Damn Editors

Damn editors!

I hear that a lot from writers who don’t want anyone “messing with their work.” As a writer, I can understand that. I don’t like people telling me what to do, either, especially when it’s my creation. I hate seeing those red lines from Track Changes when the editor suggests rewriting my passive voice to active voice, or comments suggesting a subtle change to enhance the story.

But in the end, I know they’re right. Because honestly, I cannot edit my own work. I can try, and I do try, but I miss things. Lots of things. Because in my head I know what it is supposed to say, so I cannot see what is really on the page. In fact, I’m fairly certain that this blog post, unedited by another, will have a mistake. 

It’s the way things are.

But back to those pushy, know-it-all editors, of which I am one. Why do they insist on changing things? The answer is simple:

Because we love the written word.

And since we love reading and everything that goes with it, we want to make sure things are the way they should be, that the words are the best they can possibly be, and that the story shines in the memories of readers for a long time.

Editors are on your side. In essence, when you hand your work to an editor, it’s like passing the basketball to your teammate to make a shot. You want to score, right? Good, then let us do the work of cleaning your prose. The ideas are yours, the concept is yours; we’re just polishing what you’ve already done.

We are truly on the same team.

What I Want

Now, that’s a title that could produce an extra lengthy blog post, but I promise to keep this short and simple and related to all things writing. Specifically, writing to be published.
 

Back in November of 2015 High Tide Publications made the announcement that I was the new Director of Acquisitions for Fiction & Poetry. Exciting, right?

You have no idea!

I have always loved to read, and as a child this was clear. I often got in trouble for reading too much (my mother was convinced I was going to wither away in my room and she would find me face down in a book, pale and with permanent imprints of my glasses on my face). That love of reading later transformed into a love of writing and then editing.

Now, here I am, beginning yet another journey of the Writing Life. 

High Tide is a traditional publisher, meaning that you never, ever have to pay to have your work published. We take care of things like editing and covers and we work with you on a marketing plan. We are committed to helping authors find their way in this tumultuous world of publishing, as we have had our own (good and bad) experiences with other publishers. There are many wonderful small publishers out there, and we strive to be among those that people turn to for a good read.

So, what kind of fiction am I looking for? It goes without saying that the story has to be well-written. I absolutely love mysteries, but I am open to most any kind of fiction (except children and YA, we do not publish those genres).

Here’s some guidelines:

Keep your manuscript between 70k and 75k.

Proofread! It’s okay to have a few mistakes with comma usage, but it’s not okay to submit a manuscript riddled with errors.

Maintain tension throughout the story.

Make sure your manuscript is written in a readable format. That means don’t insert pictures or use a font like Thriller.

Once you submit to us you will hear back within four to six weeks.

And the even more exciting part? We have some amazing books that will be released in 2016! I am so looking forward to working with our new authors, and I look forward to hearing from even more great writers.