As an author (my tenth book came out last month), I can tell you this is all spot-on and so very true. I have dealt with people in each of those departments and by treating them well, my life is easier, too. There is the occasional bad apple, someone who pulls a Simon Cowell on you just because they can, but overall, I would say that nearly everyone I have dealt with at the two houses I write for has been professional, kind and clearly doing this job because they love books.
Smart authors read blog entries like this and take it to heart, making it a point to learn everything they can about the business, both from their side of the fence and the publisher's. This is, in many ways, a partnership and if the author doesn't have a clue what happens once that manuscript is delivered, then it can only make things difficult.
I appreciate your honesty and know that you have done many authors a great favor in explaining the way this business works. It's an industry unto itself, without a doubt, but it's also one that I'd work in, even if they didn't pay me (though don't tell my editors that ;-)
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Well said and so true
Date: 2006-03-18 12:48 pm (UTC)Smart authors read blog entries like this and take it to heart, making it a point to learn everything they can about the business, both from their side of the fence and the publisher's. This is, in many ways, a partnership and if the author doesn't have a clue what happens once that manuscript is delivered, then it can only make things difficult.
I appreciate your honesty and know that you have done many authors a great favor in explaining the way this business works. It's an industry unto itself, without a doubt, but it's also one that I'd work in, even if they didn't pay me (though don't tell my editors that ;-)
Shirley Jump
www.shirleyjump.com