An Editor's Job

By Verna Dresibach

Since its publication, I have been asked a number of questions related to the anthology, Why We Ride: Women Writers on the Horses in Their Lives. Many writers are either creating a collection of their own, or hoping to get published by submitting their work to any number of anthologies. Some writers (and readers) believe that editing an essay collection is relatively easy. If you’re solely choosing stories and sticking them together in a book, then sure, that’s easy. I doubt it will bring much success or positive reviews, so I’d advise against it. An editor’s job is tedious and time consuming. One of my primary goals was to make sure that the stories I chose were diverse and unique enough for an entire collection, one that would keep the reader entertained and not feeling as if they’ve read the same story over and over again, 27 times. I had an innumerable amount of “first horse” stories and stories about horses that helped their owner through a traumatic event such as an injury or health issue. An editor is also at the mercy of the stories that are submitted. Because there were so many similar stories, I had to search out stories for a greater variety. Unfortunately, this is typically at the end of the submission period when an editor discovers that there might not be enough of a variety. And, if there’s a deadline to the publishing company, it can be a stressful time.

Of equal importance is to choose stories that are written well. As an editor, we have the option to include a wonderful story that isn’t written as well as it could and take a greater role in the writing of that particular story. An editor can’t do that for every story. There just isn’t enough time. I had to balance my time between those that needed very little editorial help, with those that I would have to ghost write myself. Only a few were submitted in near perfect condition. I did happen to have two writers who refused to make any changes to their stories and subsequently, they were not included in the publication. I didn’t feel as though they had gone deep enough into their story, lacking that necessary connection that would make enough of an impact on the reader. We can all enjoy our horses, but I was looking for the stories about the horses that helped shape us as women – helped to change the way we looked at the people and the world around us. As you can imagine, my job as an editor is far easier when I’m working with writers who are willing to revise and edit their pieces. And, my job as an editor is to work in conjunction with the writer so that they feel they’ve maintained the scope, purpose and voice of the story intact throughout the revision process – if it’s a major revision. All of the writers in the collection who worked with me and made the revisions themselves believe that they walked away from the experience with a stronger story. It is truly a collaborative effort and I enjoyed the experience immensely. I also believe I walked away from the experience a much stronger editor. I am grateful to the many women I worked with on this project.

Thank you!

If you missed the opportunity to submit to Why We Ride, you do have the opportunity to participate in the second annual Why We Ride contest sponsored by the San Mateo County Fair literary arts division.



DIVISION 337 – THE VERNA DREISBACH “WHY WE RIDE” NONFICTION

Sponsored by Verna Dreisbach

AWARD OFFERED:

$100.00 for the winning piece

Special Note: Verna Dreisbach is an author, educator, and literary agent. She is the editor of the Seal Press anthology, Why We Ride: Women Writers on the Horse in their Lives.

Eligibility: Submit between 2,000 (minimum) and 3500 words (maximum). Open to all writers. Share an inspirational, funny or touching story that speaks from the heart and demonstrates our unique bond with horses. Submit according to the same entry guidelines for the general writing contests, using standard manuscript formatting, 12 pt. font, double-spaced; include word count.

Note: If you are new to writing, please review Why We Ride or other anthologies and literary journals to get a sense of the type of work that is being published. Website: www.vernadreisbach.com and Blog http://horsesandwomen.blogspot.com



Here is the latest link for the literary section: http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/competitive-exhibits/departments/literary-arts. They are in the process of building a new and much better web site that promises to be user friendly. The catalog is being printed and as soon as that is complete, they will also post the actual entry requirements online. The deadline for entries is April 29th, no exception. I am told that submissions are accepted electronically, as long as they are also mailed in hard copy to the fair office, or “walk in” until 7 pm on April 29.

Here is the address:

San Mateo County Event Center

2495 S. Delaware St, San Mateo, CA 94403

650 574-3247



Good luck. I look forward to reading your stories!

Verna

The Road to Publication con't. . . .

by Kit Ehrman

During my “Road to Publication” post on January 27th, I mentioned that I’d provide some specific pointers and ask some hard questions for those looking to get published.

What follows is a list I compiled and saved in an email draft because I receive so many queries from writers who want advice on how they can break in. One question (complaint, really) that I hear time and again is: “How can an agent or editor make a decision about my work based solely on a one-page query letter? They won’t know how well I can write unless they read the whole manuscript?”

Believe me; I understand this sentiment and sympathize with the writer’s frustration, but once you look at the other side of the equation—what it’s like to be the gatekeeper—you can see the validity of the “query only” limitation that is often part of the submission process.

A query letter serves the purpose of letting the agent or agent’s reader know if the project is something they’re interested in pursuing; therefore, it has to be extremely well written.

Editors and agents are swamped with submissions so, imagine if you will, the office receiving 200+ manuscripts a week instead of 200+ query letters. Query letters are a necessary evil of the publishing business because the competition is so fierce.

There are many things every writer can and should do to improve her odds. Ask yourself:

Editing
• Have you edited the manuscript many, many times?
• Have you studied the rules of grammar? (You need to understand them before you can break them for effect.)
• Have you learned the industry’s conventions such as proper manuscript format?
• Has your manuscript been through an objective critique group?
• Have you hired a professional freelance editor to give you input? (Get references if you go this route.)
• Have you had a lot of readers, who are familiar with the genre you’re writing in, read the manuscript and give you feedback?
• Is the manuscript as perfect as you can possibly make it?



The Query Letter
• Have you attempted to get writing credits to include in your query letter by entering contests or publishing short stories in genre-specific magazines?
• Have you studied what should go in a query letter?
• Have you polished your query letter ruthlessly?
• Have you shared different versions of your query letter with your critique group to see which one is most effective?
• Have you studied books on querying agents? (The Sell Your Novel Toolkit by Lyons is a good one. So is a book by Kathryn Sands about making the perfect pitch.)



Selecting An Agent
• Have you researched possible agents carefully?
• Do you know how to select the right agent for you?
• Have you looked through the acknowledgements pages of books similar to yours so you can determine agents who like the kind of thing your write? Oftentimes, an author will thank his or her agent in the acknowledgements.
• Have you gone to writing conferences where you can verbally pitch your book to agents?
• Check out a website called Predators and Editors that lists agents to avoid.

Acting Professional
• Have you joined the organizations relevant to the genre you’re writing in so you can become familiar with the publishing industry?
• Have you attended conferences in order to network with other writers, authors, and industry professionals?

I highly recommend that you go to Miss Snark’s website. She’s a New York literary agent. This site is no longer active, but there’s a wealth of information here. Beginning with this link, you can see how she evaluates the hook in a query. What gets her interest, etc. This is very insightful for seeing what works and what doesn’t. Here’s the link where the hook evaluation begins: http://misssnark.blogspot.com/2006_12_10_archive.html. Also, search this website because you’ll find a lot of useful information about the industry in general.

It takes talent, luck, and perseverance to get published. The best way to deal with the query process is to start on the next book while you’re doing it so you don’t become obsessed or depressed by the process. And you’ll be glad you have another book that’s partly done when you do get published, because once you are, you’ll have to promote the first book while you’re writing the second.

Good luck!
Kit Ehrman
www.kitehrman.com