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Interviews With Romance eEditors - Part II
by Ann Durand
copyright 2005

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Interviews With Romance E Editors – Part II

As promised, this issue of Heart Beat will include Part II of our interviews with Romance
E Editors. To recap: We read two enlightening interviews last month with Melissa
Alvarez, founder and publisher of New Age Dimensions Publishing, and Mae Argilan,
romance editor with Double Dragon Publishing. Both editors offered a wealth of author
friendly advice for aspiring and experienced writers interested in learning more about
the process or in polishing their manuscripts for submission. Here is a link to that article
in case you haven’t read it yet: http://themusemarquee.tripod.com/id46.html

We continue with our interviews this month, again in alphabetical order. In this issue,
three Romance Editors from two publishing houses have offered thoughtful and
informative responses. From Wings Press, we have Lorraine Stephens, Romance
Editor and Wings President and Leslie Hodges, Senior Editor of Historical Romance,
Managing Editor of Futuristic, Fantasy, Paranormal and Science Fiction Romance, and
Managing Editor of General Fiction. From LTD Books, Dee Lloyd, an author and
Romance Editor has contributed her thoughts. I’d like to thank each one of these five
busy editors for generously donating their time for these interviews.

Please enjoy!

Interview with Leslie Hodges

1. What is your editorial and publishing background, and what led you into becoming an
editor?

I have a degree in Humanities. I had originally intended to teach Humanities at the
University level. I always loved to read, so I answered an ad for a manuscript reader
thinking it would be a fun and interesting job and something I could do while working
toward my masters. After working as a manuscript reader for a while, I was fortunate
enough to have an Executive Editor take me under her wing and convince me that my
talents were better suited to be an editor instead of a reader. That was when I found
the job I felt like I was born to do. I love being an editor. I have worked for Wings
ePress, Inc for about two and a half years. I was brought in by Lorraine Stephens and
was a staff editor, then became a managing editor, and now I am also a Senior Editor.
My current job titles: Senior Editor of Historical Romance; Managing Editor of
Futuristic, Fantasy, Paranormal and Science Fiction Romance; and Managing Editor of
General Fiction.

2. How does your role as writer enhance your role as editor?

I'm not a writer. I never have been. I have always only been an editor.

3. How many submissions a year do you receive? How many do you publish?

It varies depending on the department.

4. What mindset drives you as an editor while reading a submission? Do you have a
tried and true process, or do you follow your “gut”?

I don't have a tried and true process. I look for submissions that interest me as a
reader. Many times this is something completely different from what you would see on
the market. A different plot, concept, etc. For example, while vampire romances are
extremely popular, it's becoming difficult to come up with a fresh plot. Not that I don't
want to see vamp novels--I do, just make sure your tale has something a little different,
something special to set it apart from the hundreds of others out there. I'd say the same
is true for shapeshifters of the wolven variety. Give me something just a little different.
The problem with novels of this type is that the basic premise is the same for the
vampires or werewolves, so you need something that makes your book unique, to
stand out from the others. I am looking for books to find that unusual spark to make the
reader sit up and take notice.

5. Are there any guidelines an author should keep in mind, (or avoid), to improve their
chances for a successful review during the submission process? What qualities do you
look for in a manuscript, and can you prioritize them? What are the most common
reasons for rejecting a manuscript?

When I am reading a manuscript, I look for a good plot, compelling characters, and
good writing skills. I can't tell you how many manuscripts I receive that read like a first
draft. These manuscripts contain many misused words, grammatical errors and typos.
No matter how good the story is, this kind of thing makes it hard to get through without
being distracted by these problems.

6. After accepting a manuscript for publication, what can an author expect from you
during the editing process? What range of editing do you perform (e.g., substantive or
copy editing)?

Once the book is assigned to an editor, it is the editor's job to be responsible for
guiding the authors through the editing process in the preparation of their manuscript
for publication. The editor goes over the manuscript with the author to help polish the
story, work on the spelling, grammar, logic, continuity and writing to help make the story
the best it can be without changing the author's voice. When the author and editor are
happy with the manuscript, it is sent on to a copyeditor. The copyeditor looks for
typographical errors, misspelled words, punctuation errors or any other problem with
the manuscript. Once the copyeditor is finished it goes on to the Executive Editor, and
the manuscript is put into galley form. The author goes over it and does final corrections
before it is put into print and electronic formats. The majority of work I do is the initial
editing with the author, although I do some copyediting for some of the other
departments when my schedule allows the time.

