Dori Harrell

Take Your Copyediting to the Next Level

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Take Your Copyediting to the Next Level

by Dori Harrell

When it comes to fine-tuning a manuscript, there can be as much art involved as science. If you insert a comma before that dependent clause, even though conventional wisdom says no comma is needed before a sentence-ending dependent clause, will it reveal the author’s true intent? That introductory phrase is five words, but a comma might interrupt the intended flow. The semicolon is a perfect between the two independent clauses—but the author has overused them and you’re trying to reduce them.

To top it off, the expectation that you’ll deliver an error-free copyedit is uppermost in your mind, even though almost no editor anywhere, ever, delivers an error-free copyedit.

As you face the fulfilling task of helping an author make his or her work shine, there are concrete steps you can take to improve your copyediting skills and to deliver a higher-quality copyedit.

  1. Read CMoS chapters 5 and 6—again. And again. I know it seems daunting, but the grammar in chapter 5 and the punctuation in chapter 6 will keep you updated in how to apply those elements to storytelling or to a nonfiction persuasive or devotional book.
  2. When you come across a hyphenated noun, unless you know for certain it’s hyphenated, look it up. You’ll be surprised how often you guessed wrong. High-five or high five (as a noun)? Half-truth or half truth? Work-out or workout? Half-circle or half circle?
  3. Look it up … look it up … look it up. Subscribe to the style guides online. The bottom line is, the search tool makes it so easy to run a search that you will likely be more inclined to look up questionable spellings, hyphens, and style elements if you subscribe to the style manuals online. I subscribe to Chicago Manual of Style, Merriam-Webster, and Associated Press Stylebook online. There might be nothing like holding a style manual in your hands, but if you’d really like to deliver a higher-quality copyedit, subscribe to the online versions and use the search functions.
  4. Develop a philosophy for applying commas, probably the most misused punctuation mark ever, that will allow you to insert and delete commas consistently edit after edit. Your philosophy might be different, but it helps to have a comma philosophy—leaving enough flexibility for the art of comma placement where needed—that can be applied to every edit. My simple philosophy is this:
    1. If there’s a rule, use a comma (serial comma, comma before conjunction joining independent clauses, etc.).
    2. Use a comma if one is needed for clarity, such as with restrictive and nonrestrictive elements. 
    3. If a comma isn’t needed, why use it? Don’t litter a manuscript with commas.
  5. Develop a final checklist, and run that checklist before you return the edit. Elements to include on your final checklist:
    1. Double spaces (replace with one space)
    2. Double periods (replace with single period)
    3. Double commas (replace with one comma)
    4. Space before quotation mark (remove space)
    5. Space before em dash (and after) (delete space)
    6. Period or comma outside quotation marks (set period or comma inside quotation mark)
    7. Space before a period (close up space)
    8. Space before a comma (close up space)
    9. Number ranges with hyphens (replace with en dash). A search with ^#- [on a PC] will turn up those hyphens. 

Make your checklist as detailed as needed to ensure you pick up all those pesky elements that get left behind when copyediting.

Author, speaker, and editor Dori Harrell owns Breakout Editing and edits full time. As an editor, she releases multiple books a year. Her client list includes best-selling writers, indie authors, and publishers. She also serves as a managing editor of a Christian press. An award-winning writer, her novel, A Christmas Hallelujah, was released in 2017.

Editors Need a Retreat Too!

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Editors Need a Retreat Too!

by Dori Harrell

Writers often slip away from their real lives to spend time in their imaginary lives—lives that include writing all day in secluded areas, hanging out with other authors, talking about writing and readers and writing and publishing and writing and marketing and writing and editing and writing and reviews and … writing. They call those writers’ retreats, and if you’ve never taken one, I highly recommend heading out for the writing world unknown. It’s not only creative and productive living out your dream life for a few days—I wrote thirteen thousand words at my last writing retreat—it’s fun, refreshing, and revitalizing.

But what about editors? What do we do to promote our imaginary lives of editing uninterrupted and talking about editing and authors and editing and writing and editing and PUGS and editing and italics and editing and style guides and … editing?

To date I’ve never heard of an “editors’ retreat.” But we need one! Not a conference (and by the way, PENCON 2018 was amazing! Can’t wait for PENCON in Nashville!), but a retreat where we edit uninterrupted by other business tasks and then engage with other editors face to face about editing. I’d certainly spend some hard-earned dollars to attend an editors’ retreat.

