Michael, I just came across this earlier post, which is really helpful. I **love** editing, perhaps even more so than writing. I have edited -- hired by the AUTHORS, not presses -- to copy edit and proofread (not developmental editing) that have been published by Simon & Schuster, St. Martin's Press, Viking, Oxford, and W.W. Norton. I love "cleaning" up writing, which I think goes back to my two years as a paralegal before law school and then in law school and clerking for a judge. It brings my pleasure. I have written books, as you know. I spent 10 years writing about law and technology for Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, and was featured in the WSJ. I went to pretty schools (blah blah), but to some people, that matters. I'm not sure how to leverage the editing part. I'm about to start my sixth book about a civil rights leader, and my heart is already racing with anticipation. I am a TERRIBLE self-promoter. TERRIBLE. I'm trying to think how I can use Substack in this regard. Perhaps offer to edit (free) people's short stories, but most of them are already quite refined. Just to get my name out and for good kharma. It just seems as though these are decent credentials, even if I'm completely unknown, which doesn't bother me at the moment -- at least not enough to tap that aquifer anew. I would appreciate any thoughts / suggestions you might have. Thank you.
Thank you for this. I hired a great development editor at Reedsy in March and used most of her revision suggestions. One of the reasons I chose her was because she'd been an acquisition editor for a couple of the big 5, and she was willing to do follow-up work, give feedback on revised chapters, etc. Now after doing the developmental work I've moved on to line editing, doing it myself to save money, using a couple of craft books. So my first question for you and any editor reading this is, do you have any line editing books you'd recommend? Second question: This editor said she really loved my book. She was super enthusiastic, which of course delighted me. And I really liked her, we talked about lots of stuff beyond editing my book. But I wondered if this was standard practice to be so enthusiastic about a book you've edited and how much weight, if any, to place on it.
Wow - were you reading my mind, Michael? I just sent an email to one of my clients who asked me about editing the book (self-published in 2016) written by the founder of their agency. I have written their customer newsletter for about 2.5 years, and we work exceptionally well together; however, I generally don't edit unless it is built into my ghostwriting projects (and then only developmental). My contact there wanted me to explain the editing process, so I did. It will be quite an eye-opener for her and the founder.
Very important advice, though it's regrettable that the high price basically makes novel writing a rich person's hobby unless they can please the gatekeepers. Hopefully that changes in the near future, just as Substack is changing the potentialities of serialization. (While still remunerating editors sufficiently, of course)
This is great advice. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to let us know what a good editor does and how he works. It was very educational.
Jun 9, 2023·edited Jun 10, 2023Liked by Sincere American Writing
Lots of editors back-slapping in the comments. Thought I'd ask a question from the paying debut author side: how does one editor know how to help craft what a thousand readers want to read, when publishers can't guess that, losing money on most books they bet on?
I'm a member of the EFA (and pretty active in the Chicago chapter). There's so much information on the EFA discussion list about editing. It's been totally worth the cost of being a member.
As a writer and editor, I agree completely. Even though having your own work edited (as you said), stings a bit… I must admit, editors are God's gift to writers.
Appreciate this post Michael, nodded my head the whole way through. I’ve edited and published books, and edited all manner of other materials—and can share it’s much more lucrative to edit marketing materials for example than books. So if you find a good editor, pay them their rate. It’s still a lot lower than what you’d be paying a marketing or tech editor.
Spending a lot of money on editing hurts in the short term, but (if you work with a good editor) you're much more likely to end up with a book you can be proud of for the rest of your life -- and a book that appeals to a wider audience.
Yes. Simply put, yes. Absolutely. I hope new writers take your advice. Recalcitrant writers, listen to this advice. A good editor is one of the best instruments in your professional development. They help you with that 90% perspiration. The 10% inspiration is all yours, and remains sacrosanct.
As both a writer and an editor, I completely endorse everything you've said here. I've seen every one of those examples over the years. Also: "I spent the last five years writing my epic fantasy saga of 200,000 words. I'm self-publishing in two weeks and have purchased ads on Amazon and Facebook that start the day before launch. Can you edit this for me by next week?"
What a fantastic post! It dawned on me that we share a remarkable professional kinship. It's truly delightful to stumble upon a kindred spirit like you amidst the lush expanse of Substack's vibrant community!
