Editors Talk about Editing

Susan L. Greenberg (PhD, University College London) took up teaching and research after a long career as a writer and editor. She is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and Creative Writing at the University of Roehampton and a founding member of the International Association of Literary Journalism Studies (IALJS).

• Content: Johnny Grimond, The Economist – Adam Moss, New York magazine – Ileene Smith, Farrar, Straus and Giroux – Jerome McGann, University of Virginia – Mary Hockaday, BBC Multimedia Newsroom – John McIntyre, The Baltimore Sun – Philip Campbell, Nature – Louise Doughty, Novelist – Carole Blake, Literary Agent, Blake Friedmann – Constance Hale, Book Editor – Peter Binfield, PeerJ – Phoebe Ayers, Wikimedia Foundation – Evan Ratliff, Atavist.

«At last, someone has given editors their day in the sun. Greenberg’s skilful interviewing brings to light this largely invisible work. She tracks editing practices across digital news, magazines, books and scholarly publishing in ways that no one else has done, always with an eye toward the historical, theoretical significance of the editing function. A lively-minded and valuable book.» (John Pauly, Professor and Chair, Journalism and Media Studies, Marquette University)«Greenberg’s interviews succeed in giving us a privileged view of the art and business of editing, from a wide variety of perspectives. Each interview offers insights into different practices and approaches. Cumulatively – and this is the art of the interviewer, who is an experienced editor herself – they give the reader a concerted, structured and engaging understanding of this often hidden process.» (Claire Squires, Professor of Publishing Studies, University of Stirling)«Everyone understands what writers do. They write. But editors are a mystery. What is it they do? Editing is serious intellectual labor, a rigorous skill set borne of hard-won experience, which is why Susan Greenberg's wonderful Editors Talk About Editing is such a much-needed addition to every word-worker's library. Greenberg is a terrific interviewer, gentle and shrewd, and her conversations with editors brim with both practical advice and nuanced insights. Most important, the book reveals one of the real mysteries of the editing craft: a cast of mind animated by a genuine affinity for ideas, for language and, not least, for one's beloved writers.» (David Abrahamson, The Medill School, Northwestern University)