7. What can he or she do to help make the editing experience as smooth as possible?
What do some authors do during this process that turns you off?

Before the editing process starts, go through your novel again and clean it up as much
as possible. You will find that once you have been away from the book for a while,
things stand out and you won't believe how you ever missed it in the first place. I only
have one peeve in working with authors that turns me off. That is an author who will
argue with me over every correction, every change in punctuation, every little thing.
There is nothing worse for me than getting an email back from an author with every
change in it I have suggested and an argument on why they shouldn't make it.
Fortunately I have very few authors that do that. Ninety-nine percent of my authors enjoy
the process, and actually like working on the editing because it gives them a completely
different viewpoint on their work, and they can see the benefit of a good editor.

8. How can an author best increase his or her chances for a successful marketing
campaign? What do you or your publisher do to assist the author in their efforts?

The number one thing is to get your name out there. By the time your book is released,
you want the public to have name recognition. For several months prior to a books
release, our Marketing Director, Angie Waters, works with the authors to help them with
reviews, announcements, promotion, chats, etc. Angie is a real take-charge kind of
person, and works extremely hard for our authors to help get the word out about their
upcoming books. Each month she also writes Wings' newsletter with articles about
each month's releases, authors, reviews, contests for book giveaways and other fun
stuff. We also assign an author mentor for new authors, if they are interested, and the
authors that have already been through the process can help new authors with
promotion ideas that have worked for them.

9. What genres of romance writing do you see too much? Are you looking for any
genres in particular?

Actually, we tend to get a fairly good mix. I would love to see more Historical
Romances, the submissions for that genre are way down and the word I hear from
authors out there is that most publishers aren't interested any longer. As Senior Editor
of Historical Romance, I am still very interested in getting submissions in that genre.

10. Do you have any other words of advice for a writer trying to get published? Anything
else you’d like to add?

A couple of things: It is a good practice to find several objective readers or critique
partners to read your story and give you comments on their impressions. If you do this
without trying to explain anything to them about the story, you can begin to see some
areas where you, as a writer, have not made things as clear on paper as they are in
your imagination. Also, I have a friend who is a very sucessful Fantasy writer named
Jim Butcher who wrote an article on getting published. His advice to new writers was
the best I've seen:

Bottom line, you have to put in a lot of work to get your writing quality up and running.
And you have to keep on writing the whole while. Then you have to learn the market,
both on the business end of things and on the reader end, so that you can put together
a good picture of who you should go after. Building contacts at conventions and so on
doesn't hurt.

But finally, I think, you have to have the attitude of a successful writer. Rejection
shouldn't discourage you. It's just a part of the day, like a thunderstorm or a car horn. It
happens, it isn't personal, and if you get stopped cold at one door, you might be warmly
welcomed at another. Be polite, friendly, and well informed. Do your homework. Read
agent and editor guidelines. Figure out who is producing stuff like yours, and go after
those people. Tell them that you targeted them specifically, and tell them why. That kind
of forethought is professional behavior, and it will impress them.

Breaking into print is an arduous and discouraging process for darn near everyone who
makes it in. Sure, there's always someone out there who writes a novel and has it go
ballistic their first time out, but there are people who win the lottery too.

Here's the secret of how to get published: keep going.

There is an enormous weedout factor for wannabe writers. The good news is that you
aren't competing with every published schmoe out there. You're only up against the rest
of the wannabes, and it's like the old axiom about being chased by a grizzly bear. You
don't have to run faster than the bear to get away. You just have to run faster than the
guy next to you.

Keep trying when the guy next to you quits in disgust. Keep writing when the girl next to
you sobs and throws her manuscripts into the fire. Keep conducting yourself like a
professional, and you'll get someone to believe that you are one.

