I generally begin any developmental edit with a quick read-through intended just to familiarize myself with the story. I make developmental notes for myself as I perform that first read-through, including areas where I’m confused or questions that arise. Sometimes my questions are answered and my confusion cleared up by the time I reach the… Read more Developmental Editing Dos and Don’ts
I’m not going to get into the ins-and-outs of contracts, since I’m not a lawyer and crafting a legally binding contract is best left to a lawyer who has passed the bar in your area and can effectively guide you. Some writers’ and editors’ organizations have templates that you may find useful as a starting… Read more Contract Basics
One of the most common questions I’m asked is how to get clients, so what follows is my basic theory of how not to starve to death as a freelancer. If you have little or no actual developmental editing experience, then doing a few projects in exchange for something like a testimonial or whatever might… Read more Getting Clients as a New(er) Editor
From my inbox: “I’m a little confused about how much line editing is expected during a developmental edit. Are we expected to smooth over all of the tics in the author’s writing that might occur on every page of the manuscript – overuse of dialogue tags, confusing or awkward syntax, overuse of adverbs, etc? I… Read more Ask the Editor: Line Editing During a Developmental Edit
When you’re first learning how to edit, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the learning curve and to wonder when it would be realistic to start charging for your services. The answer is at Stage #3. You don’t know what you don’t know. (Unconscious incompetence) You know you don’t know stuff. (Conscious incompetence) You know… Read more Stages of Learning
If your author-client is interested in trying to have their novel published by a traditional publisher, you may be asked to look at the author’s query letter (also called a pitch letter). Query letters are easy to get wrong, so here are some tips for making sure your author hits the mark. The pitch needs… Read more Query Letter Basics
One way to broaden your marketing reach is to work with other freelancers to mutually market your work. In other words, you can create a more formal relationship than “I’ll send referrals your way if you send referrals mine.” For example, maybe you and a colleague pitch a client a complete editorial package—you’ll do the… Read more Using Partnerships to Expand Your Reach
Reading Like an Editor To sharpen your critical skills, learn to read like an editor does (instead of the way a reader does). When you’re a reader, you enter the author’s world. You willingly suspend your disbelief in order to experience this world. That doesn’t mean you won’t notice if an author has made some… Read more How to Read Like an Editor
Beginning developmental editors sometimes ask me how “awful” books make it onto the New York Times bestseller list, and how can we worry about what makes a story “good” when obviously quality doesn’t matter to readers? How do “bad” books make it through the editorial process? In other words, your existential crisis is common and… Read more Growing Your Developmental Editing Mindset
