Book Commissioning and Acquisition

Gill Davies

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2004
• ISBN:
  9781134369355
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Since its first publication, this essential guide to book commissioning has established itself as the one and only 'must-read' for any successful editor, and the core training text used both within publishing houses and on publishing courses worldwide.
In this new edition, Davies concentrates on the essential skills of commissioning, as well as other editorial challenges such as handling new lists following mergers and takeovers, and the demands of digital technology. New case-studies have been added which illustrate the commercial and practical problems that editors must address in today's complex and demanding marketplace.
This book remains the one text that editors must have by their side throughout their careers.

1 Introduction

This is a book about the role of an editor, a position that most people in the publishing industry still regard as the pivotal one. Today, marketing is a powerful and essential part of the publishing process, and there will be few houses where marketing colleagues are not heavily involved in the decision to publish a book. In some trade houses, with a strong commercial edge, marketing may have the final word in that decision.

Editorial still occupies the key territory where most publishing ideas are received, created and then developed before eventually receiving approval for publication. Editors, therefore, are highly influential ‘gatekeepers’, since it is they who choose which projects will go forward for development and for approval by other colleagues. While the editor remains the prime person in contact with authors, he or she will remain powerful. It is authors who write the books, who more often than not create the ideas, who (often being at the heart of the market for which they are writing) will be closest to the reader, and who are likely to generate the greatest interest and therefore publicity around a book. The author is not only the real creator of the book, he or she is the walking storehouse of information about it and its readers, is the greatest enthusiast for the book but, paradoxically, the person who sometimes has to be nursed or intensely supported. These factors are key to the functions of the editorial role.

WHY BE AN EDITOR?

Being at the interface between the author and what he or she creates is exciting and can be influential. The opportunity to work with an author on content is also highly satisfying. The role is sometimes likened to that of a midwife. Not all authors want or need to have an involved editor, but very many do. Not every book one publishes is going to be a hot property – there will be mid-list books – but when one has the chance to work with an author on a book that makes outstanding sales or is highly influential, then one realises that being an editor is a very privileged job. Indeed, many editors will link growth in confidence to having been involved in such a success. Truthful editors will also confess that they did not always spot that a book was going to be quite so influential. They might have thought the book had something going for it, and merited publication, but perhaps no more than that. It does not matter. They made the right decision and they will learn from the experience. Confidence grows, along with decisiveness.

It is the editor to whom the author's information, enthusiasm, knowledge, demanding behaviour and emotion are addressed. How we receive all that and how we handle it is the reason why the role of editor is so influential. A few editors do not have a fundamental understanding of the importance of their role and, as a consequence, their marketing and production colleagues do not always view editors as positively as they should. It need not be like that. An effective editor demonstrates his or her indispensability every day as a touchstone to others, a resource for information, energy and enthusiasm.

This book is about learning to do one's job properly as an editor. It is a hard job to do, and to do it well requires application and courage – two things that do not necessarily go together. In the past it was thought that the skills of being a good editor could not be taught and the job remained shrouded in a slightly glamorous veil of mystery. Today, editors are sent off with everyone else to learn ‘skills’. Those skills are often about finance and investment, marketing and digital technology, and are entirely necessary. They help the editor to see the broader picture, including understanding how one should do one's job in order to meet the aims and objectives of the publishing house.

The skills that are scarcely taught are about how to chase after a good book and a good author; how to spot a viable book idea from some quite general discussions with an author or to see the nugget of a good book within a book outline that might be unsuitable; how to ensure that authors do not deliver their work behind schedule; how to create and develop marketable books; how to persuade authors not to interfere inappropriately in the publishing process; how to build and maintain relationships of mutual professional respect with authors; how to contribute fully to the whole team that is a publishing house.

This book is a systematic attempt to address those things that really make the difference in successful commissioning. It is also about what seem like quite mundane things such as how to keep the various parties

who are involved in the process informed and encouraged; how to give help and support so that they can perform to optimum ability and effectiveness. It never loses sight of a fundamental principle, which is: within the walls of a publishing house, it is the editor who ‘minds’ the book and the success of that book will stand or fall on the ability of that editor to do his or her job well and responsibly. This book will often dwell on what goes wrong, and quite frequently does, because publishing is a profession centred on people (many of them authors) who are often intense and over-endowed with nervous energy because they are creative and bring huge emotional investment to the publishing process; a profession that has at its centre a product that is individual, quirky and demanding like no other mass-produced artefact to be found in the high street. If a good editor is a good motivator and informer, he or she is just as likely to be a good damage limitation expert.

THE STRONGEST AND THE WEAKEST LINK

It is no accident that it is editors who tend to command most private and public attention in and around publishing. Not only do good editors make the difference to the success of a house, they provide tremendous PR interest outside it. They can attract authors with ease because of their reputations. Their conviction and commitment can be a huge galvanising and energising force among the rest of the publishing staff. They are valuable. However, they can also alienate authors and colleagues, and too often it is done behind a surface arrogance that masks fundamental incompetence. What makes authors angry are editors who do a less than adequate job of publishing their books. Some editors seem to get by on charm alone – again, a not entirely satisfactory approach to professionalism.

