The first thing we thought when we read that Denise Roy of Simon & Schuster called her area of focus “Adventures in America” was that she was interested in everything. It is a pleasure to be right about these things. Roy looks for fun, different angles on the American experience, especially from a historical perspective. To our mind, Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America’s First Lady of Food fits the bill exactly. We, the people, need to know what’s behind the Betty story.
But enough about us. Denise Roy is proud to call herself an old-fashioned editor. She thinks details are fun. So do we. Without details, we’d have to do stuff like look at the big picture. In return for her hands-on editing approach, she prefers authors and agents who do their homework.
I like agents and writers who’ve done their research. Nothing makes me more frustrated than receiving submissions like a medical guide or a genre mystery; those are not categories that I work in. If people have looked into what I’ve published and can present a good answer to the perennial question why this book, then I’m always willing to read it and talk about. It doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to sign it up, but that’s definitely the way in the door.
- From the Editors @ Simon & Schuster: Denise Roy – For this editor of “Adventures in Americana,” the devil is in the details (Note: Subscription required.)
