Editors Talk About Editing

‘Editors Talk about Editing: Insights for Readers, Writers and Publishers’ by Susan L. Greenberg is out now.

The work of ‘editing’ is by and large something that happens behind the scenes, noticed only when it is done badly, or not done at all. There is not much information about what editors do. The result is that editing is not often talked about in its own right—not even by the people who do it.

This collection of interviews attempts to fill some of the gaps. The author, a former editor herself, interviews practitioners at the top of their game—from newspapers, magazines, broadcast news, book publishing, scholarly editing, academic publishing and digital curation.

The interviewees think out loud about creativity and human judgement; what they have in common and what makes them different; how editing skills and culture can be shared; why editing continues to fascinate; and why any of this might matter.

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).

‘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

Out now: ‘Editors Talk about Editing: Insights for Readers, Writers and Publishers’, published by Peter Lang