Senior editor Charlene Castor of Algonkian Author Connect interviews Michael Neff, the CEO and Chief Production Editor of Algonkian Writer Conferences.
NEFF:
CC: That makes sense, of course, but seriously, Michael, does the world need another novel editing service?
NEFF: Yes and no. The world does not need another commonplace editorial service. Ours is unique, indefinite in length, customized for each writer, and finally, structured more productively than other novel editing services--the condition we're striving for in terms of method and final results.
CC: That's a bold statement. So how does "Manuscripts to Market" really differ from other novel editorial services? I'm skeptical. There's a hundred of them out there.
NEFF: Overwhelming evidence demonstrates that one-pass ms reviews rarely, if ever, result in publishable manuscripts. You'll see writers pay gobs of money to various freelance editors only to be left hanging with sweeping or confusing rewrites, and once done, the ms will require yet another layer of editing. Follow-up is always necessary. The writer must be guided as needed, depending on their skill set, and the project itself must be developed in stages.
We provide a three-stage review of the manuscript. First, a preliminary "sell sheet analysis" of the story premise and other major elements that might well necessitate rewrites and a new draft from the start. Why begin a full edit of the manuscript if we know from the onset, for example, that crucial elements of plot are missing? Second, a core developmental review of the manuscript from first page to last, resulting in ms notes and a separate editorial report.
Weeks or months later (depending on the author and ms) this is followed by a third and final review once the author has completed the necessary restructure and rewrites.
CC:
And that wraps it up?
NEFF: Next, we assist with the search for agents and production of a superlative query letter. We also stick with the writer through the query process for an indefinite length of time, reality checking as appropriate and necessary.
We also differ from the many editorial services in other ways. For example, our own combined skill set exceeds that of most freelance editors. Unlike the academic types, we've actually worked with commercial publishing house editors and agents, we have a track record, and unlike the majority of ex-editors from publishing houses who left the business to freelance, we are actual writers, published authors of fiction.
CC:
What about editor-for-hire bulletin boards like the one on Reedsy? Don't they have real editors there?
NEFF: Reedsy means well. They host dozens of editors looking for jobs and freelance work. Why? Because they lost their jobs. The turnover in the industry is at an all-time high. A few might be of value but most don't pass the test of being writers themselves, plus those who claim to have worked with popular authors have done so only because they were warming the chair when that particular author at the publishing house needed a line edit. In short, dabbling at Reedsy can result in mixed results. Just be careful.
NEFF: Reedsy means well. They host dozens of editors looking for jobs and freelance work. Why? Because they lost their jobs. The turnover in the industry is at an all-time high. A few might be of value but most don't pass the test of being writers themselves, plus those who claim to have worked with popular authors have done so only because they were warming the chair when that particular author at the publishing house needed a line edit. In short, dabbling at Reedsy can result in mixed results. Just be careful.
CC: Why do you feel your novel editing method is more valuable or realistic than methods utilized by MFA faculty? I know you're not keen on advice that emanates from MFA programs.
NEFF: For the most part, no. I totally reject the Conroy philosophy and approach began at Iowa decades ago and later cascaded into the bulk of MFA programs throughout the United States. They preach that writing can't be taught, and in keeping with that disproved absurdity, therefore eschew notions of discussing plot or story premise when it comes to writing a novel. What could be more ridiculous? Craft becomes a whisper after dark and the word "market" gains the status of Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter, i.e., becoming a word which must never be spoken in the presence of ivy.
An academic whose beliefs about novel writing, or fiction writing in general, are rooted in that culture should never be consulted. It's a little like consulting with a home builder who doesn't believe in the basics of physics. If nothing else, the "professors" fail to understand the demands of various genres and their readerships, and that's just for starters.
CC: Do you offer guarantees to writers? I mean, do you assure the writer they will be published as a result of utilizing Manuscript to Market services?
NEFF: No editor, no matter how brilliant, by contract or otherwise, has sufficient control over a work to engineer it to guaranteed commercial publication. Why? Because no matter what you do, no matter what services you provide or what you say, it is ultimately up to the writer to rise to the challenge. At the end of the day, the writer must actually write or rewrite the manuscript. Also, given the reality and ease of social media interaction, you sometimes find yourself as an editor in a struggle to be heard over the din of readers and writer groups interacting with your clients--often telling them what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear.
Any number of things will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I've witnessed long slogs to brass ring territory only to see a history of titanic effort go whooshing into the sewer because one single player in the writer's life, sitting beside her one evening at a theater, told her that her novel was perfectly wonderful, no more changes were necessary, and to just "follow her heart" to certain success.
A tragic event for that writer, though it seemed so right and blessed with divine good feeling.
CC: Anything else you would like to add on the subject?
NEFF: Yes, I want to tell everyone out there to ask themselves the following questions before they ever decide to spend a penny on novel or nonfiction editorial services. As follows:
CC: Thank you for the interview, Michael.
Any number of things will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I've witnessed long slogs to brass ring territory only to see a history of titanic effort go whooshing into the sewer because one single player in the writer's life, sitting beside her one evening at a theater, told her that her novel was perfectly wonderful, no more changes were necessary, and to just "follow her heart" to certain success.
A tragic event for that writer, though it seemed so right and blessed with divine good feeling.
CC: Anything else you would like to add on the subject?
NEFF: Yes, I want to tell everyone out there to ask themselves the following questions before they ever decide to spend a penny on novel or nonfiction editorial services. As follows:
- Do you get to review the credentials of the individual who will be working on your ms?
- Do the person's credentials include any real-time experience working in tandem with the New York publishing business, or at least with mid-sized or quality independent presses?
- Is there a demonstrable track record of commercial or literary publication of any kind associated with past clients of this person? Is the track record relatively recent or really old news?
- Is the proposed editor person an actual writer of narrative nonfiction or novels? Has the work been self-published or published?
- Are accolades or testimonials about the business itself focused rather on buzz phrasing than pointers to actual results, i.e., contracts with major houses or agencies?
CC: Thank you for the interview, Michael.
NEFF: Thank you, Charlene.
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