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The week draws to a close, but the excitement never stops! I spent much of the morning reading a manuscript. Then I headed out into the blustery Manhattan streets to meet up with agent Shana Cohen for lunch at Savoy (highly recommended if you're hanging out in Soho!). Topics mentioned included: Ace, Roc, the apocalypse, Manhattan apartments, her author Greg Frost's Shadowbridge, the new MUJI store, and Patrick Rothfuss. Then it was back to Hudson Street!
For your delectation today, I've performed...an interview! One of my authors is a little...well...closer to me than all the rest---by which I mean he works down the hall. Anton Strout has the dubious claim to fame of being both a Penguin salesperson, and a Penguin author. His great urban fantasy Dead To Me will be published by Ace in March of 2008. I thought it would be fun to have a little conversation with Anton about how the editorial process has treated him. Has it been a clash of fiery wills or a harmonious meeting of minds? Anton (who is a good sport in the face of Ace/Roc's editorial staff mercilessly referring to his reasonable questions about his own debut novel as "egobibliomania") is willing to tell all!
JW: So Anton, at any point during the editing process did you harbor murderous thoughts against your editor?
AS: I've had at least three since just this morning! Actually, I rarely have murderous thoughts about my [ed. note: wonderful!] editor. It's hard to feel murderous towards someone who is really trying to help you improve your book before it goes into stores. I might not agree with every last edit, but I know she has both our interests in mind. A lot of authors see their books as precious little snowflakes, untouchable, but that author ain't me.
JW: It's very sweet that after all this time you think I have your best interests at heart! [Note to Penguin blog staff: possible to insert sound of evil laughter?] So let's explain the stages the editorial process went through. Now, before I ever wrote you a letter, how many times had you revised the book yourself?
AS: I was supposed to revise?!?!?! Let's see... well, about halfway into the book I joined a workshop and I realized that that it needed to be first person instead of third person, which is a much longer conversion process than I thought it would be. Then I had my fellow Dorks of the Round Table (including authors Carolyn Turgeon and Jeanine Cummins) read the first draft. Somehow they survived and rewrites began. Once that was cleaned up, I gave it a reread as I had a little distance, made another round of big edits throughout and figured it was as good as it could get at that point. So three, I think.
JW: And then you got my editorial letter. (Let's pretend, for the sake of this blog, that it was full of clever things that made your book better!) Did you feel fear, resentment, or loathing? But seriously, how long did it take you to do a revision, and what percentage of the book do you think changed?
AS: Is ‘kicked in the gut' an emotion? Yeah, your editorial letter was like that! An editor reads things in a way that I don't quite understand yet so when I got your letter, it made my manuscript look like a giant piece of Swiss cheese with all these holes in it, plot or otherwise. As far as the revisions, I dove right in once I got the editorial letter because I was in the phase of "OMG THIS MUST GO TO PRESS SOON!" I'd say a good 20 to 30% of the book was generated from your notes, all for the better!
JW: I feel a strange emotion washing over me. Is it guilt? Poor Anton! But you did a great job on revisions. I believe there was a second, much more minor round of edits. Then I did something I've never done before... I line-edited your book on the computer. It took about a million years. Down with technology! Then I gave you the chance to click through to accept or reject changes and I believe one of your fingers fell off at that point?
AS: As the geek in residence here at Penguin, I liked doing the line edit that way, but then again, I've never had to do it before, so what do I know? And while I did lose a finger, that inspired many of the zombie scenes I'm writing for book two, so I consider it a fair trade.
JW: Then it was off to the copyeditor, who made some clever catches that you and I were too silly to notice! You went through the manuscript, and I heard strange mutterings from your office for days... and now voila. Page proofs and a galley. Your monster is almost alive!
AS: It's all been very nervous and terrifying on my end. I may curl up into a little ball and rock back and forth until February 26th. Oh wait... I can't! The whole process starts again for the next one!
-- Jessica Wade, Roc/Ace, Associate Editor
Roc, 
Ace, 
Jessica Wade, 
Anton Strout, 
Dead To Me, 
galleys, 
line edit, 
fantasy, 
sci-fi, 
science fiction, 
imprint, 
editor, 
guest blogger, 
history, 
Penguin books, 
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