The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner (2001, Paperback, Reissue)

This book is a reassuring resource for writers who are interested in but are not totally familiar with the world of publishing. The first half of the book is devoted to some of the types of writers and the unique difficulties associated with writing for them, written from the point of view of an editor who writes herself. The second half of the book is devoted to editing processes. The sympathetic tone of the book makes it fun to read, and the sections on the editorial process are both soothing and very informative. The author could be slightly less self-help oriented (the first half, despite its very sympathetic tone, feels a little like a self-help manual) and the writer includes a great deal of autobiographical material, but on the whole, it is a very comfortable read for writers interested in both their own processes and the editorial process.