ALL the edits, and then some. ‘Exciting New Voice’ podcast
Booktopia are great supporters of Australian writers, and the writing industry, so I was pretty stoked to be part of their Exciting New Voice podcast. With three different perspectives on the process of getting a book ready for publication, there are some great insights here about what to expect.
The host Ben Hunter's questioning had me revealing lots of fun facts and reflections about the process of getting The Silent Listener ready for publication, including structural edits, line edits, proofreading … and lunch.
What surprised you about editing The Silent Listener?
When Ben asked what (if anything) had surprised each of his guests about the editing process, my answer was about the amount of care that goes into getting the book ready for the world when you're working with experts like the team at Penguin. It’s an enormous collaborative labour of love!
It was a delight to collaborate with a publisher and editors who shared my vision of what the novel could be and supported me through a seamless and easy progression through the different types of edits. You've heard me say it before, and I'm very happy to to keep telling anybody who will listen!
‘The best book it can be’
My fellow guests Tori Haschka and Nicola West have had different experiences, and it was interesting to see how they aligned with mine and where they were different.
One of the best things about this conversation was our shared experience of being supported by our publishers. For each of us, regardless of whether we enjoyed the editing process or found it daunting, we always knew that our publishers had the interests of our vision and our books in mind.
I loved what Tori had to say about this, and it resonated with my own experience: “I was working with people who had done this a lot so I needed to lean on their expertise.”
Tori Haschka is the author of Grace Under Pressure (Simon & Schuster, 2021) and some amazing books about food, I’ve since discovered. Nicola West’s novel Catch Us The Foxes will be released by Simon & Schuster in July 2021.