Until someone (maybe even me?) plans an editors’ retreat, I recommend editors fit in one or two no-technology editing retreats on their own each year. By “no technology,” I mean no internet access and no phone access. I know—it means pulling out your hard copies of The Chicago Manual of Style and The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster. It means finding a place without access to internet or cell phones, because otherwise how will you resist responding to emails and checking Facebook and all the other social media that sucks our attention daily? Unless you can find another editor to tag along with you, you’ll miss out on the face-to-face engagement, but you could spend that engagement time poring over a style manual or developing your skills or writing your own book or …

In the past four years, I’ve taken multiple no-technology editing retreats in serene areas. Without fail, I’ve completed more pages and came away revitalized at the same time. When it comes to such a retreat, to each his own. I’ve set up an office in our motorhome, so my retreats typically take place up in the mountains in Washington state. I live near the foothills of the Cascades, so great retreat locations, with no phone or internet access, are within an hour’s drive.

The key to refreshing yourself when on an editing retreat is to do what you do when taking full breaks (as opposed to mini breaks) from your projects—do something you enjoy but can’t do every day! For me, it’s hiking or biking. I’ll often start editing early in the morning, and by late morning, I’ll have accomplished so much, I can take an hour or two and hike to some nearby falls or ride my bike on a mountain road. I return re-energized and ready for my next editing round. I’ll usually edit well into the evening, but after dark, I sit around a campfire and unwind, enjoying God’s creation.

What might recharge you may be different than what refreshes me. Perhaps you’re more the lodge type? Or the lake type? Or … wherever your editing imagination takes you. So until someone plans an editors’ retreat we can all attend, do yourself a favor and take an editing retreat on your own!

Dori Harrell owns Breakout Editing and edits full time. As an editor, she releases more than twenty-five books a year. Her client list includes best-selling writers, indie authors, and publishers. She also serves as a managing editor of a Christian press. An award-winning writer, she’s published more than a thousand articles, and her first novel, A Christmas Hallelujah, was released in 2017.

Three Tips to Take Your Editing to the Next Level

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Three Tips to Take Your Editing to the Next Level

by Dori Harrell

As editors, we’re always searching for ways to take our editing to the next level, beyond just developing our style-guide skills (though that’s always a focus.) Bottom line, when we return a manuscript (MS) or article, we want it in the best shape possible once it’s been in our hands. As an editor, senior editor, and managing editor of a Christian press, I’ve found these three elements particularly helpful in improving the quality of an edited document.

  1. A final checklist: If you line edit, copyedit, or proofread, develop a final checklist, and don’t send off an edit until you make sure that final list is checked off. It’s usually the last thing an editor does before returning the file, and when followed, it provides a cleaner file that benefits not only the author but the author’s next editor too.

Items to include on a final checklist:

  • A thorough look-over of the MS: Please don’t finish the last edit and then immediately turn the MS in to the author or publisher. Look it over thoroughly first—you are guaranteed to make more corrections during this stage.
  • Close reading: Close read all front matter and back matter. Close read from the beginning of chapter 1 until no errors are found, and then close read pages in the middle and end.
  • Spell-check and grammar-check: These seem like given elements, but no matter how many times this was done during an edit, a final spell- and grammar-check should be run just before sending off the MS.
  • Chapter headings: Using Word’s find box, be sure the chapters are numbered consecutively, and verify that chapter headings match the table of contents.
  • Searchable errors: Run a search for errors, including commas and periods outside quotation marks, spaces around em and en dashes, spaces before periods and commas and hyphens, double spaces, etc. The searchable errors check usually turns up multiple needed corrections.
  1. Learning Word’s advanced search features: Word’s advanced search options locate certain elements in a MS, such as all highlighted elements, terms in small caps, all uses of boldface and/or italics, particular fonts and font sizes, first-line indents, etc. The advanced search options are found in the Find and Replace box, under the Format drop-down menu. Here’s a practical example: To remove boldface from “Bible” (remember, this is just an example), insert Bible in the Find box, then select Format>Font>Bold. In the replace box, insert “Bible,” then select Format>Font>Not Bold. Word will replace the bolded “Bible” with “Bible.” (Word’s wild card search options are also worth learning.) Using these options helps ensure consistency when applying across-the-board edits.
  1. Oversight: Occasionally, pay another editor to review your edits. As an editor for an agency, my copyedits and line edits were reviewed by senior editors, who pointed out elements I missed or needed to improve. Sometimes, this was difficult to hear, as I knew my editing had dramatically improved the MS. But the oversight sharpened my CMOS skills and made me more alert as an editor—and what I learned through the process, I would have paid to learn. Having a skilled editor review your edits will improve the overall quality of your editing and pinpoint skills you may need to develop. When not editing for the agency (of which I’m now a senior editor), I hire an editor to review a few edits a year, to make sure I stay on top of my game.

