TELL ME MORE: Random House’s Andy Ward on Kelly Corrigan’s New Book
January 8, 2018
In her new Random House book, TELL ME MORE: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say, New York Times bestselling author Kelly Corrigan swings between meditations on life with a preoccupied husband and two mercurial teenage daughters to profound observations on love and loss. Kelly’s editor, Andy Ward, Vice President, Editor in Chief, Random House, was closely involved with the creation of this collection of stories and shares insights into his impressions of Kelly’s voice on the page, their editor/author working relationship, and who will find her new stories most beneficial in this Three Questions for an Editor interview.


(c) Danielle Siess[/caption] Three main keys, I’d say: humor, intelligence, and honesty. (Okay, and a fourth: a rare, instinctive sense of what is interesting in any given scene or moment. Good observers tell good stories.) Kelly knows how to draw a compelling scene, but it’s her honesty – her vulnerability and openness as a narrator, her willingness to portray her life as, at times, something of a mess – that resonates for me. Kelly doesn’t pretend to hold the secret to a happy life. She doesn’t pretend her family is perfect. She doesn’t gloss over her mistakes (see: “It’s Like This”) or her less-becoming impulses (“I Was Wrong”). That kind of honesty keeps the reader from feeling defensive, and maybe encourages them to engage in some introspection of their own. How would you describe the editorial process involved in putting TELL ME MORE together with the author – in terms of shaping the narrative and organizing the flow of the chapters? [caption id="attachment_9125" align="alignleft" width="225"]


Popular Company News
Apply for the PRH Audio Narrator Mentorship Program!
September 5, 2023
Launched in 2021, the Penguin Random House Audio Narrator Mentorship Program is an initiative for actors new to audiobooks, offering them the opportunity to work with…
Summer Intern 2023 Reads
August 7, 2023
It’s no surprise that the interns at Penguin Random House are readers, and this time a couple of our interns share their favorite summer reads. Just…
Delacorte Press to Publish New Holly Jackson Thriller THE REAPPEARANCE OF RACHEL PRICE
August 24, 2023
Yesterday, Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, announced that it will publish THE REAPPEARANCE OF RACHEL PRICE by #1 New York Times bestselling…
Revisit Intern Spotlights
August 7, 2023
In case you missed them, you can check out all of our Intern Spotlights below! Thank you for tuning in thus far. We hope these posts…
Weekend Reads: Summer Mysteries & Thrillers
August 10, 2023
This installment of Weekend Reads is brought to you by Chelsea Kaneshiro, Corporate Communications Intern. When you think of a summer book, what comes to mind?…
Hannah Michell, Author of EXCAVATIONS, on How Reading Changes How She Sees the World
August 5, 2023
Today, we bring you Hannah Michell, author of EXCAVATIONS (One World), a “sharp, impressive debut about corruption among South Korea’s elite” (The Boston Globe, Best New Books…
Weekend Reads: Aliens!
August 17, 2023
Do you have aliens on the brain? They sure do in entertainment and news media! This summer, during a meeting of the House subcommittee on National…
Sounds of Intern Summer 2023
August 7, 2023
Looking for some new music this summer? Our interns have got you covered! The intern cohort shares the songs that have been playing on repeat. Whether…
50 Years of FEAR OF FLYING, the Groundbreaking Publication
August 7, 2023
On December 5, 2023, Berkley will publish a new trade paperback edition of Erica Jong’s groundbreaking debut novel FEAR OF FLYING to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary…