Senior editor Marissa Shalfi pores over every word of every book we publish, making sure they’re ready for the world. We spoke with her about her favourite projects and the importance of simple writing, strong voices and a bit of white noise.

What drew you to editing originally, and what was your background before you joined Hyphen? 

I studied TV journalism and started out in documentary and morning news before landing a role at HarperCollins in New York. I’d always been drawn to words, so it didn’t take long to realise that I enjoyed books more than broadcast. I went on to work as an editor across magazines and a few companies before circling back to books at Hyphen.

Which part of the editorial process do you enjoy most, and what do you find the most challenging? 

I like the beginning, when a book is new and we’re figuring out what the story and tone should be. I also love seeing the words laid out for the first time.

The most challenging part is staying focused after I’ve read a book many times.

What’s your biggest editorial pet peeve?

I dislike when writers lean on complex words and sentence structures to try to show off. It’s inconsiderate to the reader. I’m a fan of conveying ideas simply and clearly – brevity is wit! And brevity takes more skill than flowery language. Luckily, this isn’t a problem with our writers at Hyphen.

How do you maintain focus during a whole book edit?

I plan my days so I’m not editing any one project for more than a few hours at a stretch, because vigilance starts to slip. White noise in my headphones also helps, somehow. And caffeine.

From an editorial perspective, what makes a good story?

Conflict. From a Hyphen perspective, it can’t just be that a company or school moved from strength to strength. That’s not authentic or interesting. I like to see growth, evolution, hardship and how it’s dealt with. And the other thing that’s important is a strong voice – that’s true for all types of stories. That’s why we place such an emphasis on the interview process before writing begins. When personalities come through and you get those small moments that are funny or unexpected, that’s what brings a story to life.

When personalities come through and you get those small moments that are funny or unexpected, that’s what brings a story to life.

What have been some of your favourite projects?

I don’t pick favourites, but a few stand out. Still Driven: The Penrite Oil Story comes to mind – two families building something iconic from humble beginnings, starting with a wheelbarrow and a stove. It has a lot of detail that fans connect with; the racing history, the look and feel of it. BHP: Building What’s Next was a memorable one too, a collection of stories about the people behind a very large company. I learned a lot working on Thiess: Pioneering Tomorrow, a big book with a lot of history that kept evolving as we developed it.  And I’m really enjoying a new book currently in production about Melbourne High School.