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What goes into editing a book? Ask the editors

Pair of New York publishing figures to discuss books, more at Maria’s Bookshop

Even for the most rabid of readers, the process that turns rough manuscripts into the books that line our shelves is often mysterious.

On Thursday, Maria’s Bookshop aims to pull back the curtain on the murky world of book publishing with “An Evening with the Editors.” The event will feature a discussion with renowned New York editors Clive Priddle and Alane Salierno Mason. The pair will shed light on the editing process, talk about the characteristics that make books successful and discuss some in-the-works projects they are excited about.

The evening, which will be moderated by former Fort Lewis College President Joel Jones, will offer a casual look into the minds of the editors and a rare opportunity for writers groups, authors, editors and readers, said Maria’s owner Andrea Avantaggio.

“It will just be kind of a conversation about what they do,” she said. “It’s a chance for all of us hear that side ... from manuscript to book form, how do they craft that.”

Priddle said he and Mason, who is his wife, will try to break down some of the walls around the publishing process.

“I imagine sometimes that the world of publishing seems like it all exists in the world of New York, and it’s very far away,” he said. “What I hope is that Alane and I can both kind of demystify that as much as possible.”

Priddle is the publisher of PublicAffairs and Nation Books and worked previously for Fourth Estate, a division of HarperCollins. He has acquired or edited books by such illustrious authors as John Kerry, Sebastian Junger and Laura Hillenbrand and won the Tony Godwin award in 2001.

Mason is the vice president and executive editor at W.W. Norton & Company. In her career, she has acquired and edited books such as Stephen Greenblatt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Swerve, Diane Ackerman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir One Hundred Names for Love and Andre Dubus’ gut-wrenching novel House of Sand and Fog.

“Evening with the Editors” was hatched by Avantaggio and W.W. Norton sales rep Meg Sherman. The pair often attend industry book shows, where they get access to book editors who talk about upcoming projects and publishing news. The presentations are really exciting, they said.

“Some of the best books I’ve come across have been because of these shows,” Avantaggio said.

So when they found out that Mason and Priddle were coming to Durango for a vacation, they thought it would be a chance to share a small part of the book show experience with the public.

Mason admitted that sometimes she’s surprised at the level of interest in book publishing, which entails its fair share of not-so-glamorous tasks.

“I guess because editors are traditionally behind the scenes, people are often interested in what goes into it,” she said.

But, she said, she’s looking forward to sharing her list of forthcoming books, including Diane Ackerman’s The Human Age and Pam Houston’s The Ranch.

And while the publishing world may seem a bit impenetrable to aspiring authors, Priddle said getting a great work of writing published is by no means impossible. He described what he looks for in a successful book.

“Fundamentally, I think you are looking for a mixture of originality and brilliance of expression,” Priddle said. “Books that speak to you and have personality. What you look for is something that is just sparkling.”

He said that while the industry is going through major changes with digitization and selling (think Amazon), he is optimistic about its future.

“I do not believe it’s in a terminal state at all,” he said. “What is heartening is the number of people who still really like printed books as objects.”

And Mason said independent bookstores like Maria’s continue to play a crucial role in publishing.

“Independent bookstores are really the heart and soul of publishing,” she said. “I’m looking forward to getting out from behind my desk and being there.”

kklingsporn@durangoherald.com

If you go

An Evening with the Editors will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.



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