Questions for the Editor

[KxBurns]

Jennifer Barth, editor of The Believers, will be joining us soon to discuss the book. Please post your questions for her here!

[PiperMurphy]

I have a question about how a book is edited for publishing. Is the version of the book that we read primarily the book that will be published? Will our discussion influence any changes before publishing?

Thanks.

[VictoriousMary]

The characters of the children (adults) are excellent.  My heart goes out to each of them.  You did a great job.  I see myself in all of them.  And I dislike the mother terribly until I read her inner feelings and then I can empathize with her.

Is this really the way a group of people have become?  Are families falling apart like this?  Do mothers not link with their own children and then create a monster of another's child?  It is hard to understand though you paint a picture in words very convincingly.

And then the rabbi and his family.  I know radicals or conservatives to put it more clearly, in my own religion.  I cannot believe they take it to the point of being non Christian or in this case, really missing the point of how it should be.  I just know from my own sense and knowledge of God that it is not as he intended his people to live.

I am only half way through the book and look forward to some kind of bringing together and normalization somewhere. 

What was your purpose in writing this book.  Were you entertaining or trying to send a message?  Are you teaching us about believing or believers in general?

Thank you for sharing your time and talent with us.

[Jennifer_Barth]

The version you are reading is almost but not quite final -- a few typos will have been corrected, some of the language fine-tuned in the final book that comes out in March.

This discussion will not influence the book, although if any readers stumble upon any factual errors or typos, please do let us know, as there is still time to fix before bound books are printed.

[Jennifer_Barth]

An interesting set of questions, but one better suited for the author than for me, I think!

[Jennifer_Barth]

Hi, everyone, this is Jennifer Barth, the editor of Zoe Heller's The Believers. I'm a bit of a Luddite, and so have been bumbling about for the past hour trying to figure out how to start a new post, and have finally settled for replying to the first post in this thread (not sure if I used that term correctly?)

In any case, I'm looking forward to hearing from you and happy to answer any and all questions that come my way. I can't promise to have all the answers, but I can try.

• In the meantime, I have a question for the readers, which is: how many of you have finished the book at this point?

[EbonyAngel]

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Jennifer_Barth wrote:

Hi, everyone, this is Jennifer Barth, the editor of Zoe Heller's The Believers. I'm a bit of a Luddite, and so have been bumbling about for the past hour trying to figure out how to start a new post, and have finally settled for replying to the first post in this thread (not sure if I used that term correctly?)

In any case, I'm looking forward to hearing from you and happy to answer any and all questions that come my way. I can't promise to have all the answers, but I can try.

• In the meantime, I have a question for the readers, which is: how many of you have finished the book at this point?

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I've finished the book already.  I found it to be an easy read, meaning that I was comfortable with the type size and paper quality.

Since I've been in First Look before, I overlooked any typos.

[Everyman]

In the meantime, I have a question for the readers, which is: how many of you have finished the book at this point?

I finished it shortly after it arrived.  I have been re-reading passages and checking back on marked passages as I participate in the discussion. 

[kiakar]

For the editor:

I have finished reading the book also. I found it read quite easy, that is Zoe is a precised writer. With characters displayed openly you could get right into the story.

[MSaff]

Hi Jennifer,

  It is so nice to have you with us.  As to the answer to your question, I finished the book in about 2 days.  The book is wonderful and gives you something to think about.

[IBIS]

Hi Jennifer, when I received my copy, I had to catch a 7-hour British Airways flight to Heathrow...  I read it in coach with their overhead reading lights.

I found that the typeface (I don't know what the family name of it is.... It's a very black, bold typeface with thick and thin serifs and letterforms) very distracting... Is this the typeface that will be used in the final version?

I read it under these lighting conditions, and I found it very difficult to concentrate....  the contrast of thick and thin letterforms kinda "flickered" in the cabin's reading light... that's the best way I can describe it.

I find that best typefaces for reading should be unobtrusive... they shouldn't remind me that I'm reading... I found myself looking at the type, and forcing myself to refocus  everytime I turned a page.

I don't know if other readers have come across this, but I just wanted to let you know.

IBIS 

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KxBurns wrote:
Jennifer Barth, editor of The Believers, will be joining us soon to discuss the book. Please post your questions for her here!

