Straight dope about what editors really think

Mad Max Perkins, the pseudonymous blogger and editor at a major publishing house, recently conducted a survey of a handful of other editors about what to expect if you’re a midlist author. The answer? Not a hell of a lot:

beyond the catalog listing, the advance galleys, the finished book mailings and the related press-release materials, what (if any) additional marketing is this book likely to get?

If a writer makes a plausible case–you have connections, you have an address list, you are willing to address postcards to 100s of people–he might have a shot at a tour. Coming up with innovative suggestions also can help–like using a web site in a new way. Aside from that, the writer shouldn’t expect too much. Also, writers should just give up on the idea of advertising. The truth is, ads don’t help sell books, no matter what anyone says.

There’s much, much more, and it’s all worth a read. As someone who’s long espoused realism and practicality, even I had to have my eyes seriously opened. At the same time, since I’m starting work on some longer projects*, it’s just as important to keep the noise of the business out of my head, at least for some blocks of time. But then, the melding of art and business has always been an uneasy one, and no doubt it will get more difficult as time passes.

*Don’t want to jinx it yet, but I’m sure you can catch my drift.