This post introduces a new feature from Del Rey/Spectra in which the editors will reveal the sordid details of our daily lives here at the Random House offices. Not every entry will be sordid, I guess I should add. Sordidity (sordidity???) may not come up very often, actually. But when it does, we’ll be sure you know.
People unconnected to the publishing business often assume that editors spend our entire day reading. People I’ve talked to at a writer’s conference or convention know the truth: that there’s a lot more to the job than deciding whose manuscript will make it into print form. We’re involved in the evolution of the cover art and the promotional and publicity planning for any book we buy. We discuss market trends and gossip about OPA (Other Publishers’ Authors). We call agents to ask what they’ve got in the pipeline.
As a general rule, I don’t spend a lot of time wondering what my authors are up to at any given moment. Only a few live near enough to New York that I can see them regularly. Of course I’m there for them whenever they want to call, and I probably answer ten emails a day from writers in various stages of the process. But unless it’s close to their manuscript’s delivery date and they’ve been suspiciously quiet—which usually means the book’s not going to come in on time—I tend to leave them to their creative processes.
Therefore I was fascinated by this glimpse into the writing life of Harry Connolly, author of the Twenty Palaces series—hardboiled fantasy featuring ex-con Ray Lilly. Harry recently delivered Circle of Enemies, third in the series (following Child of Fire and Game of Cages), and he made this little video to show how he fits writing into a day otherwise filled with a mundane job and being a husband and father. I love the books strewn everywhere around the house.
I swear to god that my table and counter aren’t really that cluttered.
The rest of the place… well, that’s pretty much it, from the big canvases in the hall to the easel w/ wet oil paint looming over my bed.
Hmm…are you certain that Harry isn’t an agent in disguise? That office looks fairly similar to my own! No canvas here, but lots of the other stuff! Great post, Betsy…thanks for illuminating our fascinating world.