Dancing with Your Editor Ten Tips to Tango (Not Tangle!)-Vie Herlocker

Hi friends! Today, Vie Herlocker is sharing a writing related post, Dancing with Your Editor-Ten Tips to Tango (Not Tangle!). Everyone, say hello to Vie!

Author Bio:
Vie Herlocker is the associate editor for Surry Living Magazine in Mt. Airy, NC. She also offers freelance editing services on a limited basis. Her experience includes a ten-year stint as editor for a Christian, small traditional publisher in Galax, VA, and six years as a book reviewer for Blue Ink Reviews. She is a member of the Christian Editor Connection, Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network, ACFW, and WordWeavers.


Here's Vie!

Whether you are hiring a freelance editor or working with one from a traditional publishing house, these tips may help you navigate the dance floor.

1. Expect Professionalism from Each Other
The editor you hire should be familiar with your genre and with the industry standard reference materials. As a book author, you also need to be familiar with these references:
• Chicago Manual of Style (for books and most general audience magazines)
• Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary (for CMOS style)
• Christian Writers Manual of Style, by Robert Hudson
A freelance editor should provide you with a contract or an agreement that covers type of editing, costs, and time frame.

2. Communicate with Open Hands and Hearts
Editors offer corrections and advice based on their experience and training. The writer then accepts or rejects the advice. Rather than immediately reacting, receive the advice with open hands and heart. Pray about any advice that doesn’t sit well with you. Wait a day and look back at the advice—and pray again. If you are still uncomfortable with the advice, talk with your editor and come to a mutual agreement. Remember you are a team with the goal of making your book its best.

3. Impress by Mastering Your Craft
An editor helps polish your manuscript, but a serious writer is a life-long learner. Attend conferences, join a critique group, read books and magazines on writing, or take a class. Join professional organizations like American Christian Fiction Writers and/or WordWeavers.
Don’t send your work to an editor too soon! Do your best self-editing first. And, if you are hiring a freelance editor, the cleaner your work, the less the edit will cost.

4. Understand the Types of Editing Services
The terms describing different types of editing services can be confusing and are often used interchangeably from one editor to another. The descriptions below will provide a general idea, however. Most editors offer a sample edit to determine the type your manuscript needs. This sample will also let you see if the editor’s style and expertise match your needs.
• Content, Substantive, or Developmental Editing: Corrects errors in transitions, style, organization, and checks for the story elements in fiction. Provides suggestions for rewriting problem passages and for improving the overall flow and readability. This level may also address some copyedit issues, but a copyedit usually follows this deep editing level.
• Copyediting: Identifies and corrects errors in punctuation, word usage, grammar, and spelling. Checks sentence structure and clarity, reading level, redundancies, inconsistencies.
• Proofreading: Proofreading requires a skillset different from that of editing. Proofreading is the last step before publication.

5. Know the Legalities (Copyright, Fair Use)
It is the responsibility of the author to ensure that his writing is free from copyright infringement. The editor is not responsible for content created by the writer. It is also the writer’s responsibility—not the editors or the publishers—to obtain permissions when needed.
“Understanding Fair Use,” by John Savage, Esq., is an excellent overview of copyright and fair use. You can also go straight to the source, the US Copyright Office, for information.

6. Do your Research and Referencing
A good editor watches for questionable items and alerts the writer, but the writer is responsible for accurately researching and referencing content. There are several styles for referencing sources, depending on your book’s genre and audience. Your editor can guide you to the correct style and help with formatting.

7. Expect Excellence Instead of Perfection
Oh, if perfection were possible this side of heaven! You and your editor should strive for excellence, but do not expect perfection. Even books published by large publishing houses that use multiple levels of editing and proofreading will have an error here and there. Hiring a proofreader before the book is published (if self-publishing) will move your book closer to perfection.

8. Master Microsoft Office, including Track Changes and Spell Check Options
Know the tools of the trade. Track Changes can be scary the first time you see a marked-up document. Don’t wait until the editor returns your edit to learn how to use this critical tool. Erin Wright has an good tutorial on MS WORD Track Changes.

9. Editing and Revising Take Time and Money
A 100,000-word manuscript can take 75–100 hours for the first-round copyedit. The cleanup edit—after writer revisions—requires another 10–20 hours. Full edits take weeks to several months as the editor and writer work back and forth. Remember, a tango is a ballroom dance with long pauses!
So, what’s that going to cost? The Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) shares a chart of typical editorial rates. You can expect to pay between two cents and five cents per word for copyediting, and more for developmental editing. Proofreading is usually less per word. But these are rough figures—and can vary widely depending on the manuscript and editor. Discuss pricing with your editor; many offer payment plans
So where can I find an editor? Ask your writing friends for recommendations. Or, visit the Christian Editor Connection and they’ll match you with several experienced editors for bids.

10. Pray for Each Other Daily. Share Joys! Laugh Together!
Dancing with your editor can be an awesome experience. Relax and enjoy yourself. Laugh at the crazy typos the editor made in the comment balloons—and don’t be hard on yourself when you see edits on your file.
As an editor, I consider each manuscript entrusted to me as a gift from God. I pray for my writers, and nothing encourages me more than knowing they are also praying for me during the edit.

Connect with Vie:

Email: vherlock@yahoo.com


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