My guest today is Simon & Schuster senior editor Lara Jones, who also happens to be my editor for The Incredible Kindness of Paper.

Today, we talk about:

* how she became an editor,

* an explanation of Big 5 publisher structure and their imprints (like Atria and Emily Bestler Books, under the umbrella of Simon & Schuster)

* the difference between women's fiction and romance genres,

* what editors look for when acquiring books,

* how she knows when a manuscript is "the One" and worth fighting for,

* behind the scenes of an auction and the making of a can't-say-no book deal

* Deeper dive: The Mechanics of How Book Auctions Work

* the editorial process - how we worked together and what were our favorite parts

* an editor's many hats: in charge of not only editing, but also quarterbacking/coordinating with production, publicity, marketing, sales,

* the process of designing cover art, from conception to author input to sales team feedback,

* behind the scenes of the publisher on book launch day,

and so much more.

You’re invited to my Launch Party + Paper Rose Origami Workshop

In case you missed it, you can RSVP now (it’s free!) for my virtual launch party + origami workshop, where I’ll teach you to make two paper roses inspired by my book. We’ll also talk about the behind-the-scenes of writing The Incredible Kindness of Paper.

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