Surrendering to the inevitable.
No matter how carefully we couch our criticisms and structure our support, sooner or later, we, as editors, hear writers thus opine. We brace ourselves for the inescapable complaint. It feels like a prerequisite of the writing process. And, understandably so.
As authors, we have each had that gut-wrenching feeling, that slap in the face and burning embarrassment of opening that first file of editor’s notes bleeding red. We’ve been on the receiving end and it smarts.
We have already invested our entire souls into the process, poked and prodded and proofed until we had fine-honed our manuscript into the epitome of literary perfection. We wouldn’t show it to anyone otherwise, and we certainly wouldn’t submit it for publication.
So, the thought that editors may see room for improvement seems preposterous at best, debasing at worst, and any and every point of humiliation in between.
During the grueling editorial process, sometimes, authors feel like throwing in the towel. We toss up our hands in disgust, and think, What do you know about it? You just don’t get it! But then, isn’t that the point? Don’t we want our readers to get it?
When we receive criticism or constructive suggestions, when they say, “It isn’t this or that,” as much as we’re tempted to say it, it doesn’t help to defiantly bark, “I think it is, so there!” Ultimately, if our goal is to produce a strong author/reader connection (and it should be), sometimes what we think has to take a back seat to what the reader thinks.
We have to suck it up and take the critique.
Here’s the thing: every author deserves a good editor.
Of House Plants and Fruit Trees
Of the many times I’ve answered this particular complaint, the best means I have found of defining our purpose is to refer back to our Citadel analogy. We’ve stormed the castle, we’ve breached the walls and mounted the stairs. We’ve reached higher than we ever dreamed possible, but now what? How do we winkle our way past the gatekeepers and gain admittance to Commercial Success?
We sell our wares, of course; the purpose of The X’s existence—to help you, the writer, rise head and shoulders above the crowd, and parley that visibility into sales. But, preparing your wares for the marketplace remains your final (and sometimes most daunting) challenge.
Here at The X, although we certainly demand every manuscript undergo a stringent editorial process, we don’t set out to hijack the work. We cannot replace the author. We will not substitute our words for theirs.
If we didn’t feel the author’s unique and individual words and perspective held value, we would not offer a contract. We want that distinctive style and singular imagination. But, nine times out of ten, we see in them untapped potential and set out to see that promise realized.
Each story is a seed—genetic code, if you will. The author provides the pot and the soil, plants it, nurtures it, waters it, provides a nice, warm place for it to sprout. They help it to grow in the hopes that one day it will become a beautiful plant. After tireless effort, it does just that.
However, often times they bring it to us and say, here’s my three-foot plant. Isn’t it amazing! Let’s sell it. But, we say, this isn’t a houseplant. This is a sapling. We want to help you help it bear fruit. If you listen to us, follow our directions, and provide the care a sapling requires, it won’t just be a tree. It will bear fabulous fruit year in and year out, something that we can all be proud of (and sell) for years to come.
But. Fruit trees aren’t houseplants. Caring for them, helping them thrive, getting them to produce fruit, takes far more work and requires the help from all sorts of sources to reach that goal of a thriving fruit stand.
Their sapling first requires a bigger pot. Then, it requires some staking to help it grow up straight and strong. It needs digging about, fertilizing, pruning. It needs sunshine, light, fresh air, and pollination. Eventually, it will need to be planted in the ground. We may even suggest that it be trained against a nice southern wall to lengthen its growing season and get larger, better fruit. It will take a lot of work.
Fast forward five metaphorical years when the author has a beautiful fruit tree gracing their garden. No, it is no longer the houseplant they thought they had when they started. It certainly doesn’t look like what they had in mind. But the seed is still theirs, the plant itself is still the exact one they started with. It is the same genetic code that was always there.
The author provided all the labor. Yes, they learned from those who could help them reach that wonderful end. The experts may have brought an insect infestation or a mold problem to light and taught them how to fix it. They may have explained how and when to prune. They may have recommended the proper fertilizer. But, just because the author had help doesn’t make it any less their tree. Or their fruit.
To Market, To Market
Publishing a book is very much the same. As editors, it is our job to guide the writer into drawing out the best of their story. From our vantage and experience, we see problems and solutions the writers may not. A lot of times, we see potential where the author didn’t. It’s built into the story, but it takes different eyes to see the tree, instead of the forest—or the plant.
At The X, nothing gives us greater joy than to see authors grow and thrive in the sunshine, properly watered (with perhaps a touch too much fertilizer). It thrills us when the light blinks on and they finally “get” it—when they see the gems of that genetic code that they have written into the story themselves but somehow neglected or overlooked. When they realize we believe in them and their book.
When that happens, when the final product hits the marketplace, we happily step back into the shadows and watch as the consumers flock to their stall because their fruit is fatter, juicier, sweeter, and more plentiful than anything else in the square.
Editor-in-chief Penny Freeman’s current projects, Shadow of the Last Men by J. M. Salyards, and Primal Storm, Book II of the Grenshall Manor Chronicles, by R. A. Smith, are slated for release in August and October of 2013, respectively.
Her latest release, Mechanized Masterpieces: a Steampunk Anthology, hit the shelves in April, 2013, to excellent reviews.