“Hope” and “love” were two words tossed around freely during a panel discussion of book editors at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute. Sure, there was mention of “P & L’s” and other earthbound concepts like earning out inflated advances. Yet as moderator Christopher Jackson, Executive Editor of Spiegel & Grau, deftly guided the conversation, the prevailing theme was the importance of passion. The panelists spoke repeatedly of falling in love with a manuscript or a proposal and persuading a tough-minded acquisitions board to publish it. “You just have to believe and be willing to go out on a limb,” said William Morrow’s Executive Editor Laurie Chittenden, who calls book auctions a “legal form of gambling.” (She admitted that she is also a poker player.) [Read more…] about The Real Editorial Opinions!