Some books are unintentionally important. For writers, such is the case with The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner.
Ms. Lerner is a long-time editor and literary agent who wrote The Forest for the Trees to help writers “get some perspective on your work, and in gaining that perspective, see the forest for the trees.”
My wife gave me the book because she read it was a helpful way to understand the publishing industry. She couldn’t have been more right, though not in the way she expected.
In the first half of the book, the author placed all writers into one of a few classes. The only complimentary group is The Natural. Unfortunately, according to the author, few writers are Naturals. Most are some combination of feckless, wicked, crazy, and/or self-obsessed.
The emergent thread in the first half of the book is this: editors, agents, and publishers make writers palatable to the rest of society. Without this cadre of literary professionals, the reading public would be exposed to the demented and self-indulgent whims of those who express themselves—who seek to entertain, enlighten, and inspire—with the written word.
This theme carried into the second half, which, by title, provided an overview of the publishing process. The climax was a pair of chapters called “What Editors Want” and “What Writers Want.” I learned editors want to find new writers to exploit. And that writers should be thankful they can allow themselves to be exploited by editors.
The last two chapters of The Forest for the Trees were afterthoughts, as they did little to support the thesis that editors are superior to authors, and they provided real information. Read these chapters if you want a peek into the operations of a publishing firm (valuable if you plan to, say, launch a publishing firm).
This book was difficult to grade. For example, I give the author’s tone and connection with her audience zero out of five stars. On useful content about the industry, I give three stars because the information is scattered among less meaningful content, or it’s shunted to the back. And on overall importance for writers, I give five stars. Aspiring writers must understand the people who want to extract economic return from their intellectual property. Ms. Lerner made no publishing truth more evident than this: traditionally published authors work for their editors, agents, and publishers. Their works become assets—properties—owned and controlled by someone other than the author.
Ms. Lerner appeared earnest. Her desire to help authors seemed sincere. But her good intentions were tempered by years in the engine room of an industry fueled by desperation.
I finished The Forest for the Trees with a deep appreciation for the challenges faced by traditionally published authors. I developed profound gratitude for the decision to independently publish However Long the Day. Independent publishing has its own set of difficulties: publicity, distribution, legitimacy, and plenty more. But I work for one group of people: my readers.
