Lilja's Library

by Hans-Ake Lilja

  Last year Stephen King came to the U.K. to promote Lisey’s Story in hardcover. We are building on the increased media attention and public awareness to benefit the mass market edition of the book this year—tailoring promotions to find even more readers, break records and go for Number One.

  Just to give you a flavour, I’ll take today as a day in my life as Stephen King’s British editor. Here is what I am doing, in addition to this interview:

  Today’s work includes sending a finished copy of The Bachman Books to the author and his agents, checking the revised page proofs for the paperback edition of the updated ’Salem’s Lot (with two excellent stories related to the events of Jerusalem’s Lot published in mass market paperback for the first time) which comes out in October, looking at rough artwork of some of the reissued A-formats I briefed earlier in the year, checking final adverts for Blaze by Richard Bachman from Marketing which are going to be up at railway stations in London and Leeds, and I’m pulling out pages from Steve’s new book Duma Key to give to Art so they can consider illustrating them, working on very early draft blurb for Duma Key (see below), and preparing an agenda for a monthly Stephen King meeting (where a small group of key members from each department gather to look at every aspect of our King publishing past, present and future opportunities).

  Lilja: How long have you been Stephen King’s editor and which of his books have you edited?

  Philippa Pride: I started at Hodder in 1986, became editorial assistant to Stephen King’s editor in 1987 (excellent apprenticeship), progressed to junior editor and then editor—for some twenty years now.

  Obviously, as you will see from the description of the job above, there is more to being a publisher’s editor than going through the script with a pencil, though that is often vital. In the case of an author published by different publishing houses all over the world, he obviously won’t want editors from every country wielding a pencil! Steve has a fantastic editor in the U.S. who does most of the primary work with him, but I am lucky enough to have the kind of relationship with him whereby I can add my early comments to the mix. Thereafter my role is that of organiser and champion.

  I have looked after the British editions of his titles coming in as assistant for hardcover editions of The Dark Half, the uncut edition of The Stand, The Tommyknockers, assisting on Four Past Midnight, Needful Things, Gerald’s Game and becoming editor for both hardcover and mass market editions of the new titles Dolores Claiborne, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Insomnia, Rose Madder, Desperation, Bag of Bones, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Hearts in Atlantis, The Dark Tower V-VII (and new editions of paperbacks I-VII), Cell and Lisey’s Story. Alongside these, I have been editor for the mass market editions of the entire backlist.

  For the mass market paperbacks, we effectively treat the title as a brand new book, producing new jackets, new jacket copy, new prelims and end matter (including adverts and also extracts of new books, for example)—the team working to appeal to an even wider readership, position the books in the marketplace where they can best be seen in appropriate promotions and reinvigorated press coverage.

  It is a joy publishing Stephen King because I am passionate and excited about each and every one of his books.

  Last year was a bumper year with Cell reaching Number One in hardcover, and Lisey’s Story becoming his best-selling title ever in hardcover. Cell was a phenomenal success in mass market, and Lisey’s Story is lined up to be the summer’s sensation.

  Last year we also embarked on a Classic reissue programme, producing six of his titles—The Shining, The Stand, Bag of Bones, Misery, Christine and Carrie—in beautiful B-format livery.

  This year we are producing the titles above and the entire backlist in A-format in the same livery as Cell, with a graphic icon and brand new author lettering. We have stunning new jackets, refreshed copy, prelims and setting for some books, and a programme which will mean that all titles (except the Dark Tower) will be available in this new look by February 2008. We are working with retailers at home and abroad on new opportunities for these ever-popular books.

  We also have an exciting new website, www.stephenking.co.uk, which I have been discussing with my colleague in Marketing—which we shall continue to update throughout this year. I recommend all your fans take a look at what’s coming up—books, audio, King clips, reviews, etc.

  Lilja: Is there a big difference between editing Stephen King, one of the biggest names in the business, and someone unknown?

  Philippa Pride: It’s a privilege to champion a writer whose brand is recognised throughout the world and who happens to be my favourite author ever. He is also the most professional and lovely man in our industry. He is an author whose writing is welcomed by both critics and public alike—ready to lap up the next book.

  With a new author, you have the excitement of watching him or her discover themselves and the business. Yet I always feel there are new boundaries to explore with Steve as well—and his writing proves that point time and again!

  Another distinction is that Stephen King has a huge backlist which continues to sell year in and year out, proving that he is a Classic in our time. We publish some forty titles, many of which we are relaunching this year, as mentioned. This wealth of titles and wide appeal also set him apart from a new writer. Start with any book—and you’re hooked.

  Lilja: How long before the book is published does the editing process start?

  Philippa Pride: On a standard track, manuscripts will arrive with the publishing house twelve months before publication. The publisher needs time to edit and prepare the text, design a jacket, devise a marketing strategy and present the results to the retailers, who need to start making their own buying decisions at least six months before publication. However, there are exceptions, and for a book as important as a new Stephen King, it’s possible to publish on a faster timescale.

