Introduction to Acquisition Editing

This comprehensive overview provides a window into the day-to-day responsibilities of an acquisitions editor, a role key to the architecture of every publishing program. You will learn about assessing a manuscript's potential; calculating profit-and-loss statements; championing projects to the editorial board; negotiating publishing agreements with authors and literary agents; shaping manuscripts into books; ushering books through the production process; and working with sales, marketing, and publicity teams to boost unit sales pre- and post-publication. You will practice evaluating book proposals, novel synopses, and manuscripts; addressing common points of negotiation; and reviewing agreements. Although largely focused on trade publishing, the curriculum delivers practical skills and knowledge useful to acquisitions work at university presses, associations, and educational publishers.