Partnership or War? The Author-Editor Relationship
Ever wonder about the editor-author relationship, or feel queasy thinking about your work being critiqued? I had a chance to talk to award-winning poet and novelist Dr. Nicole Markotić, Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor. The relationship, she says, doesn't have to be uneasy -- with a little trust and understanding, it can lead to great things.
Throughout many circles of writers, editors have received a negative reputation. Many writers feel vulnerable when given criticism about the manuscripts they have worked so hard on, and react negatively to the experience of their work being edited. American writer Henry James called editing “a butcher’s trade” (Frizzell) while bestselling Game of Thrones author George R.R Martin said that “editors are hatchet men, out there on the front line … the source of most rejections.” As children’s author Rick Walton aptly put, “there are three kinds of author responses to editorial comments: “Duh,” “Whatever,” and “No way!” (qtd. in Harrison).
However, award-winning poet and novelist Dr. Nicole Markotić has said that this resistant attitude comes from a skewed perspective of where the author and the publisher both stand during the editing process. As someone who has been on both sides of the page, her experience has given her a clear view of what the author-editor relationship is truly like: two people passionate about literature who are working towards the same goal.
Dr. Markotić’s own 11 books and multiple texts she has edited demonstrate her experience. In 1992 her first work tracking the game was published with disOrientation Press, followed by her poetry texts he and [he] (dog ear press) and connect the dots (Wolsak & Wynn) in 1994. Her most memorable publishing experience, however, was in 1995 with Red Deer Press, when her book Yellow Pages: A Catalogue of Intentions was published. “Dennis [Johnson] got anyone he wanted … he got 700 manuscripts in a year back then, and rejected 699 of them … I thought he would say ‘I’m not going to read it,’ and even if he did read it, I didn’t think he would publish it” (personal interview). She then went on to have seven more books published: her chapbook more excess with West Coast Line (1997) won the bp Nichol chapbook award; she published minotaurs and other alphabets with Wolsak & Wynn (1998), her chapbook from _Reported Speech_ in 2000 was published for SFU, and Widows and Orphans was published with Nomados in 2004. Her first novel, Scrapbook of My Years as a Zealot was launched in 2008 by Arsenal Pulp Press, her poetry book Bent at the Spine was released in 2012 by BookThug, and her most recent book Ins and Outs was published by above/ground Press mid-2015. In addition to her writing, she has edited multiple works by renowned poets Fred Wah, Robert Kroetsch, and Dennis Cooley (among others) and the critical text Intersections: The Problem Body in Film.
Her only troublesome experiences were with acquisitions editors that approached the situation with a negative attitude towards authors: “I got a really sarcastic response from the publisher … it’s like, ‘all you had to do was say no.’ So I don’t hold that publisher in high regard.” Similarly, she knows of editors’ troublesome experiences with writers who had negative attitudes towards the editor and publisher: “When I worked at Red Deer Press, Dennis would have writers say ‘I think my prologue should be in green ink’ … He had unreasonable demands from writers who don’t really understand publishing, and when he wouldn’t cater to those demands, they would consider him a jerk.” Dr. Markotić has had “New writers to established writers, who should know better, get mad because you’re editing as opposed to being completely thankful that … somebody is giving you important feedback.” These approaches are usually due to past, damaging author-editor relationships, perhaps where a previous editor or author wasn’t sensitive to the vulnerabilities and frustrations of the other party involved.
These negative attitudes, however, are the cause of these frustrating relationships, and lead to additional troublesome experiences. Dr. Markotić points out, “I would like to change the perception … too many writers, and even a few publishers, think [the relationship] needs to be or will be antagonistic, but I find it very generative … they think they need to stick to their guns … they assume they’re going to have to fight. That attitude creates an unhappy relationship instead of a beautiful friendship.”
Even before working on her first book tracking the game, Dr. Markotić knew that key is to “Trust the editor … there’s a reason the editor says this [or that].” It’s also crucial that the editor-author relationship be filled with mutual respect. Dr. Markotić has learned to “Always [be] on the editor’s side, not the writer’s side, even when I’m the writer.” This trust and respect needs to be based on an understanding of both the motivations and the roles of the editor and author when working on the manuscript. “Most publishers … love literary works,” she says; “they care about the manuscript as much as you [the writer] do … they went into publishing because they love literature. If they went into marketing or dentistry they might make twice as much...we’re all trying to edit [a manuscript] to be the best it can be.” As Alexis Gargaliano, who has edited for Simon & Schuster, Knopf, and Scribner, has said, “I think it’s important for writers to remember that we’re not their enemy. We love books and we’re looking for books that we love” (qtd. Ferrari-Adler).
Some editors, especially those who aren’t as experienced or skilled as others, often come under fire for their decisions. George R. R. Martin has said, for example, that “There are many bad editors, who seem to understand little or nothing … the worst are those who don’t care.” These cases are unusual, however, and Dr. Markotić says that even these editors have value. Writers just need to learn how to see it: “I’m not saying that every editor is right and you should just listen to them … [but] even when I have a mediocre editor and [get a] terrible edit … it’s still feedback that makes you understand that’s how some people read the text.”
What both writers and editors need to do is to understand the specific context of the author-editor relationship, seeing it as a partnership full of cooperation and teamwork instead of a push-and-pull experience. Part of this specific context, especially for writers, is understanding each publishing house’s balance between marketability and a manuscript’s content. Dr. Markotić explained that “If you had a really giant press, the difference would be the [speed or] motion … don’t be surprised if you submit to a big press and they want your book to be marketable more than literary. Pick a press because of the kind of writing they do, and [because] you think that your writing will fit into it.”
In short, both writers and editors need to establish where they stand and what their goals for the manuscript are before they begin working on it. Writers don’t only need to understand that editors are just as invested in the manuscript as they are, but also that each publisher is different and has a unique vision for it depending on their list. With the right initial approach and research, any disagreements or troublesome issues can be prevented before they even occur. As Carol Saller, author of the Subversive Copy Editor, has aptly put, editors should “Try to build trust. We ask intelligent questions that express understanding and respect. We assure [the author] that our work will be transparent and the editing negotiable. We emphasize collaboration.” Similarly, she says, “Writers who believe their writing is faultless and perceive [editing] as an intrusion are missing out.”
