How the Relationship Between an Author and an Editor Is Different than You Might Think

The “Now What?” Months continue, and we’re dipping our toes into the wide world of publishing! Last year, we asked authors to interview their editors about the process of collaborating on a book. Michelle Krys, author of Hexed  and its forthcoming sequel Charmed , spoke with her editor at Delacorte Press, Wendy Loggia about author naiveté and her approach to making suggested edits :

Hi! I’m Wendy Loggia and I’m an Executive Editor at Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books. Working with debut authors is something I love, especially when they write terrific novels. Michelle Krys’s Hexed, which was released June 10, 2014, was a project I knew I wanted from the moment I first read it. Although Michelle & I have emailed each other hundreds of times, there are still some things I’d like to know! So here goes:

What did it feel like when your manuscript was on submission to publishers? And then, when your wonderful agent, Adriann Ranta, told you there was interest?

I was very naïve when I went on submission to publishers. The full extent of my knowledge on the process had come from the rare interviews I was able to scrounge up on the Internet, which were all success stories. It had never really occurred to me that I could walk away from the experience without a book deal until my first rejection came in, which was followed by another, then another. 

I became convinced that the book wasn’t going to sell. Imagine my surprise when I got an email from Adriann saying that she’d heard back from Wendy Loggia at Delacorte Press, and could I call her right away? That cliché about a person’s heart dropping into their stomach? I can confirm that’s a real thing.

What was your reaction to the first editorial letter for Hexed?

I was amazed that a stranger could completely understand my vision for the book—it was as if you were in my head! Your suggestions kept Hexed itself, while simultaneously improving it in ways that hadn’t occurred to me before but seemed obvious and natural once you’d suggested them. If I didn’t already know we were compatible from our initial communications, I knew the moment I got that letter. It was such a relief.

How did you approach edits?

My approach was to tackle the biggest and most time-consuming change first, taking care to thread it through the entire book, followed by the next most time-consuming change, and so on, until I was down to clarifying scenes and reworking sentences. 

It’s a very satisfying approach. It’s like when you paint a room, and you reach the point where you’re just pulling off the tape and moving your furniture and art back into the room—the big job is done, and you’re beginning to see the new, prettier shape that all your hard work has resulted in.

What’s the biggest misconception out there about the author/editor relationship?

Definitely that the editor is “the boss”. Before my first editorial letter for Hexed arrived, I was prepared to make any change you asked for rather than risk rocking the boat. I was pleasantly surprised when the letter arrived and in it you’d stated that your comments were only suggestions, and that it was my story to tell, first and foremost. Working with you has very much been a partnership. I feel like my opinions are valued and sought out.

What’s the one question you wanted to ask me but thought better of?

I’m lucky in that I’ve always felt comfortable asking you anything that pops into my head, and if I’ve ever felt hesitant, I’ve asked Adriann, who has asked on my behalf. I can honestly say that the only questions I’ve thought better of are the ones that I know are unanswerable: how will Hexed do once it comes out, what are the chances it will be successful, etc. I think we can both agree I should keep those kinds of questions to myself!

Michelle Krys lives with her husband and son in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. She works part-time as a NICU nurse and spends her free time writing books for teens. Michelle is probably not a witch, though she did belong to a witchcraft club in the fifth grade and “levitated” people in her bedroom, so that may be up for debate. Hexed is her first novel. Follow @MichelleKrys on Twitter.

Wendy Loggia is Executive Editor at Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Wendy has worked with some of the most talented authors writing today & edits middle grade and YA fiction. In addition to editing Michelle Krys, she is the editor of Teardrop by Lauren Kate; Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill, Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski and the romantic thriller The Here and Now by Ann Brashares, to name a few.