Lesson’s From the Editor’s Desk

It’s time again for lessons from the editor’s desk. In addition to being a published author with Bethany House, Zondervan, and WhiteFire Publishing, I’m also an acquisitions editor with WhiteFire. As someone who sits on both sides of the desk, I think I have a unique perspective. For the past five years I have been representing WhiteFire Publishing at conferences and reviewing submissions for them. Probably the best perk I’ve gleaned from this experience is a huge improvement in my own writing, and especially in knowing how to make my submissions sparkle. So I’m going share some of that valuable information with you. Today let’s look at those all-important first pages.

The sad truth is that for the majority of the manuscripts I read, I never get past page one. Keep in mind that WhiteFire accepts unagented queries, so I imagine that statistic is different for bigger publishers, although it probably holds true for agents. You might wonder how in the world I can tell a manuscript won’t cut it by the first page alone, but a first page can tell you a lot. It can tell you whether or not a writer has done their job to learn the craft, it can tell you if they’re lazy, and it can tell you if they possess any talent.

Here are a few of the red flags that will stop me reading right on the first page.

1) Stilted Language

2) Phony dialogue

3) Lack of understanding of point of view

4) Telling not showing

5) Confusing sentences

6) Bad grammar

7) Excessive typos

That little list saves me reading farther on over 50% of submissions. If I see any of those problems on the all-important first page that has been edited ad nauseam, I know that matters can only go downhill from there. As a publishing company, we simply don’t have the time or energy to put into fixing any of these issues, no matter how brilliant your idea might be, and I’m sure agents feel the same way.

Don’t get me wrong, I realize not everyone excels at opening scenes. I understand the paranoia of crafting the perfect hook. I know that some people aren’t good at nailing down exactly where a book should start. But if you haven’t mastered the basic writing craft yet, as attested by the red flags above, those other issues are immaterial. If the writing is good, but the opening is weak, I will read on. Occasionally if someone is “telling” a story with a really nice style, I will skip ahead a few pages to see if they shift into “showing.” And I’m not going to turn down a manuscript over a typo or a misplaced comma, but if I see several of those sorts of mistakes on the very first page, that’s just lazy, so forget it.

If you pass the all-important first pages test, and I actually get through a good scene or chapter of your book, I will then put it on my kindle and read it like a reader, not an editor. At that point, I’m looking to see if I enjoy the book and if it holds my interest. If I actually read through to the end, I might ask for some changes, but I will likely be sending the book forward to my senior editor. In my next lesson we’ll look at some of the reasons I might stop reading a novel by an otherwise competent author.

As a reader, what do you look for on the first page of a novel to decide whether or not you will read on?

Hi new friends. My name is Dina Sleiman. In addition to being a published author myself, I’m an acquisitions editor with WhiteFire Publishing, and I will be a regular guest here on A3. First let me applaud you for being involved with this blog. A teachable spirit is probably the most important ingredient to becoming a published author. You have to learn the craft and the industry, and this is an excellent starting place. To help you in this endeavor, I plan to offer some insider information that will give you a leg up when dealing with editors. As someone who sits on both sides of the desk, I think I have a unique perspective on this issue.

My first tip is this: editors are real live people just like you! That might sound a little silly, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget. Today I’m going to focus primarily on meeting editors in person, and I would venture to say that most of this is true of agents as well. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Editors Want to Have a Good Conference Experience. While editors come in a variety of personality types, they want to have a pleasant conference experience just like you. They might be shy and new to the conference and just as nervous about who to sit with at lunch as you are. Or they might be a fun-loving individual looking for someone to bounce their jokes off of. If you treat them like a person, ask them about their families and interests, you might just gain an actual friend who happens to be influential in the publishing industry. As is always the case in life, you will probably connect easily with some of them, and not so easily with others. That’s okay. Chances are the ones who like you will also like your writing.

