Getting a Foot in the Door

I'm often asked the following question:

"Do you have any ideas or suggestions on where I might get a start in Christian publishing? "

My path to the publishing industry isn't a common one. But I'll toss it out for what it's worth in an effort to answer this question.

I began at Bethany House Publishers in the Customer Service department, taking phone orders and resolving order problems for Christian book buyers. There were times when the phones would be quiet and I'd be looking for work to do. It was then that I'd head to editorial to see if there were any manuscripts in need of reviews. These were unsolicited manuscripts, meaning they came in off the street from authors hoping for that big chance. I'd read with eye toward whether these manuscripts would be a good fit for Bethany's line.

After a year of doing this I was transferred to the editorial department as an editorial assistant. My boss at that time had some health concerns and was often out of the office so I found myself managing the "slush pile" as well as reviewing contracted books, this time with a view toward what revisions the authors needed to consider to make their books better. A few months into this job, Carol Johnson (editorial director at Bethany) called me to her office to tell me that they could see I had a natural gift for understanding the elements of good writing--not only in seeing what wasn't working in the overall scheme of a book but also in knowing how to fix a book--and they wanted to train me to become an editor.

There's no training like on-the-job training--I immersed myself in it and loved it. It wasn't long until I was assigned to the Fiction Team at Bethany. Then seven years later I moved to the country and started my freelance business, editing for publishers including Tyndale, Baker/Revell, WaterBrook, W Publishing (now WestBow), Barbour, Multnomah... and for incredible authors including Jane Kirkpatrick, Diane Noble, Lisa Bergren, Randy Alcorn, Ted Dekker, Jane Orcutt, Deb Raney, Linda Chaikin, Robert Whitlow, Robin Lee Hatcher, and many, many others. It's been an amazing journey I never could have imagined. But if you follow God and trust where he leads you'll be surprised at where you end up!

So, that's my path in a nutshell.

As for those who want to break into publishing from home, it's a tricky thing without that time working in-house. Publishers are comfortable with editors they know; they want to feel assured that you aren't going to deconstruct the book they worked so hard to contract, or that you won't sour that new author by re-writing thier baby. You'll need to find ways to work around this obstacle.

• If you live near a publisher you'd like to edit for, consider taking a job there so folks can get to know you.
• Or make an appointment to talk to the managing editor to find out what their needs are--once you have a gauge of this you can adapt to meet what the publisher is looking for.
• Many publishers offer proofreading tests and hire freelance proofreaders. It isn't editing, but it's a foot in the door. If you are hired to proofread, be sensitive to each author's "style." Fiction is art, so rules of grammar and punctuation are sometimes broken in favor of the author's intent. It's always better to query than to make unneccesary changes. On Big Picture issues remember that the book's already been edited and odds are the author chose not to make the changes you'd like--talk sensitively to the in-house editor about these (it's a great way for the editor to see your gifts AND your sensitivity to the author's rights).
• Keep calling. Editors are busy people and such requests can easily slip to the bottom of the priority list. So, be a squeaky wheel.
• Edit for authors you know. If you have friends who write, who respect your opinion and know your gifts, start here. A recommendation from a published author can help.

Keep the questions coming--I love 'em.

More later,
Traci