Ben Loehnen, Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint, has worked on a number of successful business titles, including Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath,  The Myth of the Rational Market by Justin Fox and What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis.

We asked him about the working relationship between author and editor.  Here are his timely and fascinating insights from his editorial chair.

Q:  Are there any particular attributes you look for in an author when you are considering whether to sign his or her book?

I might be naïve, but I find the emphasis on “platform” misguided, or at least distracting. The primary questions remain: Is he or she adding to a conversation? Will this book be necessary and vital? Is the voice distinct and engaging? People always ask what makes a book work. The answer will always be three things: The book, the book, the book.

Q:  Do you consider whether an author will be a good collaborator in the editorial process, whether he

or she will be open to discussing changes to their work?

Everyone needs an editor, and good writers know that. An editor’s task is twofold: protect the reader and abet the writer. While working on a manuscript, if I get confused or bored, or find that the book evokes curiosity that’s not sated or makes a promise that’s not fulfilled, it’s my job to holler. It’s rare to find a writer who doesn’t want that kind of feedback.

Q:  Has anything changed about what you need from an author as advances get smaller, budgets tighter, and the ability to get books into the stores more difficult?

As much as I believe that great books find the audience they deserve, I will honestly misquote Field of Dreams:If you build it, they will not necessarily come… nor will your publisher be able to muster an audience without your help. Successful publications are not borne of passivity from the author, but of collaboration and hard work.

Q:  What do you look for the author to bring to the table in terms of promoting, speaking, establishing or continuing to build a platform?

Authors should have a sense of their audience, and the ecology of the web has yielded an extraordinary set of tools for doing that. Beyond the din and the chatter, meaningful and dynamic conversations about books are taking place online. Twitter, as one example, provides a mind-boggling view into the appetites, frustrations, and enthusiasms of readers. Authors don’t need to contribute to the conversation, but they would be foolish not to listen in.

Q: If there was one piece of advice you could give everyone who has a publishing deal and is about to start working with his or her editor, what would it be?

Take time. Writing, as Philip Roth told an interviewer recently, is “arduous and un-doable.” He’s right.