BOOK EDITORS TALK TO WRITERS by...

BOOK EDITORS TALK TO WRITERS by Judy Mandell (John Wiley & Sons: $12.95; 221 pp., paperback original) and KIRSCH’S HANDBOOK OF PUBLISHING LAW: For Authors, Publishers, Editors and Agents by Jonathan Kirsch (Acrobat Books: $21.95; 276 pp., paperback original). Judy Mandell presents a series of interviews with editors at major publishers (Doubleday, Random House, Simon & Schuster) and smaller, more specialized houses (Running Press, Mustang Publishing). Her subjects agree that an aspiring writer should choose a potential publisher carefully, and submit a brief but interesting book proposal, free of typos and hyperbole. A practicing attorney specializing in intellectual property matters, Jonathan Kirsch leads the reader through the maze of publishing law--copyrights, fair usage, libel, rights, work-for-hire, rollover clauses, etc. Both books offer valuable information for novices hoping for a first book deal, and experienced writers searching for better treatment.