Publishing appears from the outside to be a comparatively easy profession to be in. Surely it is easy to spot a good manuscript and, after that, one simply has to get the book reviewed and out into the market. Working within publishing we know that is not so but, because our profession does seem an uncomplicated one from the outside, and because it also appears to be a rather enjoyable and interesting one, when we are found lacking, we can be severely criticised. Furthermore, what we have mishandled is the proverbial blood, toil, tears and sweat of a writer who may have worked on a manuscript for a couple of years or more. Being competent is a serious issue for editors and it is more complicated and subtle than simply meeting targets regarding productivity, or learning to understand company accounts, or getting to grips with the skills of marketing or digital technology – all of which are entirely necessary to the gradual broadening and developing of an editor.

There are other factors in play too. Many publishing staff are poorly paid and not well trained. Staff turnover is growing. Many junior-level jobs are vacated every couple of years or so. This brings inherent problems which can be exacerbated by the multi-layered character of publishing. Responsibility is spread over many levels and expertises. This can also be the source of errors and misjudgements if there are weak links in the chain.

What most young editors need when they first start commissioning are not primarily business skills; they want guidance and support on how they go about the central challenge of the job. How do we find good books and authors? Success in business flows from an ability to do that.

This book sets out to do two things. It will present the main principles and practices involved in commissioning work which are necessary if one is going to be at the very least a competent editor. But it will also tackle the ‘danger areas’, the things we cannot spot coming at us, the things that spell trouble, the things to avoid like the plague. This is the damage limitation aspect of the job, which is essential given the combination of a publishing process that is complex, deadline-orientated, highly labour intensive and yet creative, and involves an added, sometimes volatile, ingredient from outside the publishing house called ‘the author’.

Editors need a thorough understanding of both these aspects if they are to be properly useful to the publishing houses where they work. A good grounding builds competence, and competence usually leads to successful publishing. A successful editor is generous with his or her time and effort in respect of authors and colleagues. An editor who gives, receives back commitment, energy and enthusiasm from both.

WORKING WITH RISK AND UNCERTAINTY

It should be stated at the outset that being an editor is not a job for the faint-hearted. Many of us have started out in the profession feeling shy and diffident but somehow have managed to battle on because the shame of failure has actually exceeded the awful gnaw in the pit of the stomach which is called anxiety. To begin with, most young editors think that the scary part of the job is going to be coping with authors who are either hugely famous or successful, or terrifyingly demanding and aggressive, or extraordinarily clever. Thankfully all those characteristics rarely reside in one person. You will also discover that most authors are primarily interested in whether they are going to get on with you or not, and whether you are fundamentally competent.

The truth then dawns that what is really frightening about the job is that the results of your labours are all too public and tend to linger for quite some time. They are called sales figures and reviews. For specialist publishers the results of those labours can remain in the warehouse for too long, giving colleagues every opportunity to analyse your mistakes. But at least the rhythms of specialist publishing allow a title the chance to build up sales over time. For the consumer books editor there is no time to nurse sales; no place for ‘sleepers’. The book either moves off the bookshop shelves fast, or it joins the army of returns and contributes to the running total of unearned advances.

Then there are the reviews. How many editors have opened the quality Sunday papers first to have their hearts filled with excitement to see one of their books in the review pages, only to be followed immediately by a tightening of the gut at the split-second thought that the review might be critical. As it is for all performers, the process of being judged in print is a very public one and adds an extra dimension to this particular job in publishing. Only an editor can be judged in this way. No other job in publishing has its effectiveness measured not only through sales but also by public pronouncements.

Many editors do not survive this and leave the industry. Others are repeatedly thrown in the deep end in the understanding that if you are any good, you'll make it to the shore. Alas, those who do make it to the shore will do so with a set of bad habits that are entirely concerned with survival and nothing to do with good publishing practice. Such individuals are often quite damaging to those around them.

Being an editor is not just ‘fun’ and ‘exciting’ – two over-used words in our profession. It is also tough and requires rigour and professionalism. Talent is no longer enough. The fun and excitement are there but they tend to come with a sustained understanding of an editor's job and from the pleasure of working in a team involved in a steady stream of successful books. Such momentum is not achieved quickly or easily. It requires persistent application. Job satisfaction can take its time to kick in. Perhaps two or three years will go by before one starts to feel a greater sense of control of one's list and also to see a glimmer of the results of one's labours.

THE ROUTE TO BECOMING AN EDITOR

THE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Someone destined to become an editor usually starts out on the very bottom rung of the editorial ladder as an editorial assistant. The new entrant is likely to spend time properly assisting an editor/senior editor/editorial director/publisher. That ‘assisting’ can indeed entail making telephone calls, filing, booking a restaurant table and ordering tickets for travel, but it is also likely to encompass checking manuscripts, having direct contact with authors, writing copy, getting readers’ reports, liaising with other departments, keeping editorial databases up to date, and drawing up contracts. Clearly, from the start, considerable responsibility is involved and one needs to be a good all-rounder, possessing interpersonal, writing and organisational skills.

