THE CAREER NOVELIST
Brokers vs. Editors. A top science fiction author once told me, "I
don't like agents who edit. My agent's job is to sell."
That sentiment is often expressed by older pros. They remember
book publishing the way it used to be. Today, though, things have
changed. The nineties is a time of downsized staffs, overburdened
editors, best-sellers who may receive little editing, if any at all.
Long gone are the days of Maxwell Perkins, the legendary
Scribner's editor who shaped the books and directed the careers of
such twentieth-century giants as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott
Fitzgerald, and Thomas Wolfe. Editors today spend most of their
time in meetings, on the phone with agents, at lunch, and prepar-
ing for triannual sales conferences.
Perhaps I exaggerate, but not much. Most editors complain that
they have little time for doing what they love best: editing. Reading
is rarely done in the office. Like most line editing, it is done after
hours and on weekends at home. Is it any wonder that tie-ins, pack-
aged books, and nonbook products have become so big?
On top of that, editors tend to change jobs. That means that
authors' most long-standing publishing relationships are likely to be
with their agents. That has also forced agents into a new editorial role.
You may not want an agent who helps shape your writing, but
chances are that at some point in your career you will need one. That
will be especially true when you are making a switch of publishers.
How can you tell if a prospective agent is also a good editor, or
at least the right editor for you? The answer to that question lies in
what agents will have to say about your writing. If you need a mar-
ket-timer, search for an agent who offers advice on tailoring your
writing to current market conditions. If you need a fundamentalist,
find an agent who does not dictate what to write, but rather points
out weaknesses in your work and suggests logical ways to achieve
the effects you desire.
Either way, watch out for bad editorial advice. If it is too vague
("Study the market") or too dictatorial ("Sex is back in—make it
hot") your career may be headed for a crash. In my experience, the
best editorial advice empowers you to write what you write best.
Isn't that your aim?