by
Kathryn Page Camp
Sometimes the
conversation between an author and an editor resembles this one between Alice, the
Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse:
“Do you mean that you can find out the answer to it?”
said the March Hare.
“Exactly so,” said Alice.
“Then you should say what you mean,” the March Hare
went on.
“I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least—at least I
mean what I say—that’s the same thing, you know.”
“Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “Why, you
might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is the same thing as ‘I eat what
I see’!”
“You might just as well say,” added the March Hare, “that
‘I like what I get’ is the same thing as ‘I get what I like’!”
“You might just as well say,” added the Dormouse, who
seemed to be talking in his sleep, “that ‘I breathe when I sleep’ is the same
thing as ‘I sleep when I breathe’!”
After you sell
your book to a publisher, the editorial relationship changes. You are no longer
the boss. Ideally, you will work with the publisher to reach a compromise that
you can both live with. Or, as often happens, you may realize that the editor’s
changes improve the book. You probably did mean “I breathe when I sleep” rather
than “I sleep when I breathe.”
But what if, for
whatever reason, you said “I sleep when I breathe” on purpose? Changing the
wording could affect more than a single sentence or paragraph. If the publisher’s
edits don’t change the focus or the overall style of the book, however, you may
choose to shrug them off. That’s what I did with the first edition of In God We Trust. Actually, I had a good
relationship with the editor. Still, there were some edits that weren’t worth
arguing over.
It’s different
when an editor wants to change the book’s philosophy or structure. What does a
writer do then?
First, consider
the editor’s suggestions. Maybe they make the book stronger. But if they change
the overall philosophy of the book or violate your purpose in writing it, you
may be left with two unattractive choices: (a) let the publisher have its way
or (2) break the contract and take the consequences. The best way to avoid this
issue is to do your research and know what you are getting into before signing
the contract.
I wrote Writers in Wonderland for the average
writer, not for academics or other lawyers. I needed a hook to get and keep my
audience’s interest in what many consider a dry subject, so I went with a Lewis
Carroll theme. When I submitted the proposal to publishers, I received a number
of encouraging responses but only one bite. It came from an academic publisher
that wanted me to tone down the Lewis Carroll references. Since that would have
eliminated the hook and limited my audience, I declined the offer and ended up
self-publishing.
If I had already
entered into a contract, however, I probably would have given in and mourned
the changes forever after. Unfortunately, that’s part of a writer’s reality.
So before you
enter into a contract with a traditional publisher, consider what kind of
editorial relationship you are likely to have. If you think you can live with
it, go ahead and sign. But remember this:
When the editor
pays you, it has the final say.
__________
The drawing at the
top of this post is by John Tenniel and was one of the original illustrations for
Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland. The quoted passage is also from that book. The image and the text
are both in the public domain because of their age.
__________
Kathryn Page Camp
is a licensed attorney and full-time writer. Writers in Wonderland: Keeping Your Words Legal was a Kirkus’ Indie Books of the Month
Selection for April 2014. The second edition of Kathryn’s first book, In God We Trust: How the Supreme Court’s
First Amendment Decisions Affect Organized Religion, was released on September 30, 2015. You can learn more about
Kathryn at www.kathrynpagecamp.com.
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