It was with great pleasure that I learned Friday that experienced Science Fiction and Military Fiction Editor Michael Shohl will be working with me on the "Man of War" books. Michael has worked for several major publishers and is now freelance. Not only has he worked with David Brin and Kim Stanley Robinson, he also edited at least one (maybe more, I'm not sure) of Joe Buff's submarine novels (which I really like). The parallels between my work and submarine books are obvious, so someone who has submarine book experience is certain a welcome member of the team.
From my research, it appears that this guy is a real professional and is highly respected in the business. It is flattering that the publisher would seek someone of this stature to work with a totally green author such as myself and even more flattering that he would consent (after having looked at some excerpts) to work with me.
Of course, we may hate each other's guts before we're done, but I'm optimistic about this. I expected to be assigned to a bright and capable but inexperienced person, as befitting my relatively low status in the industry.
Of course, this could very well be a reverse compliment--on the order of, "boy, have you seen this guy's stuff; we need a really GOOD editor to get this crap into shape!" I know this happens in other contexts because that's exactly what we did at the Louisiana Law Review. The worst articles got assigned to the best editors.
I'm speculating based on the absence of evidence. I've never done this before. I don't really know how it works. I'm looking forward to the process and am confident that the product will be excellent. I hope you agree.
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