editorial letter post struck me so strongly is that often, I'm sure without meaning to, authors build some sort of mystique into the editorial process that goes with publication. As many have said, there is indeed no substitute for a fantastic editor at your publishing house.

But the truth is, there's no mystique about what they do. Yes, they have the advantage of knowing sales numbers and what sells, but their editorial skills are things we can already glean through our crit partners.

Ah, the mysterious veil lifted! 8-)