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- Aug 12, 2017
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Hi everybody and thanks for reading this,
I recently got a contract with a small independent publisher and received my first-round-edits back from the editor, including "edit letter", and I'm not quite sure how to handle it. His first criticism is that he doesn't like the plot. Ouch--because, well, that's the story that was accepted and taken under contract. His other comments make me wonder, and editors here, please don't take this the wrong way, if he ever read the manuscript properly, because there are so many comments on things that are clearly explained in the book and not at all what he is thinking. Now, granted--maybe I need to be more explicit. Deal. ;o)
Him and I also seem to have a different point of view in regards to suspense of disbelief: My teen protagonist got hired as a spy, and of course he does spy-things, neither of which my editor likes (for example saying the MC's parents would never let him do that--well, NO! Not in real life--which it is not!). I agree that in real life nobody would take a sixteen-year-old on a dangerous mission--but if he didn't go, then we wouldn't have this story. And my MC has a good reason to go (there is a logical progression of events, his background is clear and explained)--only the editor says it wouldn't happen in real life. Sigh.
My overall problem with letter is that he is telling me more or less to write a different book (never mind the aggressive and somehow deprecating tone), and that I feel we're looking at this story completely differently: I can't win. No matter what my characters do, it's never right. Funny thing is, this backlash is coming a bit out of nowhere, because none of my beta-readers nor any of the publisher's beta-readers had any of the problems with the story he does (but they're not editors, I know).
So, what do I do? Is that the way an editing letter/process works? Do I write back, explain my POV for each of his bullet points, and we come to a solution together? Do I *have* to take his suggestions (and yes, no worries: I will consider them all and think them through), or can I take some and leave others? What does the publisher expect me to do--> "obey" the editor's suggestions?
If anybody could give me some pointers, it would be greatly appreciated.
THANK YOU! )
~noonian
I recently got a contract with a small independent publisher and received my first-round-edits back from the editor, including "edit letter", and I'm not quite sure how to handle it. His first criticism is that he doesn't like the plot. Ouch--because, well, that's the story that was accepted and taken under contract. His other comments make me wonder, and editors here, please don't take this the wrong way, if he ever read the manuscript properly, because there are so many comments on things that are clearly explained in the book and not at all what he is thinking. Now, granted--maybe I need to be more explicit. Deal. ;o)
Him and I also seem to have a different point of view in regards to suspense of disbelief: My teen protagonist got hired as a spy, and of course he does spy-things, neither of which my editor likes (for example saying the MC's parents would never let him do that--well, NO! Not in real life--which it is not!). I agree that in real life nobody would take a sixteen-year-old on a dangerous mission--but if he didn't go, then we wouldn't have this story. And my MC has a good reason to go (there is a logical progression of events, his background is clear and explained)--only the editor says it wouldn't happen in real life. Sigh.
My overall problem with letter is that he is telling me more or less to write a different book (never mind the aggressive and somehow deprecating tone), and that I feel we're looking at this story completely differently: I can't win. No matter what my characters do, it's never right. Funny thing is, this backlash is coming a bit out of nowhere, because none of my beta-readers nor any of the publisher's beta-readers had any of the problems with the story he does (but they're not editors, I know).
So, what do I do? Is that the way an editing letter/process works? Do I write back, explain my POV for each of his bullet points, and we come to a solution together? Do I *have* to take his suggestions (and yes, no worries: I will consider them all and think them through), or can I take some and leave others? What does the publisher expect me to do--> "obey" the editor's suggestions?
If anybody could give me some pointers, it would be greatly appreciated.
THANK YOU! )
~noonian