Unwanted Guest

I was teaching at a virtual writer’s conference recently, and got to spend some time chatting with a literary agent about the publishing world. She had spent the first 20 years of her career as an editor at a New York publishing house, and had many informed opinions about editorial meetings and sales teams and promotion and more. I’m always interested to hear about a publisher’s inner-workings, the sort of behind-the-scenes details that only comes from direct experience.

“Most writers have no idea how much time a publisher puts into a book,” she explained. “When you add up the hours I would put in helping to shape a manuscript, and what the line editors and copy editors put in, and then the sales team and the cover designers – at the end of the day we might spend as much on the book as the author spent writing it.”

“See, this is why I love working with a publisher,” I said. “I do what I do best, and then all those other people do what they do best. It’s such a good thing.”

“Unless you get a bad team.”

“A bad team?”

“I’ve seen so many books mishandled,” she explained. “No one really cares about it, and it’s just shuffled along clumsily, and the thing dies before its born. It’s so depressing.”

“That’s no good.”

“It’s awful. When that happens, the author would be better off self-publishing.”

I mentioned the name of the editor who had acquired my latest book. This was a new editor at a new publisher, and my first impression of both had been quite good, and I was very excited about delivering the manuscript—but now, well, what if . . .?

“Oh, I know her!” she said. “She’s great!”

And my world was back on its axis. My instincts had guided me faithfully through this project, so it is not honest to say I was deeply relieved when the agent confirmed what I really already knew, but doubt is a resilient and slippery worm. Open the door to your mind a crack, and it will slide in. In fact, its arrival is so quick and silent, and its presence so unsettling, it’s easy to forget who opened the door in the first place. Yet remember where it came from, and your mind is yours again.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence.
You can find William at: williamkenower.com