Deborah G. Plant: The Value of a Good Editor
Deborah G. Plant is an African American Literature and Africana Studies Independent Scholar and literary critic specializing in the life and works of Zora Neale Hurston.
She is author of Of Greed and Glory: In Pursuit of Justice for All (forthcoming winter 2024); editor of Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” (2018), a New York Times Bestseller, by Zora Neale Hurston; and author of Alice Walker: A Woman for Our Times (2017), a philosophical biography. She is also editor of The Inside Light: New Critical Essays on Zora Neale Hurston (2010); and author of Zora Neale Hurston: A Biography of the Spirit (2007) and Every Tub Must Sit On Its Own Bottom: The Philosophy and Politics of Zora Neale Hurston (1995).
She holds a BA from Southern University, an MA from Atlanta University, and MA and Ph. D. degrees in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was instrumental in founding the University of South Florida Department of Africana Studies and chaired the department for five years. Plant resides in Florida.
Deborah G. Plant
In this post, Deborah discusses the process of writing her new book, Of Greed and Glory, her hope for readers, and more!
Name: Deborah G. Plant
Literary agent: The Joy Harris Literary Agency, Inc.
Book title: Of Greed and Glory: In Pursuit of Freedom for All
Publisher: Amistad
Release date: January 9, 2024
Genre/category: Social Science: Political Economy, Political Freedom
Previous titles: (Editor) Barracoon: The Last Black Cargo, by Zora Neale Hurston; The Inside Light: New Critical Essays on Zora Neale Hurston (Author) Alice Walker: A Woman for Our Times; Zora Neale Hurston: A Biography of the Spirit; Every Tub Must Sit on Its Own Bottom: The Philosophy and Politics of Zora Neale Hurston
Elevator pitch: The loophole in the 13th Amendment has allowed slavery to persist in America. The “master-slave” dynamic which drives this anachronistic practice is apparent in the inhumane mass incarceration of American citizens, for instance, as this dynamic permeates all sectors of our society, infecting our economic, political, and social institutions. “We’re all doing time,” and it’s time for us to evolve toward dignity and liberty for all.
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What prompted you to write this book?
My love of freedom, equality, democracy, and personal sovereignty.
A desire to recognize and reclaim the human dignity that conditions of enslavement would corrode and destroy in both the enslaved and the enslaver.
Seeing in contemporary society how the dynamics of America’s Peculiar Institution of Slavery have persisted. Seeing the ways in which the “master-slave” dynamic is at the core of mass incarceration; at the core of domestic, occupational, and state-sanctioned abuse against women; at the core of socio-political injustices against people of color, poor whites, and those historically marginalized; and at the core of corporate exploitation of American workers.
Realizing how I and my family, through the incarceration of my brother, were all enthralled in America’s ongoing practice of chattel slavery.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The idea for this book was extrapolated from a larger book project that was actively initiated around 2020. By March of 2022, it was determined that the theme of the reproduction of slavery in contemporary American society, with my brother’s narrative as a central point of reference, would constitute the content of the manuscript.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I was surprised, unhappily, by the use of computer software programs in the editing and organizing of my manuscript. There was some glitch or error or mistake which resulted in consequences I do not wish to repeat. So now I am wary about my work not being read and processed by a human being.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
With but one exception, prior to my work with editors at HarperCollins-Amistad, editors generally left me to edit myself. Beyond hounding me about deadlines, word count, and what quoted material the publisher would not pay for, I was left to my own wits.
How valuable is a good editor who is in tune with the author and who reads the author’s work in context of other books, films, and the socio-political discourse of the day! This was a happy surprise. With this title, I began with one, then completed with another excellent editor. In completing the manuscript and preparing it for production, I can say that perhaps I have worked with one of the best editors in the business, and that working with her was one of the best experiences that I have ever had as a writer. From beginning to end, the two editors with whom I worked really contributed to the elevation of my writing and facilitated my evolution as a writer and as a human being.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
An activated desire to live life as a free and sovereign human being and American citizen and to help in the emancipation of those yet in bondage.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
To be ever mindful of our power as conscious creators. Worlds are made up of language, words, ideas, thoughts. Through the microcosms we birth in our poems, lyrics, essays, novels, dramas, and screenplays, we can bring forth a just society.
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