Sassy advice from a publishing insider

About 11 years ago, when I found Betsy Lerner’s The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers on the shelf of a local bookstore, I snatched it up and took it home. After reading it, I just knew I had to work in publishing. I initially hoped to land a job in book publishing, but I found a position in magazine publishing, which eventually brought me to The Writer.

One of the perks of my current job is getting to work with amazing writers—some of whom I’ve admired for a long time. I was thrilled when Betsy and her publisher granted us permission to reprint an excerpt from the revised edition of The Forest for the Trees, because the original had inspired me.

In “How to approach agents and editors,” from our February issue, you’ll get a taste of Betsy’s sense of humor. She advises writers querying agents to avoid gimmicks and questionable gifts, including Glamour Shots-style photos: “At a previous job, there was a bulletin board of all the photos we received in the slush. It looked like a cross between a Most Wanted list and a dating service.” Along with the laughs, she delivers a lot of practical tips for writers hoping to find an agent and get published. I hope you enjoy Betsy’s advice as much as I do.

—Sarah C. Lange, associate editor

P.S. That dramatic-looking woman above is not Betsy Lerner, though she may be an aspiring tortured writer.

Comments

boldall wrote re: Sassy advice from a publishing insider on Thu, Mar 31 2011 7:06 PM The February issue was my first time to be introduced to The Writer, and I loved it!  Count me in for at least the next year.  Oh, and I definitely plan on buying a copy of The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers.

Sarah C. Lange wrote re: Sassy advice from a publishing insider on Fri, Apr 1 2011 9:52 AM So glad you're enjoying the magazine. Let me know what you think of the book!