What a former book editor learned

Chris Pavone has been getting a lot of early buzz for his first novel, The Expats, and it’s no wonder: The spy thriller has earned starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal and Booklist, as well as other raves. And this is a month before the book is even officially published, on March 6.

“Fans of John le Carre and Robert Ludlum,” wrote Publishers Weekly, “will welcome [this] meticulously plotted, psychologically complex spy thriller. . . . The sheer amount of bombshell plot twists are nothing short of extraordinary, but it’s Pavone’s portrayal of Kate [his protagonist] and her quest to find meaning in her charade of an existence that makes this book such a powerful read.”

But what also got my attention in the same magazine was the author’s comment in a Jan. 6 interview. It turns out that Pavone (pictured at left; photo by Nina Subin) is a former book editor, having worked at a number of publishing houses over nearly two decades. PW asked him, “In what way did your experience as a book editor affect the way you approached writing The Expats?"

Pavone’s answer: “As a book editor, you need to pitch every one of your books again and again, dozens of times, for months on end. From a quick conversation with your boss or a letter that’ll be read by just one person, to a five-minute speech in front of 50 colleagues or cover copy that’ll be in front of millions of eyes. So when I was working on The Expats, I kept that eventual pitch in mind, helping me focus on what was most compelling about the story I was trying to tell.”

To read the entire interview, click here.

-- Ron Kovach, senior editor, The Writer

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