Whatever happened to the editors that championed my 12 books over the last several years? Where have they gone? One of the best, my first as it turned out, retired. Word was he didnt have to work. He was the scion of a famous book publishing family, who did it for fun. Perhaps this is why he was a joy and incredibly easy to work with. In any case, breezing along together we put out six books, and about four became business bestsellers. There were two or three who were fired or who elected the parent track, orphaning my works in the process, somewhere in the nursery stage, between the submission and publication dates. One stayed in place, and others jumped to other houses, only to fall off the radar, later on. There was also that one replacement editor, who was going to offer me a pittance for rewriting one of my biggest titles, and I refused, calculating the royalties would be better if I just did nothing. I was right. Sitting pretty was the more lucrative choice, and that titled stayed in print the way it was for another 10 years, as I recall. He didnt last more than two years in his post. And Im just speaking of the ones who ACCEPTED my books. If you count the editors who rejected my books, and the rest who I have tracked over the course of the years, I suspect 90-95% are no longer in the field. My career in book publishing has lasted longer than most of theirs, which frankly, I find inspiring. It summons to mind the expression coined by a former head of the venerable William Morris Agency: You might say no to me today; but tomorrow, Ill deal with your successor! Have this in mind as your market your creative products, and keep your chin up! |
