The Fiction Editor

Library Journal

This breezy little book illuminates the normally private relationship between author and editor. In prose that is opinionated, brash, and forceful, McCormack lays bare the principles he has applied for 30 years as a fiction editor. While admitting the need for sensibility, he denounces seat-of-the-pants editing, substituting instead a systematic method of analyzing stories and repairing their faults before publication. In a conversational and light-hearted tone, he offers insights that will interest not just writers and editors of fiction but also anyone who wants to understand what makes a novel succeed or fail. Perfect for teachers, critics, and general readers as well.-- Michael Edmonds, State Historical Soc. of Wisconsin, Madison