Tricks of the Trade, lesson 114

To an overseas author with whom I’ve worked before, who has written to ask me about copyediting a project next year.

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I was just writing you a follow-up, then I’ll leave you alone.

Clarification: The work doesn’t take [four to five weeks], obviously, but it’s the usual turnaround that publishers and authors would expect for a manuscript of that length. If you found yourself in a position where you needed the work done, say, in two to three weeks, that’s not a problem -- especially if you’ve kept me apprised of scheduling along the way.

Do, please, let me know if or when I should lock this in on my schedule. I have a few publishers these days who tell me about their whole seasons two months in advance, so sometimes my work schedule starts filling up oddly for a particular month that’s far down the road.

If you don’t mind my asking, I have an unrelated item that’s been on my mind for some time. June Bug referred to you as her editor at Such-and-So Press. If I remember correctly, you’re a rather well-traveled and in-demand scholar. Do you do acquisitions for Such-and-So on the side? Or maybe you were an in-house reviewer for her book? 

Of course, I’m asking for mercenary reasons. If, by chance, you do have any role with Such-and-So Press that puts you in contact with authors or production people who might need editorial vendors, I’d welcome your passing my name along. Sometimes a UK press would like to have an American copyeditor or proofreader, and I index books as well -- a pathology that crosses borders. If you know any production managers whose names you could pass along, that would be great, too. It’s rare these days that I send out any feelers looking for work, but this little item’s lodged itself in my head, and there’s usually a reason for it.

Thanks.

A managing editor in a religious publishing house once told me,
"Bob, you know what we call you around here? 'The whore.'"