Those in the publishing industry wield a great deal of power. They determine which books and stories will see print, and to some extent help shape the tastes of the reading public.
It's a competitive business, with financial concerns often determining which books will get published. Editors and agents have to be able to recognize good writing and know what topics are popular and what will sell.
For editors and agents, as well as writers, there's nothing more exciting than seeing a book you worked on, whether as a writer, editor, or negotiator, finally see print and land in the bookstores. The hope is always there that the book will take off and find its way to the bestseller list and into the homes of thousands of readers. Then everyone is happy, from bookstore owners to the sales team and distributors.
But there are only ten to fifteen slots on the various bestseller lists and with thousands of books published each year, the odds are against producing a blockbuster.
Although some books have steady sales and can stay on the publishers' backlist for years, others don't do as well and can disappear from bookstore shelves after only a month or so.
Every book is a gamble; no one can ever predict what will happen. But successful editors and agents thrive on the excitement. In the publishing world, anything is possible.
Literary agents act as go-betweens for writers and editors. These days, most of the big New York publishing houses refuse to consider manuscripts unless they are sent to them by an agent. Many publishers credit agents with the ability to screen out inappropriate submissions. An agent is expected to be familiar with the different kinds of books publishers prefer to take on.
An agent spends his or her time reading manuscripts, choosing which ones to work with, and then trying to sell them to publishers. Working with an agent frees a writer to concentrate on writing instead of marketing. The agents job is to find the right house for the clients work, and once successful, to negotiate the best financial deal for the writer. Agents also handle film rights for feature or TV movies, and foreign rights, selling books to publishers overseas.
How Publishing Houses Are Structured
A small press that puts out only three or four books a year might operate with a staff of only two or three people. Each person has to wear many hats: as acquisitions editor, finding new projects to publish; as typesetter and proofreader; as sales manager; as promoter and publicist; as clerk and secretary.
The large publishing houses, which for the most part are located in New York City, can have hundreds of employees and are separated into different departments, such as editorial, contracts, legal, sales and marketing, and publicity and promotion.
Within each department are a number of different job titles. These are some of the different positions within the editorial department, although often the duties can overlap: editorial assistant, assistant/associate editor, editor, senior editor, acquisitions editor, managing editor, production editor, executive editor, editor in chief, publisher, and president.
Editors
Editors work in book-producing publishing houses as well as for magazines and newspapers. Editors read manuscripts, talk with writers, and decide which books or stories and articles they will publish. Editors also have to read what other houses or publications are printing, to know what's out there and what's selling.
Once a manuscript is selected for publication, an editor oversees the various steps to produce the finished product, from line editing for mistakes, to the book or magazine cover art and copy. Editors also regularly attend editorial meetings and occasionally travel to writers conferences to speak to aspiring writers and to find new talent.