If you're lucky, maybe even yourself. '

Interview with Dee Lloyd

1. What is your editorial and publishing background, and what led you into becoming
an editor?

I taught Literature and Creative writing for a number of years before I was ready to
begin writing novels. After Awe-Struck E-Books published my first Romantic Suspense,
IN THE RUNNING, Laura Adlam, who had edited several of my books, bought TIES
THAT BLIND for the launch of LTDBooks in 1999 and hired me as Acquisitions Editor.
TIES won the Eppie for Best Contemporary Romance that year.

2. How does your role as writer enhance your role as editor?

I don’t know that my role as writer enhances the editorial process at all. When I see a
plotting problem in a submission I often have to fight the inclination to tell the author
what I would do to solve it and remind myself that it is not my story. I do feel it is
appropriate to give advice, however, on pacing and character disclosure.

3. How many submissions a year do you receive? How many do you publish?

It is difficult to say how many submissions I receive in a year. Some years we are
closed to submissions for months at a time. I would say anywhere from three to five
hundred. At the moment we are planning to publish only about a dozen books a year.
Because our titles go through three levels of editing, we need that much time to
maintain the quality that LTDBooks has become known for.

4. What mindset drives you as an editor while reading a submission? Do you have a
tried and true process, or do you follow your gut?

I try to put myself in the mindset of a reader who wants to be entertained. Something
has to catch my attention right away. It can be an intriguing character, a setting or a
puzzle. It must, however, be compelling and early.

5. Are there any guidelines an author should keep in mind, (or avoid), to improve their
chances for a successful review during the submission process? What qualities do you
look for in a manuscript, and can you prioritize them? What are the most common
reasons for rejecting a manuscript?

The easiest way to get a rejection is to ignore the submission guidelines on the
website. Of course, a manuscript full of grammar and spelling errors has a poor chance
of being read completely. Words and sentence structure are, after all, the tools of a
writer’s trade. The two aspects of a story most important to me are character and pace.
The author has to make me care what happens to the hero or heroine. Otherwise I
simply stop reading after two or three chapters.

The pace has to keep me turning pages. Something has to happen in every scene. The
most frequent suggestion I make to an author who has submitted three chapters is to
cut the first chapter entirely. Begin the story where the action starts. Fill in parts of the
backstory as you go along, at the moments they are needed.

6. After accepting a manuscript for publication, what can an author expect from you
during the editing process? What range of editing do you perform (e.g., substantive or
copy editing)?

My role in the editing process is over when the manuscript is accepted. These days, I
do only some of the original reading - from LTDBooks published authors, from people I
have met at conferences, etc. I do a substantive edit, making suggestions that I think
would improve the author’s chances of being accepted by Laura should I recommend
the manuscript to her. Laura or her associate, Christine, make the final decisions about
offering contracts. They then do another substantive edit and a final copy edit. The
author has input after each.

7. How can an author best increase his or her chances for a successful marketing
campaign? What do you or your publisher do to assist the author in their efforts?

LTDBooks sends each novel to a great number of review sites. They assist the author
with the process of submitting books to contests; such as, the EPPIES, and The
Independent Publishers Book Awards. They also assist in authors’ cooperative print
magazine ads (RT Booklovers Magazine)

8. What genres of romance writing do you see too much? Are you looking for any
genres in particular?

We are open to all subgenres of romance. We have had good sales for Paranormal
Romance, Sci-Fi Romance, Romantic Suspense/Mystery. Strong, appealing
characters and a tight plot are essential in all.

9. Do you have any other words of advice for a writer trying to get published? Anything
else you’d like to add?

My only advice is to believe in yourself and keep writing. Be honest in your assessment
of the validity of criticism you receive from editors and contest judges. Take advantage
of advice you deem to be on target. And have the patience to revise.

Interview with Lorraine Stephens

1. What is your editorial and publishing background, and what led you into becoming an
editor?

I began at a newspaper. I was the Editor for several years until I retired. My job included
editing and layout of the newspaper.

