Posted on Apr 1, 2015

By Meredith Tillery

Photo by Colton Brown

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Northwest University’s English Department hosted its second annual Publishing Panel Tuesday afternoon with a panel of distinguished authors, Dr. Wayde Goodall, Dr. Jeremy Delamarter and NU Alum Erika Mitchell.

The panel shared their personal experiences from their professional writing careers. They discussed the specifics of each author’s genre, told stories of their first publications, and gave advice on dealing with the editing process.

Delamarter, an author of scholarly articles, talked about his experience of “rejection, rejection, rejection” in his first publication. “I had to learn to let go of the things that were sacred to me,” he said.

All three panelists stressed the value of an editor and the revision process. “I learned that my editor was my best friend,” said Dr. Goodall, referencing the many times he felt discouraged by the edits and feedback from editors.

The writers emphasized that a publisher’s job is to make a profit. “If it sticks out to an editor, it’s going to stick out to a reader,” said Mitchell, an author of espionage thrillers. They advised that the publishing process is about learning to trust your editor.

Delamarter said that once he was able to get over himself, he learned that what his editor suggests is generally good advice. “It’s crisper and cleaner,” he said.

A question and answer forum was led by NU English major, Siobhon McManus, followed by a question-and-answer session with panel attendees.