Dori Harrell owns Breakout Editing and edits full time. As an editor, she releases more than twenty-five books a year. Her client list includes best-selling writers, indie authors, and publishers. She also serves as a senior editor for an editing agency. An award-winning writer, she’s published more than a thousand articles, and her first novel, A Christmas Hallelujah, was released in 2017.

Diversify and Grow to Avoid Feast or Famine

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Diversify and Grow to Avoid Feast or Famine

by Dori Harrell

Making a living as a freelance editor means you need a steady stream of clients to bring in the revenue to support yourself and your family. But we’ve all heard of feast or famine when it comes to freelancing. In fact, those are typically the first words heard when new freelancers say they intend to hang out their shingles: “It’s feast or famine. How will you handle the famine aspect of it?”

When I launched Breakout Editing four years ago, with the goal of editing full time and earning a living at it, my target clientele was indie authors. I reached out to some local authors, which then quickly led to accepting clients from around the nation, to now around the world (I have authors in about a dozen countries). But in order to keep my fingers on the keyboard and checks deposited in the bank, I branched out from total dependence on my target audience, and that has meant when one revenue stream lightened, another started flowing and, by the grace of God, I’ve never faced a famine period.

To diversify your freelance editing business and increase your revenue streams, consider reaching out to:

  • Publishers: More and more publishers are using freelance editors, and when you establish yourself with one publisher, others will be more open to hearing from you. Yes, you usually have to take an editing or proofreading test, but there’s another blog for how to master those (see the Christian PEN blog post “Fill Your Editing Schedule and Improve Your Skills—Edit for Publishers”). I edit for two publishers and a press. The assignments trickle in, providing a great balance to the steady pace of my indie authors.
  • Editing agencies and book packagers: These author resources typically serve indie authors, but some publishers, such as Amazon subsidiaries, use editing agencies, and the agencies or packagers are usually happy to take on editors with exceptional CMOS skills. Many of these sites have “Work for Us” options on their websites. One such company is Girl Friday Productions (GHP). I serve as a senior editor for an agency (not GHP), in which I review already-edited manuscripts for quality control, and this work adds several hundred dollars a month to my income.
  • Bloggers: Blogging remains a major force in today’s publishing world, and editing even a few blog posts a month can add a tidy little sum to your business. I edit for two bloggers, and not only does it increase my income, but I learn some valuable lessons along the way.
  • Universities and colleges: The demand for academic editors is strong, and if you have the skills and style manual knowledge (usually APA, AMA, and MLA) to edit academic works (more power to you!), then educational institutions may welcome your inquiries. (I cry real tears if I’m asked to edit an academic paper.) Many editors approach department deans via email, using one sheets, then follow up with a CV.

Dori Harrell owns Breakout Editing and edits full time. As an editor, she releases more than twenty-five books a year. Her client list includes best-selling writers, indie authors, and publishers. She also serves as a senior editor for an editing agency. An award-winning writer, she’s published more than a thousand articles, and her first novel, A Christmas Hallelujah, was released in 2017.

The Editor’s Rest Stop

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The Editor’s Rest Stop

by Dori Harrell

You work hard for your author. You edit to catch every plot hole, to note lack of characterization, to reduce redundancies, to correct errors—to help your author craft the best story for his or her readers. But when you finish, do you dash off the completed manuscript to the author, or do you give it a rest before looking it over and sending it off?

Writers often hear that one of the best things they can do for their novels and nonfiction is to give them a rest before beginning revisions. I often give authors that advice myself, and I usually recommend a two- or three-week rest period for novels and long nonfiction projects and a week for novellas and short nonfiction. With my own novel writing, I find that rest period essential to my creative process—and to writing better stories for my readers.

I’ve also discovered it ups my editing game too.

Once I finish a manuscript now, whether it’s a content or line edit, copyedit, or proofread, I let the manuscript rest for a day or two (depending on the type of edit) before looking it over and delivering it to the author. I include rest days into my estimated delivery time, and as I approach the end of an edit, I send the author an update, noting the day I expect to complete the editing, the rest period, and the day I’ll look it over and send it. If I’m not quite sure of the day I’ll finish, then I give a close approximation.

While a manuscript reposes quietly in my online cloud, it tends to percolate in my mind. If my thoughts produce changes I want to suggest, I keep track of them in a Notes file. But I don’t open the manuscript again until I’ve had at least an entire day away from it. When possible, I even try to take a day off from editing. When not possible, I move on to a different type of project. For example, if the manuscript I just finished was a content or line edit, I’ll copyedit or proofread.

