--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has been our experience that American…" description: "\"“It has been our experience that American houses insist on very comprehensive editing; that English houses as a rule require little or none and are inc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/jack-mcclelland-71683_books_it-has-been-our-experience-that-american_850014.jpg" --- # It has been our experience that American houses insist on… ![“It has been our experience that American houses insist on very comprehensive editing; that English houses as a rule require little or none and are inclined to go along with the author's script almost without query. The Canadian practice is just what you would expect--a middle-of-the-road course…” quote by Jack McClelland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/jack-mcclelland-71683_books_it-has-been-our-experience-that-american_850014.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/jack-mcclelland-71683_books_it-has-been-our-experience-that-american_850014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/jack-mcclelland-71683_books_it-has-been-our-experience-that-american_850014.jpg) > ““It has been our experience that American houses insist on very comprehensive editing; that English houses as a rule require little or none and are inclined to go along with the author's script almost without query. The Canadian practice is just what you would expect--a middle-of-the-road course. We think the Americans edit too heavily and interfere with the author's rights. We think that the English publishers don't take enough editorial responsibility. Naturally, then, we consider our editing to be just about perfect. There's no doubt about it, we Canadians are a superior breed! (in a letter to author Margaret Laurence, dated May, 1960)”” [Jack McClelland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcclelland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author critiques differing editorial standards across countries, humorously claiming Canadian superiority. **In simple terms:** Different nations edit books differently; Canadians think theirs is best. Key Takeaway Consider cultural biases in publishing practices. Themes editing standards national identity literary criticism humor bias Mood critical light‑hearted analytical Type literary reflective When to use this quote - publishing industry - literary criticism - cross‑cultural communication Key Concepts cultural relativism authorial rights publishing norms Questions to Reflect On - Do editorial standards reflect cultural values? - How can editors balance author rights with quality? A Different Perspective The claim of superiority may overlook valuable practices elsewhere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans Edit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-edit-740369/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) [Consider Editing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consider-editing-740370/) [Editing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/editing/) [Editing English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/editing-english-740372/) [English Publishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-publishers-740371/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letters/) [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“The thing you don't realize, my dear girl, is that I have been forced by the economic realities to start taking publishing very seriously.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcclelland/the-thing-you-don-t-realize-my-dear-girl-is-that-i-have-been-forced/) [Jack McClelland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcclelland/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. 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All that idiots are mentally equipped to recognize are other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dermot-davis/by-their-very-nature-idiots-do-not-have-the-intellectual-capacity-to/) [Dermot Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dermot-davis/) > [One of the things that's great about New York is that it is not a one-industry town. It has education, academia, the service industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/one-of-the-things-that-s-great-about-new-york-is-that-it-is-not-a-one/) [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [When I was doing it, I just thought, 'I'm going to do this because it's fun.' I wasn't writing for a publisher or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/when-i-was-doing-it-i-just-thought-i-m-going-to-do-this-because-it-s/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) ## More by Jack McClelland > [“The thing you don't realize, my dear girl, is that I have been forced by the economic realities to start taking publishing very seriously.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcclelland/the-thing-you-don-t-realize-my-dear-girl-is-that-i-have-been-forced/) [Jack McClelland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcclelland/) > [“I would not employ an author to referee a Ping-Pong match. By their very nature they are biased and bloody-minded. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It has been our experience that American houses insist on very comprehensive editing; that English houses as a rule require little or none and are inclined to go along with the author's script almost without query. The Canadian practice is just what you would expect--a middle-of-the-road course. We think the Americans edit too heavily and interfere with the author's rights. We think that the English publishers don't take enough editorial responsibility. Naturally, then, we consider our editing to be just about perfect. There's no doubt about it, we Canadians are a superior breed! 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