What a fun job I have, getting to walk writers just like you through the process of becoming authors.
It’s something I’ve been doing for 20 years. Yep, I was just 23 years old when I walked through the doors at the Hearst Book Group to interview for the Editorial Assistant position I eventually accepted.
From there I moved over to HarperCollins as an Assistant Editor; then I got my full editorial wings as an Editor at Plume, a division of the Penguin USA Group; later I went to Hyperion Books as a Senior Editor; and finally I found my way into the world of personal growth and spirituality books as the VP, Editorial Director of Sounds True in Boulder, CO.
But no matter where I was working, I was always working with authors. Helping them strengthen their book’s structure, organize their thoughts, develop a selling pitch for the book, polish their words, write cover copy, choose an epic title…all the things editors do.
Because one of the secrets of the book world is that successful authors do not work alone. Behind every good author is a great editor.
Today I want to share with you why you need an editor, what an editor can do for you at the Polishing stage of your journey, and how to find a good one. You’ll get all the details via this interview I did a little while back.
You’ll find out:
- How to know if you’re ready for an editor
- The warning signs you should watch out for when hiring an editor
- What you as the author can do to make the editing process easier
- The role of the in-house editor at a publishing company
- The surprising number of edits a traditionally published book will get
The interview is only 28 minutes long, but it’s absolutely packed with information you need to understand if you’re considering working with an editor. Enjoy!
Love + Books,
Kelly
