The Invisible Art of Literary Editing

A field guide to the trade and art of editing, this book pulls back the curtain on the day-to-day responsibilities of a literary magazine editor in their role, and to the specific skills necessary to read, mark-up and transform a piece of writing.

Combining a breakdown of an editor’s tasks—including creating a vision, acquisitions, responding to submissions, and corresponding with authors—with a behind-the-scenes look at manuscripts in progress, the book rounds up with a test editing section. This section teaches, by way of engaging exercises, the nitty-gritty strategies and techniques for working on all kinds of texts.

Generous in its insight and access to practising editors’ annotations and thought processes, The Invisible Art of Literary Editing offers an exclusive look at nonfiction, fiction, and poetry manuscripts as they were first submitted, as they were marked up by an editor, and how the final piece was presented. It features an interview with the editor on the choices they made about that piece of work, as well as their philosophies and working practices in their job.

As a skill and a trade learnt through practice and apprenticeship, this is the ultimate companion to editing any piece of work. It offers opportunities for learning-by-doing through exercises, reflections, and case studies, inviting readers to embody the role of an editor to improve their craft and demystify the processes involved in this exciting and highly coveted profession.