An Interview with Harlequin Editor Joanne Carr - Part 2

Here’s part 2 of my interview with editor Joanne Carr:

When do you do most of your reading? During office hours or after office hours? Do you avoid reading on your down time, or can you still enjoy it by taking off the editor hat?

I try to do my reading in the office, in office hours, but as an editor, it is not always possible. Reading submissions, both unsolicited and from published authors, is a core part of an editors’ job, but it is a myth that all we do is read all day – there is so much more that an editor does. Consequently, to get the reading done, manuscripts are often taken home at night and over the weekends…

I still love reading for pleasure but I find it almost impossible to take my editor hat off completely! There is always part of me thinking, ‘if only the author had done this’ or ‘the editor really should have suggested some cuts’, but my love of reading is why I became an editor so I don’t find it ruins my reading experience.

Are there any things that published authors have done, that have made you crazy? Missed deadlines? What sort of things complicate the publishing process?

In regards to missed deadlines, it all depends on the circumstances as to whether it causes a problem/make me crazy! For example, it is different if an author missed a deadline, but gave prior warning and has a genuine reason, to an author who just doesn’t get in contact, fails to deliver and gives no explanation to why. It is all about being professional! And, of course, missed deadlines can affect the publishing process. If a book is required for a specific slot, the manuscript will then need to be turned around quicker than usual, putting extra pressure on not just the individual editor but the copy-editor, Production and even Art and Marketing!

What sort of book submissions do you absolutely love? What sorts of things grab you by the neck and make you unable to stop reading?

A unique voice, compelling characters and a fresh take on an idea/premise. Editors want to see something exciting, something new! We want to really care about the characters and be dying to know what happens next.

What can unpublished authors do to make your life easier, when it comes to putting together a book proposal?

Keep covering letters and synopses short and succinct and double-space the chapters. Make sure you have done your research and targeted your submission to the right series and above all – make sure your individual author voice shines through!

What sorts of things can published authors do to make your job easier?

Be professional – understand that your editor always has your best interest at heart, even if it doesn’t feel like it when she sends you revisions/rejects your book/won’t increase your advance/won’t give you the pub slot you think you deserve!
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Hope you guys enjoyed the answers from Joanne. Also, I think we may have a title for the new book. We’re tossing around the idea of Her Warrior Slave. And yes, there is a connection to the MacEgans, but you’ll have to figure out what it is . . .
What do you think?