Welcome to Care and Feeding of Editors with Rita-nominated Allie Pleiter. Allie’s going to walk us through her 5-step program for a successful author-editor relationship. Please be sure to stop by the comments section below. Allie has graciously offered to pop in and answer your questions.

Allie, the classroom’s all yours!

Writing is an art, but it’s also a business.  With some partnerships unlike any others.  And, if we’re honest, with some partners unlike any others.  We’re artists, which makes us…um…given to emotion.  That makes us great writers, but ask the spouse of any writer and you’ll discover we’re…challenging…to live with. Or work with.  Still, a solid relationship with your editor can be one of the greatest assets a writer can have.  So how do you get there?  Here are my tips for crafting a great relationship with that person on the other side…

1. Look at the target, not the trajectory

When you disagree with an editorial comment, chances are it’s not the goal he had in mind that gets your creative juices in a jam, it’s how he got there.  Ask for clarification as to what he wants, what he’s after, and then you can call upon your talents to get you there in a way you both endorse.

2. The first 24 hours don’t count

Pick someone else to call when you pitch a fit–not your editor.  When you get that l-o-n-g rewrite letter, that pathetic royalty statement, that “no thanks” on your next project, STOP.  Discount your reaction for the first 24 hours.  Give in to your impulses to kick and scream, to feel unappreciated and misunderstood, to burn your manuscript in righteous indignation (okay, don’t give into that one).  Recognize that how you react is not necessarily how you should respond.  You should react to your friends, your dog, and perhaps your agent, but wait until you can respond to your editor.  When you can clearly state your position, when you can see the distinction between the edits you agree with, the edits you might be willing to try, and the ones you can’t abide by, when you can articulate your concerns and your questions in ways that are businesslike rather than emotional, that’s the time to have a productive conversation.

3. Treat her like a human being

She has birthdays, bad days, tough meetings, personal triumphs, and a favorite flavor of ice cream, just like you.  Be nice.  Thank her for going to bat for you.  Remember her birthday.  Call and apologize if you bit her head off when she asked you to revise your synopsis.  Just because you’re making art doesn’t mean you have to go all artistic on her.  Aside from being just plain the right thing to do, there’s a secret advantage to this:  The more human she is to you–and you to her–the harder it is to go to war with her.  And that’s a good thing, because you are not enemies.  You are iron sharpening iron.

4. Do your job

Sounds obvious, but it’s easy to forget this is essentially a job.  A very cool, very artistic, very exceptional job, but there is a product to keep in mind here.  Deadlines are your job.  Granted, if a travesty occurs, that’s another story, but in most cases what separates an amateur from a professional is the ability to get the job done.  Many things in this business you can’t control, but you can control your professional reputation; you can be the writer who delivers.  DO NOT call two days before your deadline in tears and say you need an extension.  If you do need an extension, call at least two weeks before your deadline so that proper plans can be made.

5. Decide which hill you’re ready to die on

You’re going to disagree.  There will be things a publisher wants that you don’t want.  But they are the publisher, and they have the right to want them.  You, however, have the right to know when enough is enough.  When your professional or personal integrity is at risk.  But it had better be a big, whopping issue for you. Dig your heels in only when absolutely necessary, and only after all possible compromises have been exhausted.  And talk about it with your agent first, so that you know the potential fallout and are prepared.  I’ve stood my ground on rare (and I do mean rare) occasion, and never regretted it.  I’ve also never regretted being reasonable and easy to work with.  And, you know, they aren’t mutually exclusive.

There you have it–my five point plan for editorial detente.  Keep these in mind, and you may very well be the author in demand.

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Thank you, Allie!

RU Readers, have you ever come across a time when you had to step away from the phone/email so you didn’t make a BIG mistake? For our pre-pubs, do you have any editor-related questions for Allie?

Be sure to join Kelsey on Wedesday – the Man Panel’s back!

Author Bio:

An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction.  The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, doing laundry, running carpools, and finding new ways to avoid housework.  She grew up in Connecticut, holds a BS in Speech from Northwestern University, spent fifteen years in the field of professional fundraising, and currently lives in suburban Chicago, Illinois.  The “dare from a friend” to begin writing nine years ago has given rise to a career spanning two parenting books, eight novels including the multi-nominated MY SO-CALLED LOVE LIFE, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing.  Visit her website at www.alliepleiter.com or her knitting blog at www.DestiKNITions.blogspot.com