  Lilja: Can you take me through the process of what happens from the time you get the word that Stephen has a new book that needs editing to having a finished book?

  Philippa Pride: I’m answering this by describing some of the steps on the book’s journey—some are simultaneous rather than sequential.

  (1) When the book comes in I read it—and oh boy—I just get sooooooo excited when a new Stephen King script comes in. It is one of the most wonderful moments of my career. Then I just read the first page and I know I am going to be transported into another world, and I can just stop everything else I am doing and read the book right through from start to finish.

  (2) Why not let the author know what you feel about the book—it’s a joy to do this when you love it, as I have with each of Stephen King’s new novels. You will be one of the first people to read it and you are reading something so precious. Give the author general feedback on the book. And talk to him/her about their wishes, what’s important to them, their vision for the book. And, in turn, I inform the author and his agents every step of the way about publishing strategy.

  (3) Report to the team—my report will include detailed publishing/business information for planning purposes, as well as what the book is about.

  (4) The book needs to be scheduled—carefully. In the case of Stephen King, considerations are (a) ideally scheduling alongside the U.S. edition in all our markets so that readers in each territory have the chance to read the book at the same time (b) consider what other big titles are coming out from Hodder and other publishers in the U.K.

  (5) The editor is also responsible for giving each book a “birth certificate,” of sorts, i.e. registering it with an international standard book number (a unique ID chip, of sorts).

  (6) Brief the jackets—this means coming up with ideas to the Art department for images and typeface, and giving them relevant pages of the manuscript to illustrate, at least ten months before publication.

  (7) Write an early title information sheet which will include a short synopsis of the book, key selling points, the unique feature/sales point of the book, previous excellent reviews
, an up-to-date biography, format, price, extent.

  (8) Write draft catalogue copy and jacket copy and present it to the author for his input. Occasionally, an author will write copy for the editor to use or fine tune—Stephen King wrote outstanding copy for Blaze by Richard Bachman, which forms the main part of the hardcover blurb. I usually take a new line for the paperbacks—the space is shorter, the casual bookshop browser needs to be grabbed quickly.

  (9) Hardcover. In the case of Stephen King, I get in touch with Stephen King’s American publishers and find out their due dates for revised script, copy-edited script, copy-edited script approved by author, galleys/page proofs, collated galleys/revises, final revises. My colleague in production will then produce a schedule for our edition of the book.

  (9a) I will send the U.S. copy-edited, King-approved script, or typeset galleys, to our British freelance editor to prepare for press, marking up to our own Hodder style. Any queries he raises, I will pass to Scribner who will collate them with their own and forward to the author where appropriate. I will then pass the marked script with prelims for the Hodder edition to our Production department.

  (9b) Our Production department will send out to a typesetter to produce page proofs. I will send these proofs to a freelance proofreader, and to the author, to check for typographical errors and any final inconsistencies. We will then check the final revised page proofs before they go off for printing and binding.

  (10) Stock will come into our warehouse one month before publication, and will be sent out to retailers to fill pre-orders, and to put on sale on publication date.

  (11) I liaise with Marketing on everything they are thinking about to promote the book to the public and in partnership with retailers (this includes all material and copy from in-store [dumpbins] to radio ads and posters). I also liaise with Steve’s excellent publicist—both in bouncing ideas forward and back for publicity opportunities (including highlights for the recent tour) and also making sure that I equip myself with the latest reviews, etc. for putting on future books and marketing material.)

  (12) The mass-market editions. As I have mentioned, I provide a new brief for the jacket, new copy, new prelims, new adverts and end matter, and look for new opportunities with retailers.

  Lilja: How much influence do you have on him? Does he just accept your suggestions or is it a “fight”?

  Philippa Pride: Stephen King is probably the most professional and also personable author anyone could ever be lucky enough to work with. He truly knows about publishing—and as an expert, he helps the publisher to do the best job they can by supporting the publisher he has chosen for his books. The few times he has ever said—so gently—that he isn’t bowled over by, for example, a jacket, we will always willingly change it—why “fight” when there will always be a third and probably much better option which will please both our Sales team and Stephen King; we can have both a happy author and a happy publishing company. At the end of the day, we are publishing his books, and we are batting on the same team.

  In general, with authors and editing notes, I would say that authors are invited by editors only to use those notes, which they themselves consider to be of value (and then the authors often use them as a springboard for changes, rather than following the editor’s exact solutions). The book will always ultimately be only the author’s—because he will choose who or what to respond to.

  I really appreciate feedback from colleagues on blurbs, etc.—it gives me options.

  Lilja: How big of an influence do you have on the finished result compared to the U.S. editor?

  Philippa Pride: The Hodder edition of the book is different from the Scribner edition of the book—as we are tailoring to a different market. We usually have a different jacket, different design. The author understands there have to be local requirements.

  As a rule of thumb, with British authors the U.K. editor is the primary editor. With American authors, the American editor is the primary editor. I add my feedback to the mix, and work closely with the American publisher, to share our copy-editing and proofreading notes in time for them to be sorted in one go.