2. How does your role as writer enhance your role as editor?

I have always been a writer, but, unfortunately, I don't have the time to write now. I'm too
busy editing; formatting galleys, doing galley corrections, etc. It's a tough job keeping
Wings ePress, Inc. up and running. I couldn't do it at all without the help of Marilyn Kapp
and Linda Voth.

3. How many submissions a year do you receive? How many do you publish?

We receive submissions every week. I don't keep track of how many we actually
receive. Some are rejected, some receive a revise and resubmit letter, and some are
contracted. We have approximately 250 books for sale on our site.

4. What mindset drives you as an editor while reading a submission? Do you have a
tried and true process, or do you follow your “gut”?

Well, I don't read the submissions. We have a process that includes First Readers. We
require that at least two read the submission. If they agree we go along with that. If they
disagree we ask for a third Reader and we abide by their decision. Sometimes I am
disappointed in their choice, but I realize that reading is like any art form--subjective.
What one may like, another may not. That doesn't make either of them wrong. They just
have different tastes in reading. So, I guess we have a "tried and true" process.

5. Are there any guidelines an author should keep in mind, (or avoid), to improve their
chances for a successful review during the submission process? What qualities do you
look for in a manuscript, and can you prioritize them? What are the most common
reasons for rejecting a manuscript?

I’m going to begin by saying we reject a manuscript for poor writing. When I say that, I
mean--writing that is not up to par. We don’t care for prepositional endings on
sentences but we can accept a few of those IF they are in dialogue. People do not talk
without using them. We can accept bad grammar if it is used in dialogue because there
are some people who talk using bad grammar. Quite a few people, actually. However,
we do not like to see this in the exposition because we want to know the writer can use
good grammar. We don’t expect perfection, but we want it to be, at the least, very good.
My best guidelines are on the web site under “Submissions”. Any writer who wants to
submit should use those guidelines.

6. After accepting a manuscript for publication, what can an author expect from you
during the editing process? What range of editing do you perform (e.g., substantive or
copy editing)?

I go through the manuscript and insert my comments, using capital letters in square
brackets. When I finish my part of it, I send it to the author and they are to go through the
manuscript and do the corrections--and take out my comments. When I receive the
manuscript back from the author, I go over it, and if there are no further problems I send
it to the copy editor. From there, it is returned to me and dropped into a galley and sent
back to the author, who will go through it and send in an errata list. This is the process,
but not until about four to six months before publication.

7. What can he or she do to help make the editing experience as smooth as possible?
What do some authors do during this process that turns you off?

There is absolutely nothing to do before the editing process. Some authors cannot
leave the submission alone and revise and edit it until it’s almost dead. They even
continue editing after they receive the galley. I know this is hard to believe, but it was
read and LIKED before it was contracted. Instead of going on to write a new book, or
polish an old manuscript, they can’t keep their hands off the one that is contracted. They
want it to be perfect so they continue to edit. What they don’t realize is there is no such
thing as perfect. They are never going to achieve that perfection they strive for and
instead will be in a constant “sweat” trying.

8. How can an author best increase his or her chances for a successful marketing
campaign? What do you or your publisher do to assist the author in their efforts?

We, at Wings ePress, Inc. put together an ad for Romantic Times Magazine (Book
Club) several times each year. We pay a big chunk of it, but the author must also pay a
small portion--not as big as Wings pays. We also send out galleys for review. This is
usually during the first week of each month, and we send out what they request (in
download--HTML and PDF). If they want a printed ARC, we send that to the author.

9. What genres of romance writing do you see too much? Are you looking for any
genres in particular?

It ebbs and flows. Sometimes we see a lot of General Fiction. Other times we see a lot
of Paranormal (FF&P basically). And there are times when the Romantic Suspense
and Cozy Mystery is in abundance. One thing we don’t have a lot of is Young Adult. I
want to caution the authors here: Please do not send us a YA title that is over 35k to
45k. We will occasionally accept one that is 50k but it’s very rare. And the writing must
be stellar.

10. Do you have any other words of advice for a writer trying to get published? Anything
else you’d like to add?

I think I’ve pretty much covered it. Thank you for the opportunity.

And thank you all for your time and valuable information! This was very enjoyable.

Until the next issue…

Happy Heartbeats!

Ann