And it’s magical when I click on the rested-up file again and skim every page. Though I’m not performing an intense edit at this stage, I’m able to zero in on elements in need of correcting, overexplaining that can be deleted, comments I want to expand on for clarity, helpful plot or character revisions, and so forth. I incorporate my rest-period notes, run the manuscript through my final checklist, and zip if off with complete confidence that I’ve done the best job possible.

I now consider that short rest stop as essential to my editing process as I do my writing process. What finishing-up tip do you consider vital to your editing style?

Dori Harrell owns Breakout Editing and edits full time. As an editor, she releases more than twenty-five books annually. Her client list includes indie authors, best-selling writers, and publishers. She also serves as a senior editor for an editing agency. An award-winning writer, she’s published more than a thousand articles. She recently released her first novel, A Christmas Hallelujah.

 

Closing the Sale Starts Before You Meet the Author—Part 2

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Closing the Sale Starts Before You Meet the Author—Part 2

By Dori Harrell

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Closing the sale depends on more than delivering a dynamite sample edit—it begins with forming a relationship with an author before he or she even contacts the editor. An editor forms that early relationship by ensuring his or her online presence reflects editorial professionalism, choosing a tone when communicating with authors, and developing strategies for responding to inquiries (see the full blog post, “Closing the Sale Starts Before You Meet the Author,” which outlines these strategies).

To improve your chances of closing the sale on your initial communication with an author, I recommend engaging the author about his or her project, showcasing your skill and passion, and asking questions that promote dialogue. Here are a couple of sample scenarios:

1. Author’s initial e-mail (for a genre you’ve edited):

Hi, Editor. I’m in need of a content editor for my historical Christian fiction novel. My novel is nearly complete and will be about 80K words, and it’s taken me several years to write. I’m hoping to work with an editor with experience in this genre. Would you be willing to take a look at my manuscript to see if you could help me? I’ve attached my first fifty pages, and here’s a brief blurb. I’m planning to publish independently, and this is my first novel.

Sample response (engage the author, showcase your skill and passion, and ask questions):

Hi, Author. Thank you for your interest in my services—I genuinely appreciate it! And congratulations on nearly finishing your novel. That’s an amazing accomplishment.

I’ve edited several Christian historical novels (and I edit for many authors in the Christian Indie Authors Facebook group), so it’s a genre I’m familiar with. I work with debut indie authors regularly, and I enjoy helping them make their stories read as well as, if not better than, traditionally published novels. I’ve recently edited [these three historical novels already published].

Thank you for including the back-cover blurb—it’s definitely intriguing. Nice job on that.

I’d love to hear more about your publishing timeline and your goals for this book. Is it a stand-alone novel or part of a series?

Thanks for also attaching the first fifty pages. I’d be happy to provide a sample edit. I’ll choose a few pages and edit those so that you can get a feel for my style. And I’d be happy to preview the entire manuscript so that I can best determine how I might be able to help you.

I’m looking forward to chatting with you further about your project.

2. Author’s initial e-mail (for a genre you’re interested in taking on but haven’t edited yet):

Hi, Editor. I’ve written a middle grade novel and saw on your website that you work with middle grade authors. I’d like a content edit, and I’m planning to publish traditionally. Would you be willing to provide a sample edit? Do you have published books in this genre that I could preview? I’m planning to publish traditionally and am seeking an agent.

Sample response (engage the author, showcase your skill and passion, and ask questions—but this time, also talk about what you read):

Hi, Author. Thank you for your interest in my services—I genuinely appreciate it.

I would love to hear more about your book. Do you have a blurb you could send me? And is this a stand-alone book, or will it be part of a series?

I’m an avid reader of middle grade novels and just finished [these three MG books], and I’m an experienced content editor and copyeditor. I recently started reaching out to middle grade authors because I’m hoping to build a middle grade portfolio, and I signed another MG author for a project later this year. In addition, I’ve recently edited [these young adult titles].

I frequently help authors with their query letters to agents, and I include that service as part of my content editing package.

I checked out your website—nicely done, by the way. I’m intrigued by your writing style and what I’ve read about your books so far. I’d love to chat a little more about your project, and I’d be happy to provide you with a sample edit.…

Thank you again for contacting me.

