One Publisher’s Editing Process

At The Red Telephone we identify a three stage editing process.

The Structural Edit

This is the biggest.  Here we look to see if your story has a strongly defined structure. Do each of the characters play a big enough part? Are they well enough defined?  Does the time scale work? Is the setting clear enough? Most importantly, is the resolution satisfying? Is it convincing? Is it dramatic enough?

Then almost coming into the realm of the line edit, does the pace vary? Is there cause and effect? Is the story logical? Does time work correctly? (We don’t want snow in summer – unless that is the whole point - and we don’t want two year pregnancies.)

The Line Edit

This is where we look carefully at every single scene and every single paragraph. Is that scene actually needed? Does it need to be longer or shorter? Does it need to tell more or show more? (Showing is usually preferable but just occasionally telling is better. Showing slows the pace. Telling quickens it.) Is there a good balance of action, dialogue, exposition and description? Is the dialogue convincing? Would that character say that, actually? Does it convey their voice? Is every word effective? It must always show character, take the story forward or create atmosphere and better still if it does all of these at once. Have you kept the voice / style consistent? Are there any clichés that can be replaced? Is your point of view stable? Are you working with the right narrative voice? Are there any darlings that need killing off?  

The Copy Edit

Is there a good overall flow? Are there any typos? Are there any serious grammar mistakes? Does it actually make sense? Are there any clumsy or awkward sentences?  Are any words used incorrectly? Are there any misspellings? Are there any formatting mistakes?  

The Proof Read

This isn’t really an editing stage at all. This is where we recheck that all is well after the book has been designed.

What actually happens

We try to use a different editor for each editing stage. All of our editors can do all of these tasks but it is good to bring in fresh eyes each time.

The editing stages overlap a little. The structural editor may well comment on frequently occurring general writing weaknesses but won’t go into as much detail as the structural editor. The line editor may also see and comment on some copy editing issues.

Generally another copy-editor and the author will check the proofs. Sometimes on more complex texts other people help.  

It still always helps if your text is as good as can be before we put it through these stages of editing. If there is too much wrong with your text we may not be able to see everything that is wrong.    

One Publisher’s Selection Process

At the The Red Telephone we’re pretty conventional in what we ask for. We like three chapters, a synopsis, a bio and a blurb sent electronically. Electronic submission is becoming more and more common, so even that isn’t all that unusual.

Having said that, we do have a particular submission process. Please adhere to it. We’ll never reject an outstanding script because it was submitted wrongly but it if your script is border line and not submitted correctly and in the order we ask we’ll most likely reject.

If we tell you a little more about our selection process, you’ll perhaps understand. 

The blurb

We ask for this to be in the body of the email. This helps to determine whether we’re even going to look at the submission. If the blurb straight away warns us that this is a novel for nine-year-olds we won’t even bother opening the attachment. We publish novels for young adults.

We’re not too bothered at this stage about how good the blurb is as if we do accept your book we’ll probably supply this ourselves. However, if yours is exceptionally good we’ll use it and we’ll probably base ours on this one anyway.

First three chapters or 5,000 words

We like to see the first three chapters, as we want to know if the story engages. We  ask for three chapters or the first 5,000 words, whichever is the longest, as we want to see a substantial amount of writing. Can you write well and sustain the momentum? If we like what we see here, we’ll carry on and read the synopsis.

Two quite common problems stop us reading further.

·         The writing is poor and would take too many editor hours to put right. This usually comes from very new writers.  If we have time we’ll point out the biggest fault when we reject.

·         Often, even in chapters that are basically well written, the voice is wrong. When writing for young adults as opposed to about them, the narrative should be by a best mate, or just slightly older brother, cousin or aunt. First person works well here, though, so the text needs to sound like a friend who has had something amazing happen. Whether you love or hate Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, she does have this voice right. I’m convinced too, that Bella had the first adventure then told us about it before she had the second.

The synopsis

If all is well, we’ll go ahead and read the synopsis. We want to know whether you actually have a story and whether it is convincing. Even better if it is something unusual or is something that has not been done before.

The three most common failures in story-telling are having a deus-ex-machina resolution where the hero has had no control over the good outcome, having a damp squib where the reader says “Was that it?” or having something totally over the top and melodramatic. The resolution is hard to get right and if it isn’t right it’s doubtful that even our most experienced editor could help. It’s actually easier to correct a badly written text even though lack of man-hours may forbid this. A failed story is a failure of the imagination and of creativity. We don’t have a magic wand to set that right.  

The bio

Even if we’re going to reject and have read the synopsis, we may well read the bio. We’re curious after all. If your text is border-line or you are dealing with a slightly tired theme, there may be something in your bio that persuades us to take the risk.  So do mention:

·         Other publications. This shows that other people have appreciated your writing and that you are familiar with the editorial process.

·         Prizes and awards. This again shows that other people have found your writing pleasing.

·         Higher education courses. This shows you are used to and can respond to rigorous criticism and that you have some knowledge of craft and canon.    

·         Experience of working with schools, libraries and festivals. This will convince us that you will be able to help us market the book.

·         Connections you have with the media. Again, this will help to persuade us how much you can help with publicity.

·         Use of social media. Point us to your twitter handle, your Facebook pages and profile and your web site. We can find out even more then and see what sort of presence you have.     

We’re going to judge your proposed book on its own merits, not on you. But all other things being equal, you may be able to provide us with some valuable information that could persuade us to issue a contract.

The outcomes

We aim to let you know we have your script within 48 hours and let you know the outcome within two months of the close of the submission period. If you’ve not heard within these limits, please get back to us. Our decisions will be one of the following:

·         Outright rejection, usually by email. We feel you’re not currently for us. That doesn’t stop you submitting other material in the future. Don’t be too disheartened. Everybody gets rejections. One more rejection is one step closer to being accepted.

·         We like it but … not for us at the moment. It may be too similar to something we’ve just done, not our style or your writing is a bit too raw yet. For this type of rejection we will probably write a very short critique; we do want to see you again in the future.  

·         The story is great. You write well. You’re a cool dude.  But eh, the voice is wrong. At this point we’ll ask you to rewrite the whole novel in a different voice. Gulp. Sorry, afraid so. We can’t risk liking a few chapters and offering a contract then having to wait months for the finished script. At least if you get this sort of note, we shall be prepared to read the whole novel. Even if we ultimately reject it, your novel will have improved a lot and may be acceptable to another publisher.

·         Everything is great – we like this, we like you, please send us the rest. A word of caution here. About 70% of whole scripts are still rejected. Maybe you didn’t keep up the standard of the writing, maybe the plot was a little unbalanced or, as often is the case, the first few pages shine then it goes downhill; you have obviously sent your story out several times. So, a little advice here. If you revise between submissions, revise the whole novel. Maybe we just weren’t excited about it enough in the end and we have to be excited or we won’t edit well or be able to market it.

If all of this seems a little negative, it isn’t meant to be. It’s just an attempt to be completely honest about what is involved.

And don’t be too discouraged. If you really want to do this you can.  It is a big IF, yes, but obstinacy is a virtue here.

Still want a go? Check out our submission guidelines here.