Comments on: Welcome to Literary Feud! http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/ Behind the Book Reviews--The Official Blog of Booklist Online Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:05:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Book Blog - Likely Stories, by Keir Graff - Booklist Online » Blog Archive » Editing Examind http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-80306 Book Blog - Likely Stories, by Keir Graff - Booklist Online » Blog Archive » Editing Examind Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:30:45 +0000 http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-80306 [...] Gordon Lish may have been a ruthless editor, but he was also a ruthless writer, according to Gerald Howard: the man who took an axe to Raymond Carver’s prose allowed no whittling of his own. At least, that’s what would have happened had Howard tried. From Slate (”I Was Gordon Lish’s Editor“): However, I can tell you this with complete certainty: Had I had any bright editorial ideas, Lish would have summarily rejected them. His control-freak obsessiveness redoubled itself when it came to his own work…He wanted what he wanted, and that was that. He was a living no-editing zone. Except, of course, when it came to his author’s work; then out came the pick and the shovel and the scalpel and the drill. [...] […] Gordon Lish may have been a ruthless editor, but he was also a ruthless writer, according to Gerald Howard: the man who took an axe to Raymond Carver’s prose allowed no whittling of his own. At least, that’s what would have happened had Howard tried. From Slate (”I Was Gordon Lish’s Editor“): However, I can tell you this with complete certainty: Had I had any bright editorial ideas, Lish would have summarily rejected them. His control-freak obsessiveness redoubled itself when it came to his own work…He wanted what he wanted, and that was that. He was a living no-editing zone. Except, of course, when it came to his author’s work; then out came the pick and the shovel and the scalpel and the drill. […]

]]> By: Book Blog - Likely Stories, by Keir Graff - Booklist Online » Blog Archive » Did I mention that her last name is Seinfeld? http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-77844 Book Blog - Likely Stories, by Keir Graff - Booklist Online » Blog Archive » Did I mention that her last name is Seinfeld? Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:09:42 +0000 http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-77844 [...] This spat isn’t nearly as exciting as some, but I feel compelled to mention it anyway: Oprah Winfrey plugs Jerry Seinfeld’s wife Jessica’s cookbook. Missy Chase Lapine says she wrote it first. From USA Today (”Cookbook author says Seinfeld book ‘Deceptively’ similar,” by Deirdre Donahue): Moreover, she adds, “I’m concerned and troubled that Oprah credited and applauded someone else for a technique that was out there six months earlier.” [...] […] This spat isn’t nearly as exciting as some, but I feel compelled to mention it anyway: Oprah Winfrey plugs Jerry Seinfeld’s wife Jessica’s cookbook. Missy Chase Lapine says she wrote it first. From USA Today (”Cookbook author says Seinfeld book ‘Deceptively’ similar,” by Deirdre Donahue): Moreover, she adds, “I’m concerned and troubled that Oprah credited and applauded someone else for a technique that was out there six months earlier.” […]

]]> By: Keir http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-77806 Keir Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:11:05 +0000 http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-77806 I was recently asked to contribute a short story to a magazine after one of the originally commissioned pieces was judged to be unsatisfactory. So maybe some pieces are beyond editorial help. I'm guessing that there are a lot of editors who'd like to edit more meaningfully but who don't have the time. Even though book publishers have always lost money on most of their books, as the industry has transitioned from a gentleman's (and gentlewoman's) pastime to a wholly owned corporate subsidiary, I'm sure it's increasingly harder to justify the man-hours (and woman-hours) necessary to do things that are intangible to the stockholders, like making the writing better. My biggest fear is that the people who are just starting out in publishing won't know anything different--and it's striking how young are the editors and agents that I meet these days.... I was recently asked to contribute a short story to a magazine after one of the originally commissioned pieces was judged to be unsatisfactory. So maybe some pieces are beyond editorial help.

I’m guessing that there are a lot of editors who’d like to edit more meaningfully but who don’t have the time. Even though book publishers have always lost money on most of their books, as the industry has transitioned from a gentleman’s (and gentlewoman’s) pastime to a wholly owned corporate subsidiary, I’m sure it’s increasingly harder to justify the man-hours (and woman-hours) necessary to do things that are intangible to the stockholders, like making the writing better.

My biggest fear is that the people who are just starting out in publishing won’t know anything different–and it’s striking how young are the editors and agents that I meet these days….

]]> By: Frank http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-77440 Frank Sat, 20 Oct 2007 18:43:07 +0000 http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-77440 I just finished reading a book that was ok, but could have been quite good with the help of a skilled editor. Also recently reviewed several anthologies of newly commissioned short stories and the quality was uneven. It underscores a problem with commissioning new stuff around a theme: If one of the targeted writers submits a dog of a story it takes a hardy editor to reject the piece for publication and send it back for heavy revision--especially when it's clear the editor is friends with or at least on quite friendly terms with many of the writers. It's a tough one, but by just throwing in everything but the kitchen sink in an attempt to avoid an uncomfortable conversation (or perhaps out of laziness or even an inability to recognize what's quality and what isn't) does a real disservice to readers. I don't think we'll see much improvement anytime soon, though, because you'd have a lot of pissed off writers howling when their tossed-off contributions to the high-concept story collection of the month were tossed out. (And I'm not only thinking here of writers with the initials J.S., but he's indicative of the problem.) I just finished reading a book that was ok, but could have been quite good with the help of a skilled editor.

Also recently reviewed several anthologies of newly commissioned short stories and the quality was uneven. It underscores a problem with commissioning new stuff around a theme: If one of the targeted writers submits a dog of a story it takes a hardy editor to reject the piece for publication and send it back for heavy revision–especially when it’s clear the editor is friends with or at least on quite friendly terms with many of the writers.

It’s a tough one, but by just throwing in everything but the kitchen sink in an attempt to avoid an uncomfortable conversation (or perhaps out of laziness or even an inability to recognize what’s quality and what isn’t) does a real disservice to readers.

I don’t think we’ll see much improvement anytime soon, though, because you’d have a lot of pissed off writers howling when their tossed-off contributions to the high-concept story collection of the month were tossed out. (And I’m not only thinking here of writers with the initials J.S., but he’s indicative of the problem.)

]]> By: Pete http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-77401 Pete Sat, 20 Oct 2007 15:55:44 +0000 http://blog.booklistonline.com/2007/10/19/welcome-to-literary-feud/#comment-77401 I've heard that editors at the big publishing houses these days don't do nearly as much editing as they used to (and are instead more focused on marketing and promotion), with the responsibility for editing increasingly falling to the agents. Thus, by the time a manuscript reaches the editor's desk it's in much more finished form than in the old days. But I'm sure there are still a few old-school Lishes around. I’ve heard that editors at the big publishing houses these days don’t do nearly as much editing as they used to (and are instead more focused on marketing and promotion), with the responsibility for editing increasingly falling to the agents. Thus, by the time a manuscript reaches the editor’s desk it’s in much more finished form than in the old days. But I’m sure there are still a few old-school Lishes around.

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