PW:Thinking Like Your Editor (see review, p. 76) discusses almost everything a would-be author should consider, from proposal-writing and argument-shaping to jacket design and book reviews, and it obviously comes out of years of experience. Had you been thinking about doing a book like this for a long time?
AF: This book was under contract for seven years, and we had been thinking about writing it for a long time before that. Part of the reason for the delay was that the industry was going through dramatic change. But last year, we decided the time was ripe to say some of the things we believe about the publishing process, things that are seldom discussed outside the industry. For instance, that—contrary to the presumptions of many writing books—the skills editors value in authors vary from genre to genre.
PW: How so?
SR: Well, for example, in memoir, you'd better have the writing skills and sensibilities of a poet. If you're writing narrative nonfiction, which is the hottest thing in publishing right now, you have to know how to tie events to characters and you must have the narrative skills of a fiction writer. In serious nonfiction, what we're looking for primarily is an original, persuasive argument. Do you have command of your material? Are you making a contribution that's intellectually defensible? There are writers who might be considered nothing special by literary standards who write very strong works of serious nonfiction.
PW: What have editors had to say about your book?
SR: When we first decided to write this, we thought we would interview editors and cull from their combined wisdom the best advice. But they invariably said something like: "I can't tell you what I do. Just give me a manuscript and let me do it." To write this book, we realized we would have to create a vocabulary of the editing process. A number of editors have now read the finished book, and their enthusiasm over the fact that someone's finally had a whack at this was very gratifying. As one editor said: "So much of what we do as editors is seat-of-the-pants stuff. It was really helpful to have you figure it out and put it down."
PW: This book is filled with serious, dedicated advice for serious, dedicated writers. How big is that audience?
AF: You'd be surprised by the number of people interested in writing serious nonfiction. Academics, independent scholars and journalists dominate the list, but a number of important books have come from businesspeople, scientists, lawyers, history buffs, even the occasional high school teacher. And unlike with fiction, a first-time serious nonfiction writer with a good topic and a well-conceptualized book idea won't find it so difficult to break in.
PW: Susan, you were an editor for years, and now you're an agent and an author—in other words, you've covered pretty much all the book-making ground. Which part do you like best?
SR: I'm really glad I worked inside a publishing house for so many years, because if you want to understand the acquisition process, there's no substitute for sitting at an editorial meeting and listening to editors take apart a proposal. Or watching the sales force stare into space as you present that dynamite book to them. Nor, when it comes to the line-by-line stuff, is there any substitute for years of editing manuscripts. But we've both learned even more about working the system since setting up our own agency. If as an agent you believe in a project's worth, you can work with the author to get the focus and conceptualization right before you go out with it to a publishing house.
