All posts tagged: Kelly Bale

Write on, Wednesday: Questions to Ask and Editor/Publisher

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By Leslie Lindsay So, you got yourself a book deal?  Now what?!  Here are some Q&A’s from Kelly Bale, assistant editor at Sourcebooks in Naperville, IL to consider (see last week’s post on submitting your work to a publisher). How involved will you be in my editorial process?  Seems like a no-brainer, but in fact you do have to ask this question.  If you are simply assigned a copy editor (to look for grammatical mistakes) and then a typesetter (to make it all pretty on the page/aesthetics) then your editor is not doing her job.  Also, Editors who have been with a company for awhile are less likely to abandon or “orphan” your work.  Thus, they see it through to the end.  Your editor is  your voice through within the publisher’s walls and if she leaves…well then…. How involved will you be in my overall carerr direction (especially if this first book is a flop)? Is this a a one-book deal, or is there a future to build?  Few authors start “at the top,” What will your editor/publisher do …

Write on, Wednesday: An Assistant Editor SharesSteps to Getting Published with

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By Leslie Lindsay She came flying into our meeting last night a few minutes behind schedule, but it wasn’t because of the parking problem the rest of our members experienced, “Oh, I got a spot right in front,” she chirped.  With her tall silver heels and an energy that got us all excited about the possibility of traditional publishing, Kelly Bale, assistant editor at Sourcebooks in Naperville, IL took us through the steps of getting published. As an editor, her first three questions are these: Is it any good?  The writing needs to grab me.  Period. Will it sell? Does it work for this publishing house? Okay… let’s say that all of those criteria are a ‘yes.’  Now, here’s what you as a writer can do to  improve your chances of landing a contract: Write a darn good proposal (non-fiction) or a query letter (fiction) Do your research.  Know your writing category well.  Are you writing romance or women’s fiction?  Do you know the difference?  Are you writing thrillers or mysteries?  Historical fiction? Now do some competitive …