Betina: Publishing's a Small, Small World

Once again as the dust settles, changes have been made in the publishing world and once again, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I stopped to count the number of editors I've had over the 20+ years of my writing career. . . the total is now officially ten, one of whom was my editor so briefly that she never actually edited a book of mine. So, in actuality it's been nine. And over those years I've worked for four houses: Kensington, Avon, Bantam, and Berkley. This doesn't count the houses I've also done novellas for. Over those same years, I've had near misses (negotiations which went the other way) with four editors/houses with whom I'd really like to have worked if things had turned out differently.

And over those same years I've watched editorial careers launch, rise, bloom, fizzle, and skyrocket. . . "baby editors" get disgusted and leave publishing altogether. . ."baby editors" become Executive Editors and Associate Publishers! Many of the "assistants" I've known and come to respect are now editors and senior editors and literary agents. At the Berkley/NAL party at national, in one room, I counted five "assistants" I have known and liked who were now either agents or editors.

The lesson to be learned from this, for those inclined toward understanding and benefiting from the past, is that publishing is a small, small world and it's best to expect change and to have good associations with people up and down the power grid. You never know when today's "assistant" may some day be your "senior editor." I just had that very experience. . . an assistant from my Avon days became my editor at Berkley! And I was very pleased to have her. . . she was bright and well read and had a good eye for romance. I use past tense because just as I was settling in with her, she moved on. . . to yet another post. . . editor/publisher of a new publishing venture at Bookspan. And my former editor at another house has now been hired in her place!

So. . . if you're planning a career as a writer or hip-deep in the middle of one, it might be good to keep these things in mind. . .

1. Be gracious to ALL of your publishing contacts. . . even if some of them are brief or seemingly inconsequential. (In fact, this would be a good way to live your entire life.)

2. Keep your confidences inside your professional network: complain and kvetch to your agent as appropriate, and keep your circle of confidences small. Don't listen to or spread mean-spirited gossip. . . especially on line. (Don't have that third martini in the bar at conferences.)

3. Make certain that the people who represent you understand your personal standards and that they adhere to them too. I know of careers that have been damaged or sunk (not to mention associations and good will lost) by screaming, cursing agents and agents who spread stories that are not true.

4. Never take success for granted. No one is destined or ordained for stardom, publishing mythology and Dan Brown to the contrary. Success in this or any business takes work and the cooperation and good will of many people. So when people do a good job. . . be they art department, editorial, sales, or support staff. . . let them know you appreciate it.

5. Accept that there will be ups and downs in this business just as there are in the rest of life. And get on with it. Work to control the things you can and let the rest go. In other words, write often and seek to improve every day. Do all you can to produce the best book in you. . . and let the satisfaction of writing be your anchor in the small and sometimes turbulent publishing world.

(Cue the elves singing "It's a Small World")


What about you? Got any bits of publishing wisdom for the long haul? Any lessons to share with the rest of us?