It was the damnedest manuscript. In some ways it was the hardest job I ever did as editor. In some ways, too, the most rewarding.
This doorstop-thick manuscript was chock-full of valuable information, obviously acquired first-hand, obviously deeply thought through, obviously a gold mine for anyone interested in learning the art of astral projection not merely as an academic exercise but as a practical skill. The only trouble was, it wasn’t all that readable. Author Robert Bruce knew his material inside and out, but writing was not his thing. This was a job for superman! Or at least, super-editor.
The manuscript was titled “Astral Dynamics,” and I wish I could remember how long it was originally, before I began working on it. Crammed full of material as it was, still it was too long for what it said. The art of writing is the art of re-writing, and beginning authors usually have that to learn. The only way to learn it, so far as I know, is either writing, writing, writing, together with a critical eye and the willingness and ability to take endless pains, or a little help from your friends, in this case your friendly neighborhood editor.
Because the material was so valuable, I did for Astral Dynamics what I never did (or had to do) for any other manuscript in 15 years of editing: I thoroughly edited it, pruning at every opportunity, eliminating redundancies, clarifying syntax and meaning, etc - and then I made all those corrections on the computer file, printed out a clean copy, and did the entire process all over again. As I liked to put it, first I had to clean away the shrubbery before I could see where to make deeper, structural changes.
It took days. Day after day I would close my office door, work without interruption on the manuscript, then periodically emerge and make my way to the coffee machine, uttering theatrical groans and complaints that didn’t fool anybody. Despite being hard work, it was absorbing work, and worthwhile. The only thing was, we figured that we’d never recoup the money we’d put into it merely in the editing process. When publication day came around, we printed 5,000 copies, I think, or maybe it was 3,000, and hoped for the best.
That was 1999. Astral Dynamics is still in print, and shows ever sign of remaining so. I once heard from someone who had seen a copy for sale second-hand in Katmandu.
I told Robert, it shows what a good editor can do. But that was just jerking his chain. What it really shows is that when you give the public an authoritative book on a subject of interest, it will make its way.