Agents & Editors Recommend

A dependable source of professional and creative advice, this regular series features anecdotes, insights, tips, recommended reading and viewing for writers, and more from leading agents and editors.

Zack Knoll of Abrams

2.16.22

On occasion I’ve found that writers worry over whether an editor will fundamentally reimagine their book. Sometimes this happens—and I think it should be made painfully, abundantly clear at the outset that this is the editor’s goal—but more often I see my job as something like being a tourist. You’ve created a world and plopped me into it. Let me tell you what I see. If there are aspects of the book that I miss during my walkabout, then I’ve already pointed out something isn’t landing the way you hoped it might. How do we reshape our path so that a reader doesn’t miss it? 

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John Parsley of Dutton

2.2.22

One of my biggest pet peeves is the pressure to classify a book as either literary or commercial. Is literary code for quality? Is commercial code for entertaining? Are they codes for highbrow or lowbrow, accessible or challenging, better or worse, fun or worthwhile, timeless or of-the-moment? In working with Jason Mott on his National Book Award–winning novel, Hell of a Book, it occurred to me almost immediately on submission that it was both literary and commercial. I think most books, indeed many of our most beloved books, are both.

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Mimi Wong of the Offing

1.5.22

During a particularly gloomy period in which I struggled to write creatively or even read for pleasure, I was heartened by an essay I edited about how writing fanfiction made one a better and happier writer. In “The Last Fanfiction I Ever Wrote,” Hannah Cohen suggests a value outside of striving for a prestigious literary career: “When I connected with other fanfiction writers, it wasn’t out of a coy expectation to network with people who would eventually publish me.

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Jenny Xu of Harper and Ecco

12.22.21

You don’t have to sign with the first agent who reaches out, or take the first offer that is sent to you—if one door opens, it means other doors are available. You don’t have to be a 30 Under 30. Find supports within or outside of the industry, like grants or fellowships, that can give you the opportunity to develop your project until it’s where you want it to be. Ask for the writing and revision time you need. Take the time to understand the traditions and conversations that you want to publish within or subvert. 

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Maddie Caldwell of Grand Central Publishing

12.8.21

I tend to like projects that are guided by an author’s curiosity and that share new ideas, philosophies, and experiences in order to create a better understanding of human nature. I was drawn into nonfiction editing for these reasons, but also because I like the idea of being part of the book-crafting process from the beginning. To have that sense of collaboration with an author, sometimes for years. To obsess over revisions together.

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Diane Goettel of Black Lawrence Press

11.24.21

How many times this week have you admonished yourself for not writing enough? We’ve all heard about the famous authors who wrote every day for hours on end, who stuck to rigid word-count or page-count quotas. Forget those authors. At least, forget their torturous processes. Go easy on yourself. Know that, as you live your life, you are constantly gathering material. That day you flopped on the couch to binge-watch some guilty pleasure and let dust gather in the corners of your living room while dishes languished in the sink?

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Gabriella Doob of Ecco

10.27.21

So many of the books I feel most proud of when the dust has settled, and that I truly feel will stand the test of time, are those on which both the writer and I engaged deeply with the editing process.

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Masie Cochran of Tin House

10.20.21

While some words, plot threads, and entire character arcs inevitably deserve to be left behind, writers don’t always look closely enough at what’s working—those elements of the manuscript that should be developed, expanded, or simply appreciated. So try this: Complete your next round of self-revision with a highlighter instead of a pen. Mooring yourself in the successes of your draft can help focus the direction of your narrative and reinvigorate your efforts. Once you have a clearer idea of where you’ve succeeded, you’ll see better where you haven’t. (Time to bring out the pen.)

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Howard Yoon of the Ross Yoon Agency

10.13.21

Many years ago I contacted the widow of a well-known war veteran to see if she wanted to write a book. We had a lovely conversation over coffee, but it had been only a few months since her husband’s death, and she told me later that she wasn’t ready. I said I understood and wished her well. 

Four years later I was sitting at my desk when my phone rang. It was the widow. “I’m ready to write the book now,” she said. Two years after that her book was published.

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