The Accidental Life ― An Editor's Notes on Writing and Writers

From the legendary editor, journalist, and publishing entrepreneur: a memoir about writers, writing, editing--and the fast-paced, high-stakes life in the publishing business.

Over the last four decades, Terry McDonell has been at the helm of some of the most influential beacons of American journalism: from his early days atOutside through tenures at Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Esquire, Sports Illustrated,and, most recently, as cofounder of LitHub. Now he tells us what really happens between editors and writers--behind the scenes and between the lines--with deadlines ticking. Here are intimate portraits of the most important (and most eccentric) journalists, novelists, and media personalities: from Hunter S. Thompson and George Plimpton to Richard Ford and James Salter; from David Carr and Steve Jobs to Jimmy Buffett and one remarkableSports Illustrated swimsuit model. And here is an insider's unimpeachable advice on how to get, and keep, the best writers; what makes a great lede and headline; how to style a cover that flies off newsstands (whether or not there's a celebrity on it); how to build the online traffic that translates into dollars; and how--in whatever format--a good editor really works. From the storied past to today's tumultuous media landscape, this is an incisive, galvanizing account of the pressures, joys, and obsessions of a writing and editing life.

TERRY McDONELL is an award-winning veteran of the publishing industry. He has editedSports Illustrated, Esquire, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and Outside, among others, and was a leader of the migration to digital media. He is widely published as a journalist, novelist, and poet, as well as writing and producing for film and television. His magazines and websites have won seven Ellie awards (presented by the American Soceity of Magazine Editors), and he was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame in 2012. McDonell is president of the board ofThe Paris Review and serves on the board of overseers of the Columbia Journalism Review.