{"id":6136,"date":"2013-04-18T08:42:07","date_gmt":"2013-04-17T22:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zenashapter.com\/blog\/?p=6136"},"modified":"2013-11-22T10:13:51","modified_gmt":"2013-11-21T23:13:51","slug":"how-ticonderoga-publications-selects-short-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/how-ticonderoga-publications-selects-short-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"How Ticonderoga Publications Selects Short Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the second post in my series on short story editors. Recently an editor-friend of mine shared his editorial selection process on Facebook<\/a>. Watching it was difficult at first because I hadn’t realised how emotionally draining the process of putting together a short story collection can be for editors \u2013 whether for an anthology or magazine edition.<\/p>\n

So, over the following posts, I\u2019m going to interview the editors of Fablecroft<\/a>, Ticonderoga, CSFG<\/a>, Aurealis<\/a> and Midnight Echo<\/a> to find out more.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Ticonderoga<\/a> editor-extraordinaire Russell B Farr told me about his process\u2026<\/p>\n

Firstly, some stats:<\/p>\n

\n
\""Dreaming<\/a>

“Dreaming of Djinn”<\/p><\/div>\n

The title of your latest project: \u201cDreaming of Djinn” is Ticonderoga’s most recent anthology<\/i>. However, I’ve also been working on Juliet Marillier’s collection “Prickle Moon” and <\/i>Cat Sparks’ collection “The Bride Price”.<\/i><\/i><\/i>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

Its release date: all April 2013<\/p>\n

Published: print and (later) ebook<\/p>\n

One-sentence description: “Dreaming of Djinn”<\/i> is a collection of 18 incredible tales of romantic Orientalism.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Great! Now let\u2019s get stuck in\u2026<\/p>\n

1. What\u2019s the hardest part of putting together a short story collection, be it for a magazine edition or an anthology?<\/p>\n

The least fun bits. Often it can be finalising the contents, deciding which out of a handful of maybes is going to make the cut. But generally putting together a book is an enjoyable experience that I look forward to. For me the hard part is then getting people to buy the book \u2013 the frustration of knowing that readers will love the book if I can just convince them to buy; the challenge of getting the message out when there are so many books out there.<\/p>\n

2. What\u2019s the easiest part of that process?<\/p>\n

Probably the layout. I\u2019ve been putting together books and professional publications for a good few years, so most things fall into place with minimum fuss. Once I\u2019m in the zone I can format the inside of a book in a matter of hours.<\/p>\n

3. What\u2019s the most emotional part (and which emotion)?<\/p>\n

It varies based on the project. Being able to put a finished copy of a collection into the author\u2019s hands is truly one of the joys that makes this whole thing worthwhile. When a writer passes away before they see the finished book hits me hard \u2013 this has happened to me twice and I wouldn\u2019t wish this experience on any editor.<\/p>\n

Holding a copy of any finished book in my hands brings a big feeling of relief, joy and satisfaction that lasts until someone finds a typo.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cThe<\/a>

\u201cThe Bride Price\u201d by Cat Sparks<\/p><\/div>\n

4. Often editors have a vision for their collection, so select stories that support that vision. Do you ever worry that readers won\u2019t \u2018get\u2019 your vision once it\u2019s presented to them and, if so, how do you cope with that worry?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m paraphrasing Joe Strummer here, but there\u2019ll always be readers that will get the vision, and those who won\u2019t. There\u2019s no point worrying about the latter \u2013 in some ways their views validate the vision, as I\u2019m not convinced that any strong vision will be grasped by everyone. And I\u2019ve been doing things unconventionally for some time. Once I know that all the stories are good, I\u2019m satisfied.<\/p>\n

5. Do you read stories blind, or know which author wrote each story as you read? Why do you prefer that method?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t read blind \u2013 simply it would be too hard to set that up, and not worth the effort. Sometimes it\u2019s neat to know who the writer is, if I\u2019m familiar with their work and can see how it represents their writing journey. But if the story is good, really good, it\u2019s easy to not care about who the writer is until I\u2019ve finished the last word. And then I want to know who they are straight away so I can contact them.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cPrickle<\/a>

