| So the story goes.
Editors at big publishing houses are spending
too much time on acquisitions and too little
time editing books. If the cranked up pressure
didn't force these overburdened fine-tuners to
seek other work, consolidation may have brought
about their early retirement. Or maybe they were
replaced by leaner and greener youngsters
willing to work for much less, but who lacked
the years of experience necessary to shepherd a
manuscript through to production. Still, the industry wants to pump out more
books in less time with fewer, less-experienced
editors. And so the burden of editing sometimes
falls upon the agents, who need to shape up
manuscripts before they can be successfully
submitted to publishers.
|
|
Who do the agents call? There's a good chance
that their Rolodexes contain many of the same
names that a few years ago were
on the payrolls of the big house....
Veteran editors Jerry Gross and Joyce Engelson
formed the Independent Editors Group in 1996.
They meet regularly, allowing their members the
opportunity to chat informally, listen to
visiting speakers, offer referrals to one
another, and meet with book people.While all
members have numerous published books to their
credit (something a client should always be sure
of), none of them guarantees that their efforts
will secure representation or publication.
Nevertheless, the next time you're in the market
for a freelance editor, this group would
probably be a good place to start.
- Authors Guild Fall 1999 Bulletin |
Press