Behind the Desk
Inside an Editorial Pairing
Priya Venkatesan, Managing Copy Editor · · 5 min read
How we match a manuscript to an editor, and why we sometimes say no.
Pairing considers genre, register, and temperament. A blunt editor and a first-time novelist can be an excellent match — or a disaster.
We decline roughly one manuscript in six, usually because the draft needs another author pass before money changes hands.
process
editors