  I don’t change the U.S. spellings—there is plenty of dialect within the dialogue of Stephen King’s work, and he also uses words which are his own, not found in any dictionary, but fit the context perfectly in a way no existing dictionary word could. However, for the British reader, we do make some small typographical changes.

  Lilja: Has there ever been a thing you wanted him to change that has had a big impact on the book’s general plot, and if so, did he make the change?

  Philippa Pride: I’m of the school that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

  Lilja: So, what’s up next for you when it comes to Stephen King?

  Philippa Pride: This week, we are publishing Blaze by Richard Bachman. It was written in the early 70s, and has been edited and updated by Stephen King. We are producing new editions of the paperbacks The Regulators, The Bachman Books and Thinner alongside it, in our new Stephen King livery, but with distinctive black backgrounds.

  Blaze was lost among Stephen King’s papers and only found last year—what a find. A dream come true for all Bachman fans around the world. A delightful novel reminiscent of Of Mice and Men with the chill of Fargo.

  In July, we are publishing Lisey’s Story in mass-market paperback. We have a stunning new cover on it (in the Cell paperback style), excellent quotes on the cover and prelim pages (‘King is the greatest popular novelist of our day…A consummate and compassionate novel—one of King’s very best.’—Guardian) and an extract from Blaze features in the back, taken from the original pages the author typed on his Olivetti typewriter.

  As I mentioned, we are also producing reissues of the entire backlist in the stunning Cell/Lisey’s Story mass-market livery—see www.stephenking.co.uk

  Film News: In August (as above), we have the tie-in of the film 1408—from Everything’s Eventual—starring Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack. And, we are waiting for news on the films of Cell and The Mist (from Skeleton Crew). The Mist will be directed by Frank Darabont, of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile fame. We’ll do a tie-in of the books, and of the unabridged audio for Cell, read by Campbell Scott.

  We have provisionally scheduled Duma Key, Stephen King’s brand-new book, for January 2008, in hardcover—global publication.

  Lilja: If there is anything new from King , can you tell us something about it?

  Philippa Pride: In an interview with Paris Review, Stephen King says Duma Key is “about a guy named Edgar Freemantle who has an accident and loses an arm. So right away I’m thinking maybe there’s some paranormal symptomatology with missing limbs. I knew that people who lose limbs have phantom sensations long after the accident.”

  The story is about friendship, about the bond between a father and his daughter. And about memory, truth and art. It is also a metaphor for the life and inspiration of a writer, and an exploration of the nature, power and influence of fiction.

  It combines the narrative drive of Cell with some of the fascinating themes of Lisey’s Story, and will appeal to everyone who loved Bag of Bones and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

  Lilja: With that I want to thank Philippa for this very interesting interview.

  ****

  Jae Lee

  Posted: October 5, 2007

  Lilja: Hi Jae. First, let me thank you for doing this interview. I know how hectic your schedule is. For those of us who aren’t that familiar with the world of comics, can you tell me a little about yourself and what you have done before The Dark Tower?

  Jae Lee: I’ve been drawing comics for seventeen years. I started at the age of eighteen with a book called Marvel Comics Presents. I’ve worked on books such as Spiderman, Batman, Uncanny X-Men, The Inhumans, Fantastic Four and my own creation, Hellshock, which I also wrote.

  Lilja: How did you get involved with The Dark Tower comic?

  Jae Lee: Joe Quesada called me out of the blue. I ne
ver thought it would actually happen though. He told me not to get my hopes up too high. There were a lot of variables. The biggest hurdle, of course, was that Stephen would have to approve of me as the artist. If he didn’t like my work, I probably would have quit comics. How would I recover from having missed out on getting a job like that?

  Lilja: How does it work? Do you get a script from Robin that you then illustrate? And how does that script look? Is it a text manuscript, rough drawings or something else?

  Jae Lee: Robin sends me a plot that’s broken down into scenes. I then determine how many pages each scene will be. A standard comic is twenty-two pages. Most of the issues of Gunslinger Born ended up being well over that. Issue one was thirty-one pages and issue seven was thirty-five pages. If some scenes need room to breathe, I ask my editor if I could have some extra pages in that issue to do the story justice. When I do the layouts, sometimes I’ll come up with a visual approach that’s very different from what’s in the plot. If that happens, I trade emails with Robin and Peter with suggestions. It’s a very cool working process where everyone is working together to create the best story possible. Once I finish the art, it’s sent to Peter to script and to Richard for color.

  Lilja: When you send the pencils off to Richard, who colors them? Do you work together on the pencils and coloring or do you strictly keep to your own work?

  Jae Lee: The line art is done by me, and Richard does the colors. When I send Richard the finished black-and-white illustrations, I provide certain notes. Time of day, what the mood should be, etc. Usually just story-specific things. Then Richard works his magic.

  Lilja: Do you get requests from Richard to change things, and if so, what can those changes be?