(The metamorphosis of a metaphor in poetry)

The Acquisition Editor
(The Gold miner)

The gold miner pans through countless streams
Of consciousness where writers dream,
That somewhere in their organized thoughts
Are stories that will soon be bought.
The gold miner sifts through query letters;
Does the pitch sound any better?
Is the story worth a second look?
Could it add to my pocketbook?
How much refining does it need?
Will it be read by people who read?
Does this fit our front or back list?
Is there a market? Will it be missed?
Shall we get out of the writer’s stream
Where his consciousness is bound to dreams,
And explain that while his words are good,
It does not fit our neighborhood?
Or
As the miner, we see in the pan
The writers words and market plan.
This story fits what could be sold;
These nuggets are not fool’s gold.
 

The Developmental Editor
(The Stringer)

The “stringer” who gets the gold
May be looking at making decisions,
The publisher may address the ‘script
And want some major revisions.
The stringer may not get enough gold,
Or he sees silver interspersed;
The publisher may ask the author
To re-write in another verse.
The stringer may see value
In how the manuscript moves,
But he may ask the talented writer 
To change his point of view.
The stringer sees some golden ideas,
But they’re disorganized and a little reckless.
The developer wants the gold to hang
Like a flawless, and sparkling necklace. 
 

The Substantive Editor
(The Polisher)

The developer sends on to the polisher
The narrative like nuggets of glory.
It’s up to the “polisher” to smooth out the words
To make gold a compelling story.
Does the pacing and the action
Find rhythm in the words?
Will fact checking be needed
So the story’s not absurd?
Will the plot devices be
Too overt or too vague?
Will the gold be spun like rope
Like lovely subplot braids?
Are some characters too weak,
Or are there too many too bold?
This could be the difference between
Selling silver for those who buy gold.
Are there inconsistencies
That just don’t make any sense?
Let’s make this story as good as gold;
Not lead that’s way too dense.
The polisher is the substantive
Editor who asks the questions.
He wants the writer’s work to be gold,
Giving the writer good suggestions.
These are the questions the polisher asks
Before sending the nuggets on,
Next will be more polishing,
Turn this duckling into a swan.
 

The Copy Editor
(Polisher Jr.)

The necklace with the strands of nuggets
Run on with a lots of drama,
But the copyeditor is the polisher
Correcting thoughts with commas.
The copyeditor also polishes
The words that are misspelled,
And clears up any confusion
Where readers stop and dwell.
Sudden shifts in verb tense
From now to suddenly old,
Should be caught by the polisher,
Never settle for fool’s gold.
The copyeditor should always check
Every places where errors hide,
And if there are questions that still linger,
He checks the Chicago Style Guide.
Dangling modifiers hang off the strand
Should be connected and not ignored.
The copyeditor does these things;
These are his daily chores.
But grammar’s not where the polisher stops,
He tries to be diplomatically nice;
The writer thinks his words may shine,
But the polisher has kind advice.
While the polisher fine tunes the words
As the writer’s advocate needs,
The polisher also works for the publisher
As well as the buyer who reads.
In the end it all comes down
To turn exciting words to gold,
But that comes after design and marketing,
When the book’s ready to be sold.     
 

The Managing Editor
(The store manager)

The managing editor is head of the store,
And  oversees those mining for gold.
He reviews the rocks
And manuscript clock;
He tries to guess what’s hot and cold.
He gets progress reports on manuscripts
Like the processing of new gems.
He keeps his eyes
On each gold prize;
He meditates in a state of Zen.
The managing editor oversees the goals
And in touch with those who distribute.
He has sales and ops
Follow retail stops,
And gets marketing to contribute.
He is the one who checks the jewels
Before they finally go out the door.
He keeps up morale
For the guys and gals
Who keep mining for the publishing store.