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[debbook]

I have finished the book and have quite enjoyed it. It didn't lag in any spots, very well written and edited! I have read books before that I thought could have been great if only a good editor had been involved, so I can appreciate what you do.

[fordmg]

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Jennifer_Barth wrote:

• In the meantime, I have a question for the readers, which is: how many of you have finished the book at this point?

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I finished the book about a week ago.  I also want to say that I have enjoyed the it a lot. 

MG

[VictoriousMary]

I just finished the book about 15 minutes ago and I must say that I absolutely love the ending. 

Way to go Audrey!  She is finally acting like a real person who has a redeemable quality.  She is now a hero.  I can see her living a life she never lived before, one that is not in her husband's shadow, but one that is truly her own.  She does not have to be bitter anymore. 

I also like the path each of the children has now chosen.  Even Lenny can now become his own person if he so decides.  He just has to continue to take his own steps.

I feel much better about the book now that it is over.

[detailmuse]

Jennifer, I'm wondering how much a book like this will differ from country to country? That is, I suppose that rights to a specific version of the manuscript are sold, and then each holder of the rights (i.e. the publisher in each country) edits the manuscript to a final form. Certainly there are differences in line editing, but might there also be more substantive editing that make the final versions quite different from one another?

P.S. I have not finished the book.

[detailmuse]

I really like the cover design! (visually, that is ... I'm not far enough into the reading to judge it thematically)

I'm wondering: is the cursive writing on the cover an electronic font -- or did someone hand-write it?

Thanks for joining us in this forum!

[Jennifer_Barth]

That is the final typeface (I don't know the name either); I haven't heard from anyone else about the readibility issue and wonder if perhaps it was a matter of the plane lighting? I find it difficult to read with those lights sometimes.

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IBIS wrote:

Hi Jennifer, when I received my copy, I had to catch a 7-hour British Airways flight to Heathrow...  I read it in coach with their overhead reading lights.

I found that the typeface (I don't know what the family name of it is.... It's a very black, bold typeface with thick and thin serifs and letterforms) very distracting... Is this the typeface that will be used in the final version?

I read it under these lighting conditions, and I found it very difficult to concentrate....  the contrast of thick and thin letterforms kinda "flickered" in the cabin's reading light... that's the best way I can describe it.

I find that best typefaces for reading should be unobtrusive... they shouldn't remind me that I'm reading... I found myself looking at the type, and forcing myself to refocus  everytime I turned a page.

I don't know if other readers have come across this, but I just wanted to let you know.

IBIS 

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KxBurns wrote:
Jennifer Barth, editor of The Believers, will be joining us soon to discuss the book. Please post your questions for her here!

---

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[Jennifer_Barth]

It really varies from country to country, but generally speaking, a book published in another language will be translated but not edited -- any substantive changes made to the text would need to be approved by the author.

The British and American editions differ slightly, as the UK edition was published last month and we've had the opportunity to take an additional pass through the pages in the meantime. (Our edition doesn't come out until March.)

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detailmuse wrote:

Jennifer, I'm wondering how much a book like this will differ from country to country? That is, I suppose that rights to a specific version of the manuscript are sold, and then each holder of the rights (i.e. the publisher in each country) edits the manuscript to a final form. Certainly there are differences in line editing, but might there also be more substantive editing that make the final versions quite different from one another?

P.S. I have not finished the book.

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[Jennifer_Barth]

I'm happy to hear that you found the ending satisfying -- it's the trickiest part (by far) of any novel, I think.

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VictoriousMary wrote:

I just finished the book about 15 minutes ago and I must say that I absolutely love the ending. 

Way to go Audrey!  She is finally acting like a real person who has a redeemable quality.  She is now a hero.  I can see her living a life she never lived before, one that is not in her husband's shadow, but one that is truly her own.  She does not have to be bitter anymore. 

I also like the path each of the children has now chosen.  Even Lenny can now become his own person if he so decides.  He just has to continue to take his own steps.

I feel much better about the book now that it is over.

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[Jennifer_Barth]

I believe it is computer-generated but am not certain.

Enjoy the rest of the book!

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detailmuse wrote:

I really like the cover design! (visually, that is ... I'm not far enough into the reading to judge it thematically)

I'm wondering: is the cursive writing on the cover an electronic font -- or did someone hand-write it?

Thanks for joining us in this forum!

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