Sitting in an office or at home reading unpublished, early versions of
books may not seem like the most exciting job in the world. At first. But
being a book editor does have its thrills, according to Florida-based freelance
book editor Laurie Rosin.
"I worked on a very strong memoir about World War II," she says. "I sent
it to an agent in New York City, who read it the same day he received it.
The next day he sent an agent's agreement to the author's widow by FedEx.
She signed it and got it back to him overnight. As soon as he got it, he sent
it to publishing houses.
"Three made offers on the book. Within a week, she had a contract with
a book company and a $50,000 advance."
Rosin's story proves that editing can be a fast-paced and suspenseful job
after all. But even during the quieter moments, book editors find other reasons
to love their job.
Rosin says the career is intellectually challenging and rewarding, and,
as a bonus, she gets to deal with people from all over the world.
"I particularly enjoy helping new authors learn the craft," she says. "I
get very strong feedback and foster long-term relationships with my clients.
I get to work at home as a freelancer, and I can draw clients from all over
the world because of the Internet. I have clients from Turkey, Kazakhstan,
South Africa and Uganda."
Ben Schafer is an executive editor for a New York publishing company. He
says that he's very lucky that the company he works for publishes the kinds
of books he likes to read.
"I don't have to pretend to be enthusiastic about any book I'm publishing,"
he says. "That's a privilege. What most editors get out of it is aesthetic
satisfaction; very few make a lot of money doing it."
Indeed, Schafer says that if money is your main goal, then you'd best look
at a different line of work. While the book editors at the top of the field
make good money, he says this job is truly best suited for those who love
books.
"If you want a job that engages your brain and marries aesthetic sensibilities
with business smarts, a job where you'll meet and possibly get to work with
a lot of interesting, intelligent, even talented people, then go for it,"
he says.
"Above all, you must really like books, and like them more than a normal
person. You should be a total book-obsessive and feel books changed your life."
Speaking of change... it's something those in the book industry are all
too familiar with lately. With the rise of everything from e-mail to the Internet
to e-books over in the past 20 years, Schafer says he's seen a lot of changes.
And he says that the changes are not all necessarily for the good.
"It's far too easy -- and also a losing battle -- to spend all your time
keeping up with the [e-mail] correspondence, the avalanche of, literally,
hundreds of messages a day. There seem to be 10 times as many agents as there
used to be, many of them former editors. I've had weeks where 30 or more potential
projects come my way, all anywhere from 20 to hundreds of pages.
"Book sales seem to be steadily dwindling," he adds, "and I wonder about
the next generation, the ones who are kids now and will be more accustomed
to reading lots of short bits instead of being able to concentrate on a sustained,
longer narrative. And, of course, the rise of the e-book, which is still developing
and could go any which way at this point."
Carol Gaskin owns her own editing business in Florida. For Gaskin, it's
a very rewarding line of work. She says being a book editor gives her the
pleasure of helping people with their creative expression, as well as giving
her the joy of constant learning.
"Every time I begin work on a new manuscript, it's a new world opening
to me."
Still, Gaskin says she does not necessarily recommend that young people
pursue book editing as a career, because of the many changes in the field.
She says the industry is changing too rapidly to know what the prospects will
be for book editors 30 or 40 years from now.
"I do think there will always be a need for people who have mastered the
English language, who understand how to put together a strong work of fiction
or non-fiction, and who are able to help elicit excellent work
from the writers they edit," she adds. "I also find editing a 'calling,' not
necessarily a profession one intends to prepare for."
David Fuller, a newspaper copy editor and freelance book editor, agrees
that despite all the changes in the industry, there will always be some demand
for editors.
"Good grammar and spelling are virtues," he says, "and no matter how the
written language changes, it will naturally seek standardization, so there
will still be work for editors."