Frequently reissued with the same ISBN, but with slightly differing bibliographical details.

Essays from twenty-seven leading book editors: “Honest and unflinching accounts from publishing insiders . . . a valuable primer on the field.” —Publishers Weekly Editing is an invisible art in which the very best work goes undetected. Editors strive to create books that are enlightening, seamless, and pleasurable to read, all while giving credit to the author. This makes it all the more difficult to truly understand the range of roles they inhabit while shepherding a project from concept to publication. What Editors Do gathers essays from twenty-seven leading figures in book publishing about their work. Representing both large houses and small, and encompassing trade, textbook, academic, and children’s publishing, the contributors make the case for why editing remains a vital function to writers—and readers—everywhere. Ironically for an industry built on words, there has been a scarcity of written guidance on how to approach the work of editing. Serving as a compendium of professional advice and a portrait of what goes on behind the scenes, this book sheds light on how editors acquire books, what constitutes a strong author-editor relationship, and the editor’s vital role at each stage of the publishing process—a role that extends far beyond marking up the author’s text. This collection treats editing as both art and craft, and also as a career. It explores how editors balance passion against the economic realities of publishing—and shows why, in the face of a rapidly changing publishing landscape, editors are more important than ever. “Authoritative, entertaining, and informative.” —Copyediting

In On Film Editing, director Edward Dmytryk explains, in clear and engaging terms, the principles of film editing. Using examples and anecdotes from almost five decades in the film industry, Dmytryk offers a masterclass in film and video editing. Written in an informal, "how-to-do-it" style, Dmytryk shares his expertise and experience in film editing in a precise and philosophical way, contending that all parties on the film crew—from the camera assistant to the producer and director—must understand film editing to produce a truly polished work. Originally published in 1984, this reissue of Dmytryk’s classic editing book includes a new critical introduction by Andrew Lund, as well as chapter lessons, discussion questions, and exercises.

The work of «editing» is by and large something that happens behind the scenes, noticed only when it is done badly, or not done at all. There is not much information about what editors do. The result is that editing is not often talked about in its own right - not even by the people who do it. This collection of interviews attempts to fill some of the gaps. The author, a former editor herself, interviews practitioners at the top of their game - from newspapers, magazines, broadcast news, book publishing, scholarly editing, academic publishing and digital curation. The interviewees think out loud about creativity and human judgment; what they have in common and what makes them different; how editing skills and culture can be shared; why editing continues to fascinate; and why any of this might matter.

"Highly recommended: On Editing is indispensable reading for anyone who is or wants to be a writer. Every desk should have a copy!" - Dr Samantha J. Rayner, Director of the Centre for Publishing, UCL "On Editing is a feast with many courses. When you have finished this book, you will feel encouraged, empowered, and indomitable. If you are writing-or editing-a novel, you could do no better than to have this book by your side. Comprehensive, easily digestible, it is a classic in the making." - Shaye Areheart, Director of the Columbia Publishing Course Writing a novel is a magical but often difficult journey; and when your first draft is complete, that journey's not over. As the editing process gets underway, authors often find themselves in unfamiliar territory. What does it mean to 'map your plot'? How do you know if you're 'head-hopping'? When is your novel ready to send out to agents, and how do you make each submission count? Written by the team behind one of the world's most successful literary consultancies, On Editing will show you how to master the self-edit. You will learn to compose, draft, and edit while sharpening your writing and ensuring that your novel is structurally sound, authentic, well-written, and ready for submission. On Editing will help you harness your creative potential, transform the way you think about your writing, and revolutionise your editorial process. "It's easy for writers to be overwhelmed by the technicalities of writing, editing and getting published, but Helen Corner-Bryant and Kathryn Price share their decades of experience nurturing writers in On Editing. They know all the problems and how to fix them - including many you might not even think of - and explain it all in a clean, jargon-free, way that demystifies the whole process, with infectious enthusiasm that will have you ready, eager and bursting with the confidence to take your writing to the next level." - Writing Magazine

Distilled wisdom from two publishing pros for every serious nonfiction author in search of big commercial success. Over 50,000 books are published in America each year, the vast majority nonfiction. Even so, many writers are stymied in getting their books published, never mind gaining significant attention for their ideas—and substantial sales. This is the book editors have been recommending to would-be authors. Filled with trade secrets, Thinking Like Your Editor explains: • why every proposal should ask and answer five key questions; • how to tailor academic writing to a general reader, without losing ideas or dumbing down your work; • how to write a proposal that editors cannot ignore; • why the most important chapter is your introduction; • why "simple structure, complex ideas" is the mantra for creating serious nonfiction; • why smart nonfiction editors regularly reject great writing but find new arguments irresistible. Whatever the topic, from history to business, science to philosophy, law, or gender studies, this book is vital to every serious nonfiction writer.