10 Tips For Working With
Editors And Publishers
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Even if you haven't sold anything yet to a publisher—or even if you've sold a hundred things—it's handy to keep a few tips in mind when working with your editor and publisher. I'm a writer, just like you, and I know that we all tend to get excited sometimes and we forget, particularly in a business when we're working with our own personal words on the page, to treat this like a business.

What that means is we sometimes mess up. These tips are designed to help you head off those mistakes before you make them.

1. Have A Plan Of Action
   You should have a plan of action for every phone call, e-mail and meeting. Maybe that sounds overdone, but it can come in handy. When chatting with your editor, have a list of things you want to go over. That way, nothing gets forgotten, you stay on task, and he can see that you are not there for a social call. You have business to conduct. You have gone into the meeting (whether it's a phone call or e-mail or in-person meeting) with a purpose.
   
   
2. Start And End Well
   While small talk is all well and good, don't go overboard. Your editor and your publisher really don't want to hear an hour's worth of stories about your kid learning to walk. (I know, you have the most adorable children on the planet, but truly, keep the chit-chat to a minimum.) Their time is valuable—show them that you recognize that. At the end of the meeting, thank them for their time and get out of Dodge without lingering overly long. Same goes for those phone calls.
   
   
3. Don't Be A Pest
   I know how hard it is to be patient in this business. If you ask any of my friends, they'll tell you my middle name is Impatient. But calling your editor on a daily basis to check on a proposal or to see if he has read your latest masterpiece is not a way to make him like you more. If anything, it's a way to get labeled as T-R-O-U-B-L-E. And once you've got the big T label, it's hard to shake. Try to be patient, realize publishing works in its own time zone and be smart: GET TO WORK ON SOMETHING ELSE.
   
   
4. Meet Your Deadlines
   This sounds basic, but you'd be surprised how many people don't do this one basic thing. Deadlines are critical in publishing. Miss one and you can throw an entire production schedule into a tizzy. In the book world, it can topple other deadlines for other people's books like dominoes. Unless you have lost a limb or lost an immediate family member, you rarely have an excuse to miss your deadline.
   
   
5. Get The Little Things Right
   This, again, seems like a basic, but it's an important one. Go over your work with a fine-toothed comb. Look for those spelling errors, those dangling participles, those paragraphs that just don't work. The more perfect you can make your work, the less work your editor has to do and the happier she is. You may think your editor exists solely to proof your work but the reality in publishing today is that editors work EXTREMELY hard for very little money and are often juggling dozens and dozens of deadlines, reading hundreds of manuscripts, and trying to keep their heads above water every day. Whatever you can do to make her life easier is appreciated, believe me.
   
   
6. Show Him Appreciation
   Thank your editor from time to time. Send a card at Christmas, or a small gift (nothing too extravagant). Thank the copyeditor who does a great job on your manuscript, thank the art department that creates a killer cover for you. Thank the marketing department when they provide great publisher support. And it never hurts to tell your editor's boss (the senior editor) that your editor is doing a good job. This is a business fraught with complaints so a few kudos from time to time are appreciated.
   
   
7. Think Of Your Editor As A Help Along The Way
   Your editor wants to see you succeed. If he has authors who become big names, it makes him look good too. Every few months (or at least once a year) sit down with your editor and map out a strategy for the coming months/year. Where do you, and he, see your career heading? What other books or materials could you be writing that you haven't explored yet? How can you complement the job he is doing and vice versa?
   
   
8. If You Have A Bad Editor, Don't Make It Worse
   Not every editor is a dream editor. Some are just plain difficult to work with, for one reason or another. It can be a personality clash, a work styles clash or simply the editor is bad at her job. And sometimes, it's YOU that's the problem (be honest with yourself and take a good look at where you might be contributing to the friction). When you have a bad editor, or a bad relationship with an editor, DO NOT make it worse by digging your heels in and refusing to cooperate. Publishing is a small industry and you'd be surprised where your editor will end up tomorrow...or how a door that seems closed today might open tomorrow.
   
   
9. Include Your Editor In Your Good News
   When you get a good review, final in a contest, receive a nomination for an award, send those kudos along to your editor (but draw the line at every little piece of fan mail—reserve this for the occasional great event that can be used as a PR tool for your career at the publishing house). Number one, it's nice to let your editor bask in the glow, since he worked on the book with you, and two, it's also a way to show the publishing house that the book is doing well and getting noticed—a good thing to keep uppermost in their minds as you go to contract on the next one.
   
   
10. Ask Where You Can Improve
    At least once a year, you should have this difficult conversation with your editor: What am I doing well with my writing and where can I improve? This is a tough question to ask—trust me, I know, because I've asked it myself several times. No one wants to hear what they are doing wrong. However, you will learn an INVALUABLE amount from this and show your editor that you are committed to improving your craft, making her job easier and making the final product—the book—better every time. A win-win for everyone. Learning to work well with your editor is key to making your writing career move forward. A great editor can be a tremendous help to your career, so be sure you are doing everything you can to make your editor/author relationship the best it can be. And if it isn't the best, try to do something today to improve it.