Editors Want to Have Good Meetings with Conferees. Generally, editors don’t like being pressured, being given sob stories, or being told that God has mandated them to publish your book. They don’t like being chased or handed manuscripts under bathroom stalls. Beyond that, it’s a good idea to do some research on the editor and learn their preferences. Personally, I have a pet peeve about conferees who don’t answer my questions but instead push on with their sales pitch. On the other hand, I find nervous conferees kind of endearing. I think most editors like it when conferees are a nice balance of prepared yet casual. They enjoy a relaxed meeting. They like to have a conversation and not just listen to a speech. They like to see that you are excited about your project and that you’ve done your work to be ready for publication.

Editors Talk to Other Editors. Going to writers conferences and meeting with editors is an awesome idea…unless you have a pushy, annoying, or otherwise abrasive personality. In which case, you might want to think twice. Editors talk to other editors, and you don’t want to get a bad reputation in the industry. If you discover that you’ve committed a serious faux pas (I‘m not talking about passing manuscripts under stalls or using the wrong font here, we’re used to that stuff), it might be wise to offer a sincere and heartfelt apology.

Editors Have Preferences about Submissions. For starters, most editors only want submissions from agents these days. You will not do yourself any favors by disregarding their wishes. If they do take submissions, shockingly (note the sarcasm) they put their guidelines right on their website, and they expect you to follow them. What if they just say something general like “a query letter” or “a proposal”? That should indicate two things to you, 1) They aren’t terribly particular, but 2) they do expect you to do your own homework and to provide these documents to a general industry standard. Don’t know what that is? I repeat—do your homework.

Editors Represent Companies. Editors might seem like all-powerful gods to authors, but they have to answer to their employers just like anyone else, and they also have to win the approval of their publication committee and marketing department. If an editor chooses your book and it does poorly, it could negatively impact them. They have an obligation to represent their company’s lines and needs, and part of your homework is to make sure you are sending your work to the right companies. You could have an awesome book that the editor loves, but whether or not you get a contract will still be largely based on the company’s specific needs and available slots at that moment. Editors want to please their employers and keep their jobs just like anyone else, which is why being stubborn or pushy about a book that doesn’t fit their line will only put you on their naughty list.

Editors Have Personal Taste. In addition to representing their companies, editors also have their own taste. You might find that within a given publishing house one editor prefers plot driven fiction, another deep characters, and a third is a sucker for a great voice. That’s why you can’t take rejection too personally, and you must keep trying and trying. It’s entirely possible that you might send an editor an awesome novel, but they have read two similar bad ones recently that negatively color their perception. Or worse yet, they might have just read an off the charts awesome book in your genre, and therefore yours seems lackluster in comparison. It happens, and there’s nothing you can do about it but persevere.

Editors Care about People They Know. And so that pretty much bring us back to the first point. Let me be clear. I’m not talking about nepotism. However, I think it is simple human nature that editors will give more time and attention to submissions by people that they know and like. They’ll feel more confident about publishing a book by someone they trust. It’s easy for me to send a simple, “no thank you” to people I haven’t met. Whereas someone I know in person is more likely to get suggestions for improvement with an invitation to resubmit. At the end of the day, publishers are only going to publish books they love and feel confident about. But given two books of equal merit, do you think an editor will push for the one by a friend or a stranger???

Yep, editors are people too. Don’t tick them off. Don’t annoy them. But if you can invest time into getting to know them as individuals, it just might bode well for your future.

Can you share any funny stories, cautionary tales, or suggestions about meeting with editors?

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Dina Sleiman writes stories of passion and grace. Most of the time you will find this Virginia Beach resident reading, biking, dancing, or hanging out with her husband and three children, preferably at the oceanfront. She serves as an acquisitions and content editor for WhiteFire Publishing. Check out her novels Dance from Deep Within, Dance of the Dandelion, and Love in Three-Quarter Time, and look for her Valiant Hearts adventure/romance books, Dauntless and Chivalrous, with Bethany House Publishers. For more info visit her at http://dinasleiman.com/