Over time the assistant is gradually being trained to do many jobs which are ultimately the manager's responsibility but which that overstretched person cannot fit in during a busy day. A manager has to set priorities and delegate. Being an extension of your boss can sometimes seem cramping – you may long for your own autonomy – but it does give an assistant a wonderful front-row seat from which to observe what an editor actually does. Even the most hard-pressed editor wants a break from the real work from time to time in the day to discuss problems, projects, authors, what's happening in other departments, and so on. The assistant is the person he or she is most likely to talk to in the first instance. An assistant can pick up a lot of information not only about being editor but also about publishing. Being an assistant provides you with an excellent grounding. Because of the front-row aspect of the job, it can also provide good opportunities to be noticed and to impress.

Although this is an entry-level job, it is an important one because the increasing workloads of today's editors mean that the editorial assistant has come to play a vital role in the efficient functioning of most editorial departments.

If the assistant does this job well, he or she may be promoted to assistant editor. At this stage autonomy increases. Assistant editors are not likely to be given lists of their own to work on but will be given a discrete part of a list or a particular group of authors. By the nature of things an assistant editor, therefore, is likely to be working alongside a full editor or senior editor on a large list, one big enough to require more than one set of hands. Frankly, the assistant editor is not likely to be given the ‘plums’ on that list – they will be reserved for the editor – but it is a start from which to build.

THE DEVELOPMENT EDITOR

Another career opportunity en route to becoming an editor is to work as a development editor. In many respects the role of a development editor resembles that of an assistant editor, as described above. In textbook publishing, however, a development editor can also take on specific duties which properly encapsulate the word ‘development’. The development editor may be asked to research subject areas that could lend themselves to publishing opportunities. The research could entail talking to authors, advisers and book buyers, copious amounts of reading of relevant resources (including government publications that set out new directions in, for example, education), and pulling down data, particularly, these days, off the internet. Working – almost inevitably – in conjunction with a senior editorial colleague, the development editor will produce a set of findings about a subject area which may lead to the emergence of precise publishing ideas that can then be taken forward.

A development editor could also work on projects that are already in the pipeline. Some textbooks are quite complex. A development editor could be assigned to take over the work-in-progress of a textbook in respect of the team of authors who might be engaged in writing it, researching illustrations, doing preparation work ahead of production and design, clearing permissions, and so on. Here the development editor is engaging in an intimate, hands-on involvement prior to the publication process to ensure that the project finally emerges as planned. The development editor is a valuable partner of a senior editorial colleague, allowing him or her to get on with the more proactive work of list development and management.

Although this kind of work is probably more common in specialist publishing, it also exists in consumer publishing, particularly amongst companies that are brand orientated and are highly focused on the interests of their markets.

PROGRESSION TO EDITOR

Having demonstrated competence and achievement at these levels, the next step up is into the role of full editor. There is nothing automatic about this process. You may not be able to progress up the ladder in the house in which you work, simply because a job is not available at the time. You may have to move to another house in order to be promoted. Jobs are sometimes created for exceptional people because the company is determined to keep them. Usually it is because it is possible to combine the newly created job with a publishing opportunity. Let's say that an editorial director has been nurturing ideas about starting a theatre list. The presence of a bright and energetic person with known enthusiasm for and knowledge of theatre studies might just persuade the editorial director that the time has come to build such a list, and a new editorial role is created. Opportunity has combined on both levels.

Secondly, competence and achievement do not necessarily lead to advancement to the role of editor. You may well demonstrate competence at one level but there may be question marks hanging over your ability to operate at the level above. In particular the resources required of an editor are exceptional energy, good judgement, strong nerves, an ability to concentrate both on a broad level and on small details, to be curious about everything to do with publishing, and to possess good social skills. Publishing houses are not looking for paragons but do need people who score highly on most of the attributes just listed. Furthermore, those who are good at ‘assisting’ are not always so good at going it alone.

There are other routes into editorial work. In the past, there was more of a strict demarcation between the main departments of a publishing house, with few people crossing from one to another. Gradually that has broken down with the realisation that career experience in marketing, including sales, can equip some people with the credentials for becoming successful editors. Indeed, working in marketing and sales is a very good way of gaining experience en route to becoming an editor. This experience is just as relevant to making judgements about books as is experience solely gleaned in an editorial department.

Production colleagues seem to cross into editorial less frequently, presumably because these colleagues have far less direct contact with the market and because, for many of them, the technical or craft...

Table of contents

• COVER PAGE
• TITLE PAGE
• COPYRIGHT PAGE
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• 1: INTRODUCTION
• 2: HOW TO CHOOSE WHAT TO PUBLISH
• 3: COMMITTING PROJECTS FOR PUBLICATION
• 4: FROM CONTRACT TO DELIVERY
• 5: MANAGING THE PUBLICATION PROCESS
• 6: STRATEGIC AND FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF LIST BUILDING
• 7: DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING A LIST
• 8: TEAMWORK AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
• 9: AN IMPOSSIBLE JOB?
• 10: A FUTURE FOR THE BOOK?
• 11: RECOMMENDED READING AND OTHER RESOURCES