Most writers dread the editing process--because most editors are never taught how to do it well. How to Edit and Be Edited is the first book to cover this vitally important aspect of writing, The purpose of editing is to make the work as good as it can possibly be, so editing is about inspiring and energizing the writer as well as critiquing the material. In this concise guide, Huston shares techniques that energize and inspire the writer, clarify problems, and foster a strong working relationship. She focuses on the two basic rules of editing: 1) Praise, and 2) Ask questions. An editor and film development executive for over 30 years, Allegra Huston has worked with writers including two Nobel Prize winners, three Booker Prize winners, and Jane Goodall. As the author of the bestselling and highly praised memoir Love Child and the novel A Stolen Summer , as well as numerous screenplays and magazine articles, she has also worked with editors and development executives across the spectrum. " How to Edit and Be Edited is a book I would give to every editor. There is no formal training for editors--experience and example are their only guides, until now. It is a book every publishing house should press into the hands of their young editors as they set out on learning a skill that involves such subtlety, empathy, strength and understanding. It will swiftly become an indispensable handbook for editors everywhere." -- Alexandra Pringle, Editor-in-Chief, Bloomsbury Publishing "As a first-time author with a major publishing house, I feared the editing process would be a cross between a tax audit and exploratory surgery. Fortune smiled upon me when my manuscript was edited by Allegra Huston, for it became an inspirational conversation between a novice and a consummate professional with decades of experience as an editor and, more importantly, as a writer herself. What The Elements of Style is for writers, this slim, information-packed volume will be for editors in all creative fields." -- Brian Keating, author of Losing the Nobel Prize and Professor of Cosmology at the University of California, San Diego "Bursting with outstanding insights and fresh ideas . . . Should be required reading for all writers and editors, as well as all creative writing teachers and students." -- Kate Christensen, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novelist and former teacher at Iowa Writers Workshop "I've taught for years, but the lessons in How to Edit and Be Edited are still very useful for those of us who teach or edit a lot, as well as for those who are new to the game. It is also an indispensable tool for students in terms of learning how to respond to fellow writers in a workshop setting. This is a very valuable book." -- Sue William Silverman, novelist and memoirist, faculty member at Vermont College of Fine Arts "Deft, clear and charming, without a wasted word. The series, which might as well be subtitled 'things writers are too embarrassed to ask about, ' promises to immediately fill a tremendous need in the lives of those of who still live and die by the book." -- Jonathan Lethem, NYT bestselling novelist and Roy E. Disney '51 Chair in Creative Writing at Pomona College Allegra Huston has published two highly acclaimed books: Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found, and the novel A Stolen Summer. She is also the author of "Forgiveness Through Writing," a course available at DailyOm, and numerous magazine articles and screenplays. For over 30 years she has worked as an editor for major publishing houses in London and New York, including six years as Editorial Director of Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London. Authors she has worked with include two Nobel Prize winners, three Booker Prize winners, Sir James Goldsmith, and Jane Goodall. Allegra wrote and produced the award-winning short film Good Luck, Mr. Gorski, and spent two years as development consultant for the British film company Pathé. She has conducted creative writing workshops for the University of Oklahoma, the National University of Ireland, Galway, the Taos Writers Conference, and the UK's Arvon Foundation, and now teaches a yearly five-day course on memoir writing. She holds a First Class Honours degree in English Language and Literature from Hertford College, Oxford. Please visit allegrahuston.com. "I've experienced the editing process from both sides, and those experiences have ranged from thrilling to devastating. I've learned for myself what works and what doesn't. Following these simple principles will save both you and the writer a lot of upset, confusion, and miscommunication."