At Yale University Press, those responsible for remembering every detail of a book, from early manuscript to final product, are the manuscript editors. The staff of the Manuscript Editorial Department reads and edits every title originating in the New Haven office, collaborating with the authors throughout the process.
Editorial work ranges from very light editing on some manuscripts to ghostwriting others.
In 1999, the manuscript editors will edit 153 original manuscripts, some with rush deadlines of less than two weeks. Each manuscript receives individual attention from an in-house editor, a freelance editor, or a team of editors, according to its needs. The person who determines the needs of each book and sets its editing schedule is the managing editor of Yale University Press in New Haven, Meryl Lanning, head of the Manuscript Editorial Department. Endpapers recently had the pleasure of sitting down with her to discuss what a manuscript editor really does, what makes a good manuscript editor, and how a book is produced-from the author's original typescript to the finished book that arrives on bookstore shelves. Here is what she had to say.