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The Steve Laube Agency

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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Editing

Editing

E Is for Editor

By Steve Laubeon October 2, 2023
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Your editor can be your best friend in the industry (besides your agent, of course). Or your editor can be your worst enemy.

Bad Side First

An editor who doesn’t reply to your email inquiries or return your phone calls is either ignoring you on purpose or is so busy with other pressing matters they can’t get to yours. If you have this problem, make sure you didn’t create it in the first place by incessantly poking your editor with minor questions. It is likely many of your questions can be answered by your agent unless they are related to the specific editing of your manuscript.

An editor who does not understand what you are trying to do with your manuscript and rewrites your work to their own tastes is not a good thing and should be resisted. But be careful; the editor is rarely being nefarious or intentionally mean to you. Their job is to improve your manuscript; they may have merely misread the content. If you feel their hand is too heavy, then hold firm and gently push back. This is appropriate and not confrontational.

An editor with whom you simply don’t get along can undermine some of the in-house discussions. When I was an editor, I talked to the marketing director, who would always ask, “Do we have a future with this author?” Why? Because she had extra money designated to spend on authors we were building, and that money would help the next book from that author. If my answer to her question was “no,” then we moved on to the next author in the lineup. That “no” would come for several reasons (sales, poor writing, etc.).

The Good Side

Did the above paragraphs scare you a little? That was intentional. Understand that the “Bad Side” is rare. They make for great campfire horror stories. They do happen, but it is not the norm.

Instead, a good editor is your champion. They acquired your book, defended it against all odds in-house and are there as your partner to make your book a treasure. Often these editorial relationships last for a long time. I remember reading about a major, bestselling author (someone like Stephen King or John Grisham; I don’t remember who) who had switched to a new publishing house. It was huge news; and the journalist wondered, Why the switch? It later came out that the author’s editor had been hired by the new publisher, and the author followed. I’ve known authors and editors who have become best friends, staying at each other’s homes and even vacationing with each other’s families.

At one point in my editorial days, an author liked working with me so much he tried to get a “key man” clause written into the contract. This would mean that if I left the company, he could opt out of the contract! My boss wouldn’t go for it, laughed, then said, “Steve? This clause would give you more job security than I have!”

Having a go-to person for all things editorial is one of the great benefits of having a great editor on your side. How does this differ from your agent? The easiest answer is that if you have a great relationship with your editor (note the “if”), then that person is for all things creative related to your book. The agent then becomes all things business related to your book. That is a simplistic dividing line, but you get the idea.

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Category: Book Business, Career, Editing, Publishing A-Z, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Editors

My Editor Made My Book Worse!

By Steve Laubeon May 16, 2022
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by Steve Laube

You just received a 15 page single spaced editorial letter from your publisher. They want you to rewrite most of the book. But you disagree with the letter and are spitting mad. What do you do?

Or your agent took a look at your manuscript and told you to cut it in half to make it sellable. What do you do?

Both examples are true stories and illustrate the universal …

Read moreMy Editor Made My Book Worse!
Category: Craft, Editing, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Writing Craft

When Editorial Errors Matter

By Steve Laubeon September 20, 2021
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by Steve Laube

Writers make mistakes. It happens. Often an editor’s job is to be the safety net and catch those tidbits that find their way into an early draft of a manuscript for any number of reasons.

The simplicity of “cut & paste” has created more opportunity for error than ever before. I've seen half sentences left in their original place because the writer failed to cut and …

Read moreWhen Editorial Errors Matter
Category: Book Business, Craft, E-Books, Editing, Grammar, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Errors, Writing Craft

Ancient Wisdom from an Ancient Editor

By Steve Laubeon May 17, 2021
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by Steve Laube

I came across a remarkable section in a book written around 124 B.C. The editor of the book wrote the following preface to help the reader understand his methodology and purpose. It shows the concern a good editor has for the ultimate reader. His job was to abridge a massive five volume work into an abbreviated 16,00 word document. Can anyone tell me where this comes from and …

Read moreAncient Wisdom from an Ancient Editor
Category: Book Business, Craft, Editing, Grammar, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Wisdom, Writing Craft

Proofreading: Tips and Tricks

By Steve Laubeon March 8, 2021
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[Since today, March 8th, is National Proofreading Day I thought I would re-post this article from a few years ago, with some revisions. I’ve left the comments attached below since so many were illustrative. Please add new thoughts as well.] I have regularly displayed my lack of proofreading skills in past blog posts. In fact, it got so bad I’ve had to hire someone to proofread my posts …

Read moreProofreading: Tips and Tricks
Category: Book Proposals, Career, Craft, Editing, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Proofreading, Writing Craft

When the Gloves Come Off

By Steve Laubeon August 17, 2020
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Fist Slams Table in Anger

The publishing experience is rarely done in isolation. This means working with other people. And if their performances or efforts do not meet your expectations, conflict can occur. Over the years I’ve seen more conflict than you can imagine–of all types and variety. But the majority of issues boil down to four areas: Editorial Production (cover design?) Marketing and publicity Getting …

Read moreWhen the Gloves Come Off
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, EditingTag: Career, Communication, Editing, Money

Every Word Counts

By Steve Laubeon May 13, 2019
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The popularity of last week's post on the phrase counter set me on a journey to find something that would do the same sort of "counting" but instead focus on single word usage instead of phrases.

Use this link to the Word Counter web site and run your WIP (work in progress) within its walls.

Read moreEvery Word Counts
Category: Editing, Grammar, Writing CraftTag: Editing, words

Four Myths About Editors

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 16, 2018
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Since even the most prolific authors’ experience with editors may be limited to one or two, editors can seem mythical. Let’s unwrap a few assumptions: 1)  Editors don’t have to worry about the market. Agents advise writers to consider the market when writing. This is because editors do have to worry about the market and must make their acquiring decisions at least partially with the market in …

Read moreFour Myths About Editors
Category: Editing, Get PublishedTag: Editing, Editors

Your Obligation to Your Editor

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 3, 2018
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You’ve done all the hard work of writing and pitching a book and now your agent has secured a contract for you. Congratulations! Now you’re set to work with an editor! You may have met the editor at a conference. You may have talked with the editor many times during 15-minute pitch sessions over several years. You may have attended their workshops and spotlight sessions at conferences. This may be …

Read moreYour Obligation to Your Editor
Category: Editing, The Writing LifeTag: Editing, Editor, The Writing Life

Editors: Friend or Foe?

By Guest Bloggeron March 19, 2018
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Our guest blogger today is our friend Karen Ball! She runs Karen Ball Publishing Services, LLC and is an award-winning, best-selling author; a popular podcaster/ speaker; and the co-creator with Erin Taylor Young of From the Deep, LLC. She has also been executive editor for fiction at Tyndale, Multnomah, Zondervan, and B&H Publishing Group, and a literary agent with the Steve Laube Agency. …

Read moreEditors: Friend or Foe?
Category: Editing, Get Published, Inspiration, Karen, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Get Published, Writing Craft
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