Sorta-Kinda OT - Editing Process

[DonIago]

Hi all,

A couple of weeks back I asked whether any writers/editors might be willing to share any correspondence they had in terms of feedback on their work. That thread got a good number of views, but no replies. Poor me.

Since then I've been told that a small publishing company is interested in having me edit for them, but they're small enough that I should consider it volunteer work with the occasional unexpected bonus. They also asked how I'd feel about editing novel-length manuscripts, again mostly for free. I'm more than a little concerned that I'm being naive by even considering the question.

In any event, I'd be curious to hear whether anyone here would ever consider editing novel-length material for free, and what it would take to make them do so (short of a loaded gun, heh). I'd also be curious to hear more about the process that Trek writers go through with their editors to take things from conception to finished work....what sort of timetable is involved, how the focus of the editing changes over time, etc. Editing on even a vaguely professional level is all new to me, and I'm thankful for any more information I can get on the subject from those with experience.

Thanks for your time and any feedback!

 

[SicOne]

I'm a little curious about the timetable of publishing myself. Every once in a while you get little clues from an author along the lines of "Marco Palmieri gets thanks for helping start this project", etc, which since we know when he left can suggest at least the latest point at which the author started working on the book, but it would be interesting to hear from the authors on how long the process generally takes and the steps involved. Guys?

As a non-author and non-editor but avid reader, DonIago, it does sound to me like they just want you to spend your time for free, dangling the "unexpected bonus" thing in front of you as a carrot. Unless you love reading for nitpicking instead of for pleasure, dude, I'd say "Pass!"...

 

[DonIago]

Well, the person I've been in contact with has reached "good acquaintance" status, and I...eh...somewhat...support the publishing company's goals...and I do love editing and my altruistic side likes the notion of helping others become better writers...but editing novels for "the occasional surprise perk" makes me gravely concerned that even if I agreed with the best of intentions I'd find myself thinking "Why exactly am I doing this again?" within the first 100 pages or so. For me, Faith and Good Intentions (perhaps regrettably) have their limits.

I helped a friend work on a story that fell apart once, but I was getting it 1-2 chapters at a time, we were talking essentially daily via IM, and they were a good friend and I had a lot of input which made it feel like I was helping to shape the story as well. In this case I'd be getting the novel as a big text dump where I'd initially get yay/nay authorization, but if I said yay then I'd be stuck with working with the whole thing at one time, which I'm not at all sure would prove to be a good approach for me. However, if that really is the standard and I need to stuck it up if I want to be taken seriously as an editor, that would be good to know.

 

[Christopher]

I'm a little curious about the timetable of publishing myself. Every once in a while you get little clues from an author along the lines of "Marco Palmieri gets thanks for helping start this project", etc, which since we know when he left can suggest at least the latest point at which the author started working on the book, but it would be interesting to hear from the authors on how long the process generally takes and the steps involved. Guys?

In Trek, it generally takes around 14-18 months to get from the initial conception of a project to its publication. For example, I pitched the concept of a DTI novel in November '09, got the contract in March, turned in the full outline in April, had until August to write the manuscript (which was actually a pretty tight deadline), and it's coming out in April/May '11.

 

[DonIago]

If you have any notes from your editor or could even just summarize anything that came up, I'd be very grateful for the chance to review it. Understood if it's not available for sharing, though.

Thanks for chiming in!

 

[Greg Cox]

It should probably be pointed out that the editorial process for tie-in books differs somewhat from original books in that the licensor is involved in the process as well. On my WAREHOUSE 13 novel, for instance, I worked with both my editor and the folks involved with the tv show . . . .

 

[Christopher]

Yeah, I was wondering whether the process would go faster for an original novel, with fewer approval steps needed.

 

[DonIago]

I'm happy to hear more about whatever approval processes people are willing to talk with me about.

 

[Ian_Burow]

Same here, guys. I've a project in mind that I've brought up elsewhere in the forum, and publishing is something on my list of contact necessities.

 

[Deano2099]

I only edit non-fiction/technical books so probably not what you're looking for but if that'd be any help to you drop me a PM.

As for working for free, the main rule is "don't be exploited" - if no-one is making any money off this (or at least, aren't yet) then that's fair enough. But if the authors are getting paid and your contact is getting paid then frankly you should be getting paid. Even if it's just a tiny amount, there's a certain principle there of them actually valuing your work.

 

[Greg Cox]

The only time I ever edited a manuscript without getting paid was part of a deal I made with a friend. I critiqued her fantasy novel in exchange for help setting up my website!

 

[DonIago]

^That would be fair.

Editing short stories for free on a regular basis I believe I could handle no problem. Editing something novel-length is a rather different proposition, and I'm really not sure that I won't burn-out on it. As-is I'm thinking I may just get back to them, express my reservations and leave it in their court. I wouldn't mind the opportunity as long as I'm not going to be lynched if it turns out to be beyond my abilities.

 

[garamet]

Yeah, I was wondering whether the process would go faster for an original novel, with fewer approval steps needed.

The answer to that is: It depends.

I've had novels go from submission of outline to approval in as little as 48 hours and as long as eight months. I've been given deadlines from one year to as little as eight weeks. I've had manuscripts go from submission to publication in as little as six months and as long as three years.

In my experience, the variable is always the editor. If s/he's efficient, dedicated, professional, and stays in communication with everyone else responsible for the process, it tends to run smoothly.

If he's going through a midlife crisis and would rather spend his time writing his own novel than actually doing his job, you're SOL.

Curiously, the eight months for approval, eight-week deadline (which I ignored, submitting the ms. after a year, and the dumb cluck never noticed), and three months until publication were all on the watch of the same editor.

I did experience a certain Schadenfreude when his novel was universally panned by the reviewers, however.

 

[TGTheodore]

This has nothing to do with full-length novels, but I was asked to pitch to Constellations and had seven days to come up with an outline. It was approved by Paramount a week later, I had ten days to write the story, and it ended up not being included in the final anthology.

Great art just can't be rushed.

--Ted

 

[DonIago]

Apparently the process that I'll be following, should I be involved in editing the novel-length stuff (I expressed my reservations to the publisher, still waiting to hear back) would be that I'd receive the entire manuscript and basically have approval over whether or not we think it's something we want to run with. If it is, then I handle the editing from top to bottom.

It's not quite what I'd prefer, but at least I know what text I'm signing up for upfront.

Wow, my grammar in this post is lousy. OTOH, I'm dead-tired and it's just a BBS.