Michael, I just came across this earlier post, which is really helpful. I **love** editing, perhaps even more so than writing. I have edited -- hired by the AUTHORS, not presses -- to copy edit and proofread (not developmental editing) that have been published by Simon & Schuster, St. Martin's Press, Viking, Oxford, and W.W. Norton. I love "cleaning" up writing, which I think goes back to my two years as a paralegal before law school and then in law school and clerking for a judge. It brings my pleasure. I have written books, as you know. I spent 10 years writing about law and technology for Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, and was featured in the WSJ. I went to pretty schools (blah blah), but to some people, that matters. I'm not sure how to leverage the editing part. I'm about to start my sixth book about a civil rights leader, and my heart is already racing with anticipation. I am a TERRIBLE self-promoter. TERRIBLE. I'm trying to think how I can use Substack in this regard. Perhaps offer to edit (free) people's short stories, but most of them are already quite refined. Just to get my name out and for good kharma. It just seems as though these are decent credentials, even if I'm completely unknown, which doesn't bother me at the moment -- at least not enough to tap that aquifer anew. I would appreciate any thoughts / suggestions you might have. Thank you.
Thank you for this. I hired a great development editor at Reedsy in March and used most of her revision suggestions. One of the reasons I chose her was because she'd been an acquisition editor for a couple of the big 5, and she was willing to do follow-up work, give feedback on revised chapters, etc. Now after doing the developmental work I've moved on to line editing, doing it myself to save money, using a couple of craft books. So my first question for you and any editor reading this is, do you have any line editing books you'd recommend? Second question: This editor said she really loved my book. She was super enthusiastic, which of course delighted me. And I really liked her, we talked about lots of stuff beyond editing my book. But I wondered if this was standard practice to be so enthusiastic about a book you've edited and how much weight, if any, to place on it.
Wow - were you reading my mind, Michael? I just sent an email to one of my clients who asked me about editing the book (self-published in 2016) written by the founder of their agency. I have written their customer newsletter for about 2.5 years, and we work exceptionally well together; however, I generally don't edit unless it is built into my ghostwriting projects (and then only developmental). My contact there wanted me to explain the editing process, so I did. It will be quite an eye-opener for her and the founder.
Very important advice, though it's regrettable that the high price basically makes novel writing a rich person's hobby unless they can please the gatekeepers. Hopefully that changes in the near future, just as Substack is changing the potentialities of serialization. (While still remunerating editors sufficiently, of course)
This is great advice. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to let us know what a good editor does and how he works. It was very educational.
Lots of editors back-slapping in the comments. Thought I'd ask a question from the paying debut author side: how does one editor know how to help craft what a thousand readers want to read, when publishers can't guess that, losing money on most books they bet on?
I'm a member of the EFA (and pretty active in the Chicago chapter). There's so much information on the EFA discussion list about editing. It's been totally worth the cost of being a member.
As a writer and editor, I agree completely. Even though having your own work edited (as you said), stings a bit… I must admit, editors are God's gift to writers.
https://xpcallahan.substack.com/p/652023
Appreciate this post Michael, nodded my head the whole way through. I’ve edited and published books, and edited all manner of other materials—and can share it’s much more lucrative to edit marketing materials for example than books. So if you find a good editor, pay them their rate. It’s still a lot lower than what you’d be paying a marketing or tech editor.
Spending a lot of money on editing hurts in the short term, but (if you work with a good editor) you're much more likely to end up with a book you can be proud of for the rest of your life -- and a book that appeals to a wider audience.
Yes. Simply put, yes. Absolutely. I hope new writers take your advice. Recalcitrant writers, listen to this advice. A good editor is one of the best instruments in your professional development. They help you with that 90% perspiration. The 10% inspiration is all yours, and remains sacrosanct.
As both a writer and an editor, I completely endorse everything you've said here. I've seen every one of those examples over the years. Also: "I spent the last five years writing my epic fantasy saga of 200,000 words. I'm self-publishing in two weeks and have purchased ads on Amazon and Facebook that start the day before launch. Can you edit this for me by next week?"
What a fantastic post! It dawned on me that we share a remarkable professional kinship. It's truly delightful to stumble upon a kindred spirit like you amidst the lush expanse of Substack's vibrant community!
Could/should a writer assume an editor with previously published titles would help get the work into the hands of a publisher or an agent?