What type of stories do you most enjoy editing?
YA Fantasy and science fiction
What other books have you edited?
Paranormal, mystery, modern and historical fiction, short story collections
Do you work for a company or are you a freelance editor?
Freelancer
What book are you most proud of having edited?
Voyageers books 1 and 2 by Kelly Johns, and Moon Tortured by McKenzie Hunter. Also Children of the Noah: The Barren Earth by Evan DeCarlo. Currently working on book 2, City of the Star Gods.
What is the best book you’ve read/edited this year?
Children of the Noah: City of the Star Gods. Evan's writing takes my breath away. He must be the reincarnation of Hemingway.
What does your editing process look like from start to finish?
I start a stylesheet for consistency check and note down peculiar words and spelling, punctuation (dashes, etc.), character's names and features (hair and eye color, etc.). I check with author during the edit for preferences and deviations from style and note in stylesheet.
Then I do a first pass edit with track changes on all balloons and comments. I send the first pass to author to approve changes and answer questions or suggestions in comments. Authors send it back for second pass edit, which usually takes a lot less time. After second pass, I send edits and comments to author who approves and answers comments and send back for a final proofreading of any material the author changed or added.
Are your rates affordable for indie authors?
Yes.
How do you decide your pricing?
I figure out how many words I can edit per hour and how much I want to be paid for that hour and calculate the cost per word.
What do you charge?
I can edit 2,500 words and hour. So if I want to make a decent $20/hr, I charge $.008 per word. If it's just proofreading, I charge less. If it's developmental editing, I charge more.
What are some of the typical mistakes you see writers make?
Using the wrong tense especially was instead of were with if sentences. Using then instead of than, it's instead of its, your instead of you're. Using fragments too often.
What are some things you think writers should look for/be wary of when hiring an editor?
If the editor has typos in their proposal. If they don't guarantee their work. If the editor is unwilling to edit a sample.
What things should a writer have done before contacting an editor?
Check the testimonials and portfolio. Have editor sign an NDA.
What should a writer expect (or not expect) out of an editor?
A writer should not expect an editor to read their mind. Communication is essential. A writer should expect a near perfect manuscript after editing. Even after two edit passes, there can still be minor punctuation errors. A proofreader can catch those.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Write every day. Don't give up.
What is the difference between developmental, substantive and copy editing?
Developmental editing is required if the manuscript is a jumble of disorganized passages with a lot of repetition and no grouping of paragraphs into common themes for chapters. Also, character development, and descriptions are sketchy and may need some ghostwriting. I see substantive editing and developmental editing as synonymous. Copy writing deals mostly with correcting sentence structure, grammar, style, usage, spelling, and punctuation.
What do you think makes a good editor?
Detail consciousness; knowledge of styles, usage, and grammar; a good dictionary and thesaurus; and patience.
What style guide do you use, and why?
Depending on the writing, APA, Chicago, or MLA.
How do you feel about serial commas, and why?
They are necessary to avoid the occasional ambiguous sentence.
What annoys you most about the current publishing industry?
The length of time to get a book published. Also, the high cost.
When you’re not editing what do you like to do?
Write.
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Wonderful and thoughtful advice from a terrific editor and writer. I getting this information and will pass it on!
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