with  Jesse Steele

It's somewhat difficult to write an introduction for someone with the accomplishments of Renni Browne without resorting to cliche.  "She wrote the book on editing":  she certainly did, but that barely scratches the surface of her accomplishments over nearly fifty years of editing.  To call Renni an expert in this era of instant internet expertise seems trite, so you'll have to read her bio yourself and find out for yourself why we're so proud to be part of The Editorial Department, which she founded in 1980.

JS: This is a huge question, but how has the experience of founding and running this company been for you?RDB: I'd have to say exciting and fulfilling. I've never been bored, not for one minute. Every book is different, every author is different, every page is different. When I left mainstream publishing there was such a need for what we do. Books needed editing just as much as ever, but that wasn't happening at anything like the extent when I entered publishing in the 60's. It was so exciting to see the TED idea slowly catch on.

 

by Jesse Steele

Anyone who reads or who has pre-teen kids in the US is likely quite familiar with Stephenie Meyer by now. I read her Twilight series earlier this year on the recommendation of my friend’s twelve-year-old daughter, so when The Host came out, my friend asked me to read it before her daughter did to gauge it's appropriateness since it's Meyer’s first book for adults.

I was excited to read The Host out of plain old curiosity. Could a writer so well known for her very specific, pre-teen friendly urban fantasy style really pull off a grown-up book? Science Fiction, no less? Could she drop the adolescent angst and romantic dramatics that made her Twilight series so successful and write multi-faceted adult characters?

Fiction Contest Finalist: Taylor Brown - 2009 Montana Prize in Fiction

Taylor Brown, a TED client and very promising young novelist and short story writer, is now one of four finalists for the 2009 Montana Prize in Fiction for his short story “Rider”.

By Jesse Steele

It is an astonishing fact that many experienced as well as inexperienced writers with whom I have worked have not given much thought to what the reader is experiencing in each scene of a novel. Perhaps it is because courtesy—considering the experience of the reader—is often ignored in dry schooling, where literature is examined for structure and technique more than effect. Consider also that many newcomers to writing want to get something off their chests, which leads them to imagine the audience as passive receptors rather than active enjoyers of a heightened experience fashioned for them by the writer.

~ Sol Stein, How to Grow a Novel, Chapter 1: The Responsibilities of the Writer