\u201cPrickle Moon\u201d by Juliet Marillier<\/p><\/div>\n

6. Once you\u2019ve selected your favourite stories, how do you put them in order \u2013 by theme, by author, to develop a given theme\u2026?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot to building the right order, it\u2019s in many ways based on an implicit understanding of the work. I like to start strong, something that grabs the reader and at the same time provides an introduction to the theme: the story has to have a great opening. I like to finish strongly, with a story that is also gripping but has a sense of resonance, the sort of story that lingers with the reader once the book is closed. Something generally hopeful at the conclusion, with maybe a smile. Author doesn\u2019t come into the equation, it\u2019s all about the story.<\/p>\n

Some themes work well if the stories are grouped into similar subcategories, while others don\u2019t. Word count is important, I like to keep a good rhythm going, mix long and short. Point of view and voice matter, I try to mix these up so the reader gets a very clear change between stories to make each stand on its own. Some stories just complement each other, while others benefit from being kept apart. Sometimes when the whole picture is in sight, a really good story just won\u2019t play well with the others and needs to be dropped.<\/p>\n

7. Have you ever rejected a story that then went on to achieve greatness elsewhere? If so, what did you think about that, and did you alter your processes to avoid it happening again?<\/p>\n

Angela Slatter and I considered her first collaboration with Lisa L. Hannett, \u201cThe February Dragon\u201d, for her The Girl With No Hands and other tales collection<\/i>. Excellent, fantastic, wonderful story. Won the Aurealis Award. Would not have worked in the collection at all. Fortunately my fabulous partner Liz Grzyb was across the table, working the Scary Kisses<\/i> anthology. I passed it to her, she loved it too and put it in that book.<\/p>\n

Hindsight is great. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s always possible to know how a story will be received or awarded. I know every story is really good. It\u2019s more of a concern when I publish an absolutely amazing story and it doesn\u2019t get the props it deserves. That\u2019s what I lose sleep over.<\/p>\n

8. How often do you second-guess your judgment?<\/p>\n

Sometimes, all the time, and never. I know that all of our books are first rate, worthy of being bought and read and treasured. They don\u2019t get printed until they are. I never wonder if we\u2019ve published the best book we possibly can. I know that our writers are among the best. I constantly wonder if starting a small press was the best decision I\u2019ve ever made, and I have no answer for this.<\/p>\n

\"Russell<\/a>

Russell B Farr & I
Speculative Fiction Festival 2013<\/p><\/div>\n

9. If you had just one piece of advice for writers submitting to you, what would it be (apart from to follow your guidelines)?<\/p>\n

Give me characters that live and breathe and feel and dream. I\u2019m a sucker for powerful character-driven stories. Give me wonderful characters and treat them right.<\/p>\n

10. If you had just one piece of advice for editors thinking about putting together a short story collection, what would it be?<\/p>\n

Turning in the manuscript shouldn\u2019t be the end of your work. If your name is on the cover, tell everyone about the book, promote it, be passionate about the work. Take pride in what you\u2019ve done and let that show.<\/p>\n

Thank you Russell!<\/p>\n

Just one thought, Zena… You ask about the easiest, hardest and most emotional aspects of editing… what about the “best”? Mind if I write an answer to that, too?<\/em><\/p>\n

*Rolls eyes* Why not? Go for it Russell… What\u2019s the best part?<\/p>\n

Working with writers, editors, artists, all manner of creatively driven folk. There are moments where it can feel like herding cats, but it is worth it to get so many magical glimpses of strange and fantastic worlds. I’m incredibly lucky to be able to work with so many talented people. That these crazy creative people let me share their visions regularly feels me with awe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Second best is being able to spend a chunk of my time talking about books. I love books and reading, the whole experience, and it’s great to be able to share this passion.<\/em><\/p>\n

Exactly right, Russell \u2013 it’s all about books and reading and passion \u2013 which is why starting your small press was<\/em> absolutely the best decision!! Thank you for sharing with us \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the second post in my series on short story editors. Recently an editor-friend of mine shared his editorial selection process on Facebook. Watching it was difficult at first because I hadn’t realised how emotionally draining the process of putting together a short story collection can be for editors\u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[545,566,567,568,569,653],"class_list":["post-6136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writer-advice","tag-russell-b-farr","tag-short-stories","tag-short-story","tag-short-story-anthology","tag-short-story-collections","tag-ticonderoga"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6136"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8559,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6136\/revisions\/8559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}