2. Where the idea comes from – the editor’s job

Karen Barker Smith, the editor who asked me to
write 'You Wouldn't Want To Be A Victorian
Schoolchild'. On her computer is a page from the
finished book.

 A new project usually begins with a phone call or an email from an editor who works for a publishing company. She (or he) is a commissioning editor – someone who asks (commissions) an author to write a book. This is one of the biggest differences between fiction and non-fiction.

Whereas fiction authors usually come up with their own ideas for books, children’s non-fiction writers are usually asked to write books. This is because many non-fiction books are created just for schools and libraries – not for bookshops. Editors have a good idea what books schools and libraries need, so they look for authors to write them.

The editor describes the new book to me. The description is called a ‘brief’. She tells me what the book is to be called, how many pages it will have, its size (height and width), what age range it’s for, whether there are to be illustrations, photographs or a mixture of both, how many words are needed for each page, whether there is to be a glossary … and the dreaded deadline.

The editor’s brief helps me to imagine what the finished book will look like – a chunky book with hundreds of pages and lots of words and pictures, or a thin book with few words and pictures.