Interview with Susan Downs, Editor

An Oklahoma native, SUSAN K DOWNS is a descendant of Land Run pioneers. But life as a minister's wife has taken her far beyond her roots. While living in Texas, Susan frequently traveled to Russia as an adoption coordinator. Though now settled in Canton, Ohio, this mother of five and grandmother will always be an Okie at heart.

Join us as we follow the journey of a manuscript from proposal to publication. First stop. . . the editor!

When you pick up a proposal do you read every word, or is there a specific section of the proposal you look over first?

When I pick up a proposal I typically go straight to the sample chapters. If I like what I see in the first few pages, then I'll turn back to the summary. The synopsis has to be thorough, but I don't even bother if the story doesn't grab me from the beginning. You can typically tell if the author has skill in the first three pages.

Next I check to make sure that what they are writing is a cozy and not a suspense. It must meet the general criteria: crime occurs--offstage--in first or second chapter, several suspects, red herring clues, etc. Authors also need to let me know the mystery's resolution. Some proposals leave that a mystery, even to me!

Also, we make sure the author weaves a romance plot throughout the story, and that the romance has the requisite conflict. There also must be a spiritual theme present, if only subtle.

Is acquiring for an established club different than acquiring for a publisher who releases directly to retail?

Yes and no. I know I've got to buy 36 mystery manuscripts a year, and the requirements for that would be the same if releasing to a book club or directly to retail. However, I also have to view a proposal for one book with an eye for how we can extend that into a series, if possible. We will repackage a certain number of book club selections as 3-in-1s to be released directly to retail.

Those readers who commit to a mystery book club are typically avid mystery readers
and we know that Heartsong Presents readers are generally on the higher end of the age scale. Our book club subscribers are also more conservative than the general reading public, so we try to offer them books that they won't find offensive

Barbour club books release to retail after they go through the book club. Are there advantages to the author when the books take this route?

Some advantages are you've got a longer shelf life for your published book. Well shelf life isn't the word, but longer time frame for availability. Many mass market paperbacks are only on the store shelves for 6-8 weeks.

With Heartsong we have a set number of subscribers, so we know we'll have at least a print run of that base number. For HPRomance, it's roughly 25k. After going through the book club the book releases to retail, so the title is again exposed to the possibility of an entirely new readership. Last of all, if the trilogy of books are chosen and repackaged as a 3-in-1 collection, the author has another shot at increasing his/her numbers. So you are really looking at a 3-pronged publishing approach benefitting both author and publisher.

Do you have to pitch the book to a committee? Or do you have the ULTIMATE control?

The book club selections are made by the managing/acquiring editor (that's ME!). I might discuss it with the senior fiction editor, but the ultimate decision is mine. Feel the POWER? Well, more like the burden. . .if it's a flop

Is it true that an editor can tell whether the writing is good within the first paragraph?

Pretty much. Many novice writers don't start their stories in the right place. Sometimes if you go to chapter two, you'll find the best opening. So unless the writing is just awful, I try to read through at least the first couple of chapters.

This past week, I reviewed a proposal that had a marvelous summary and the author's credentials were good, but the opening was quite passive. The ones that are weak, I usually reject after reviewing for less than 5 min.

This is part 1 of a 2 part series.