What Kind of Editor Will I Get?
A real person
I am not going to tear your work apart! Although it might feel like it. But it's more like Spring cleaning when you pull everything out of the closets to examine how it fits in your life, what needs to be cleaned and what needs to be tossed. It sure looks like an insurmountable mess at first but that mountain quickly turns to mounds of dirt, easily brushed away. My job is to take the raw material that is your writing and highlight areas where you would benefit from improvement. I also make sure to indicate what’s working great. It’s just as valuable to know what you’re doing right.
Communication
It can be difficult receiving criticism on your work. (You can read here about emotionally preparing for feedback)
Being in writing, editing, and the literary field in general means you need to come with thick skin, or quickly develop it. As an editor, I must also be thick skinned to take your criticisms about my editing on your work. You may or may not have criticisms but it serves neither you or me if we can’t have an open dialogue. I want my clients to feel safe discussing their concerns with me. This way we can seek solutions to improving our working relationship. The editing process is a discussion.
I'm not perfect
I am a skilled and experienced editor but that does not mean I’m perfect. I may misunderstand your goals for your project, I may make incorrect assumptions about your experience or future writing plans, I may, accidentally, without realizing it, misspell your name. (Okay, that last one really did happen and I appreciated my client being quick to point it out to me.) It’s hard work but worth it. I have been so lucky that all my clients have been wonderful, hardworking, amenable people and writers. They are earnest in their desire to improve their work. And they always do! I can’t tell you how pleased it makes me to see the writing step up and up.
We're on the same team
The basic goal of storytelling is the same; you want your reader to love it. You and I are on the same team with the same goal--make your book better. Make it great. Improve it by leaps and bounds. My feedback is designed to provide opportunities for improvement. To enliven you with a sense of motivation and excitement to make those changes.
Discussing clients on social media
I spend a fair amount of time on my twitter. I never tweet or otherwise talk about clients work without their permission. Any time you see me talk about a client or their work I have discussed it with them beforehand. I treat my clients and their work as though I’ve signed an NDA. I will not share your work or post it anywhere without first discussing it with you and receiving your permission. No successful relationship happens without trust and boundaries. (Also, I do sign NDAs upon request.)
Transparency
All editors who work for me abide by the same principles. If another editor besides me will be working on your writing, that is discussed beforehand and you’ll meet with them (in email, skype, or any other messaging app).
A little bit frightening
The amount of time, energy, and money you’re putting into your writing can be scary and be a gamble. Even though I hope to increase your confidence in the process and openness to trusting me as your editor, you’ll likely still have a bit of anxiety. That’s normal. But I’m happy you hired me and I’m looking forward to working with you.