In a recent New York Times article, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., wrote, "there were creative-writing teachers long before there were creative-writing courses, and they were called and continue to be called editors." And who better to teach writing than a passionate editor with years of experience working with successful writers and discovering new voices? Betsy Lerner is such an editor -- sharp, funny, psychologically astute, and deeply intuitive. In The Forest for the Trees she shares her editorial wisdom and imparts an insider's understanding of the publishing process.

Categorizing writers within personality types -- the natural (who appears to do it effortlessly); the wicked child (with an axe to grind); the flasher (who loves to dazzle) -- she helps readers to better understand their relationship to writing. An award-winning poet and a product of writing workshops herself, Lerner understands the anxieties and concerns of writers who are just getting started.

The Forest for the Trees is filled with anecdotes from Lerner's own experiences working with writers, and with legendary stories about famous authors. An indispensable guide with a unique perspective, it should join the ranks of such classics as Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and Nathalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones. Now all writers can benefit from the wisdom of one of the smartest editors in town.