Hiring Book Editors

We are hiring book editors this week, a frustrating task. It isn't that we lack applications. It is just that there are people out there who think they are qualified, who have no idea what they are doing.

We had one applicant say that they average about 300 hours per manuscript? If each session was five hours of their work, and then the ms went back to the author, it would take about 2 years to finish the project.

We had another applicant who charged $2000 - but all they did was a line edit. So, their poor clients were paying $2000 for a proofreader, or they were paying about $6 a page for what should only cost them $1.50 - $2.50 a page.

Then there are the dozens of applicants who listed that they could edit more than 10 genres - but when asked what genres they read, the answer was 0 - 2. How in the world can you edit a genre if you do not read it?

I don't think we found a single editor who swore they were qualified to edit thrillers who actually took the time to map a thriller and create a story arc. So, if you do not have a story arc, how in the world do you know if the climax is in the right place, there are the right number of breathers, the conflicts work together. Not to mention training yourself to find plot holes, pacing problems, or loose ends.

And - don't get me started on character development.

It explains why so many writers languish in the slush pile. If the editors do not have a clue of what they are doing - who is teaching the writers how to create a good novel.

So, the quest for editors continues. We have about five people willing to train, who we will turn into great editors.

The Secret of 'Talent'

It always amazes me how people appreaciate good writing, whether it appears on a blog, in an article, or in a novel. The thing is, anyone can write well. You can write something that receives hundreds, even thousands of views. You can write a novel that sells thousands of copies. The secret is to write something that people want to read, by writing about life.

Take a look at two blog posts I wrote that received top hits, despite the fact they are on a blog community, www.communati.com, that has hundreds of great writers on the site.

My first article received almost 500 views in less than a few hours. Within 4 hours of being written, it was on the ‘most popular list.’ Gladiolas, Dahlias, Pear Trees and The Secrets of Life . This is nothing more than a look at a quiet summer afternoon that I spent with my family, and how it touched me, and also touched my readers. The writing is not literary and flowery. There is nothing poetic about it. I just wrote it in a way that made readers look into their own lives. This is the secret of great writing, making people look at their own lives instead of forcing them to see life through your eyes.

The second is a tutorial on saving time. I did not tell people to save time. Instead, I showed them how I save time. There is a big difference between talking about what to do and how to do. The world is full of tutorials that tell people what to do, but never gives them the tools to help them do it. How Much $$ Does Multitasking Costing You?
You’ll also notice that I made some great titles. Are titles important? Yes. They are so important that I have even returned to my blogs and changed titles. In some cases, the hits increased.

So, next time you write, don’t just put words on paper. Think about your readers. “Take care of your readers and they will take care of you.”



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