Ep. 118: Editing Literary Fiction with Caroline Zancan (Senior Editor at Henry Holt) + Book Recommendations
Episode description
In Episode 118, Caroline Zancan, Senior Editor at Henry Holt, joins me for another episode in the Genre 101 series — this time with a twist. Caroline answers behind-the-scenes questions about editing literary fiction, as well as a deep dive into the genre itself.
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- How Caroline got into editing: right place, right time, and Craigslist.
- The varying college degrees, the wide range of colleagues’ previous careers, and whether there’s a typical career path to becoming an editor.
- The je ne sais quoi factor and determining if a book is for Henry Holt.
- The entire process of book acquisition at Henry Holt — from determining what books to pursue and bidding on manuscripts to the approval process.
- Caroline’s preference for dealing with an author’s agent.
- The execution of a compatible vision for the editor-author relationship.
- The “right” length for a book and editing big-name authors.
- What the heck is ‘literary fiction’ and why there seems to be a lack of consensus about this question.
- Current trends in the literary fiction world.
Two OLD Books She Loves
- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:33]
- Trust Exercise by Susan Choi | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:25]
Two NEW Books She Loves
- Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:33]
- Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:14]
The Series of Books She DIDN’T Love
One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About
- All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews (August 2, 2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:32]
Last 5-Star Book Caroline Read
- Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:40]
- We Wish You Luck by Caroline Zancan [2:00]
- Happiness by Heather Harpham [2:17]
- The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat [2:21]
- Sleepwalk by Dan Chaon [2:29]
- Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach [2:34]
- On Writing by Stephen King [29:08]
- Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett [40:48]
- I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley [44:58]
- Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley [45:00]
Caroline Zancan is a Senior Editor at Holt, acquiring literary and upmarket fiction and memoir, and the author of We Wish You Luck and Local Girls. She is a graduate of Kenyon College and holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars. Caroline lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their children.