Publishing

Many thanks to Tom Sumner for an informative introduction to publishing. Learning about the many levels of editors that screen the books before they get considered for actual printing amazed me. The job of editing requires reading many bad books. As a student interested in a subject I find text books boring at times. I can only imagine an editor needing to read and correct things in a book when they have no interest in the subject.

As an editor there is more work to do than just making sure the words are written well. Designing book jackets, writing cover copy, and directing complete rewriting takes a special talent. An editor needs to be a graphic artist, a critic, write copy, and handle writer's egos and different personalities.

Each of the guest speakers has had something in common. As writers we need to be informative, concise, and interesting. Selling books, old lamps, or news it still comes down to being able to put into words ideas to capture people's eye by standing out from the crowd.