Dragaera

Literary Disappointments (was: The LKH thing)

Tue Feb 18 11:02:20 PST 2003

On Tue, Feb 18, 2003 at 12:43:01PM -0600, David Dyer-Bennet <dd-b at dd-b.net> wrote:
> "Andrew Lias" <anrwlias at hotmail.com> writes:
> > > I think that's brutally unfair to editors.  They're not miracle
> > > workers, you know and turning a 900-page doorstop into a tightly
> > > plotted story a third that size in the time frame that most editors
> > > have isn't bloody likely.
> > I take a middle stance.  A lot of books that do reach the public sufer
> > for a lack of rigorous editing.  However, you are correct, editors do
> > suffer limitations.  A bigger limitation is that authors who are
> > successful can become 600 lb. gorillas.  What editor is going to stand
> > his ground when confronting a defiant Steven King, for instance?  I
> > think this is one reason why many authors have earlier works that seem
> > tighter and better focused than their latter works.
> Yep.  Steven King is more important to a publisher than *any* editor.
> Even Robert Jordan would be, I'd think. 

As evidence for the latter, I submit the last three books.

Unfortunately, Jordan's editor is his wife.  This makes things... 
awkward.

-- 
Matthew Hunter (matthew at infodancer.org)
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