I recommend gearing your responses to your editorial tone. It’s vital to tailor each response to an author’s needs and to highlight how your skills can help an author, while engaging the writer in a dialogue about his or her project and goals. Developing an effective approach to responding to inquiries will encourage authors to be sold on you as their editor before you even deliver the sample edits.

doriharrellDori Harrell owns Breakout Editing and edits full time. As an editor, she releases more than twenty-five books annually. Her client list includes indie authors, best-selling writers, and publishers. She also serves as a senior editor for a major editing agency. An award-winning writer, she’s published more than a thousand articles.

Closing the Sale Starts Before You Meet the Author

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By Dori Harrell

doriharrellsep2016

You’ve hung your Editor for Hire shingle. You’re reaching out to authors through targeted marketing and networking, and word-of-mouth referrals are trickling in. You’re receiving inquiries, some from authors or for projects you’d consider a dream fit for your business—but you’re struggling to close the sale.

Before launching my freelance editing career, I never considered myself a successful salesperson. I’m not pushy or aggressive. I don’t want to talk someone into a service or product the person doesn’t need. And I certainly never considered a career in sales (before editing, I wrote full-time for newspapers and then freelance-wrote)—but now I thrive on the sales aspect of my business and consider my ability to close the sale one my greatest assets as a solopreneur. And I’ve learned that consistently closing sales depends on more than an editor’s ability to deliver a knock-the-author’s-socks-off sample edit.

It depends on the ability to form a relationship with an author—and that starts before a writer even contacts an editor:

  • Pay attention to your online reputation. Ensure the online image of your business (and you personally) is one that promotes editorial professionalism and instills authors with confidence, so that when they approach you, they’re sold on you as their editor long before you provide your sample edits. In this case, when I say “online reputation,” I mean what shows up when you search your name or business name on Google, Bing, Edge, or another browser. And don’t just check the initial page. Review the second and third pages, too. What might you need to change or word differently? A professional online image that defines you as an editor is the first step to closing the sale. Example: For my business, I want an image that portrays passion for helping authors, energy, and success, and if I see something online that doesn’t line up with that, I make changes.
  • Decide on a tone. When corresponding with authors by e-mail, what kind of tone do you want to use? Be deliberate about your tone. Do you want a strictly professional approach, or one that’s more relaxed and casual, or a combo? Example: Early in my business, I adopted an engaging, friendly, and inquisitive approach. And no matter what mood an author’s inquiry seems to set, I respond in a manner that maintains my tone.
  • Develop strategies for responding to inquiries. Rather than respond off the cuff, outline several responses, in your tone, to potential inquiries so that you come across as knowledgeable and engaged with the author and the publishing industry. I don’t recommend cutting-and-pasting, but at least have brief outlines handy to boost your confidence when responding. Example: I wrote brief sample responses to debut authors, traditionally publishing authors, and well-published authors. I tailor my initial replies to each author’s request and needs.

Most authors will check you out thoroughly online before contacting you, so ensuring your online image reflects how you want to promote yourself as an editor is essential to gaining their trust early on. And once you’ve done that and they’ve reached out to you, your initial communication is the next step to closing the sale. Part 2 of this post will include sample editor responses to e-mail author inquiries, and ideas on ways you can seal the deal before you submit your sample edit.

—–

For further reading: Closing the Sale Starts Before You Meet the Author, Part 2

doriharrellDori Harrell owns Breakout Editing and edits full time. As an editor, she releases more than twenty-five books annually. Her client list includes indie authors, best-selling writers, and publishers. She also serves as a senior editor for a major editing agency. An award-winning writer, she’s published more than a thousand articles.

Fill Your Editing Schedule and Improve Your Skills—Edit for Publishers

Articles for Freelancers, PEN Tips , , ,

Fill Your Editing Schedule and Improve Your Skills—Edit for Publishers

By Dori Harrell

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For freelance editors, one of the best ways to avoid famine periods is to edit for publishers and/or publishing-services firms. Many times, such contracts offer a steady supply of documents as well as the chance to reject manuscripts, which means that editors can fill empty schedule slots and choose projects that fit their editing strengths.

In addition, a publisher or publishing-services firm typically requires superior attention to detail and extensive knowledge of a style guide (or guides). And that translates, in addition to a paycheck, to a high level of business development—you’ll acquire advanced style-guide knowledge that may give you a competitive edge in marketing your freelance editing business.

But you’ll need more than a great résumé and cover letter to sign on with these companies.

You’ll need to pass their sample editing tests, which will test your knowledge of a style guide, your ability to catch errors, your approach to authors, your research skills, and your editing style when making subjective recommendations. These tests can be daunting—take it from someone who’s taken four editing tests for publishers and been offered contracts by each. Ultimately, I chose to take on two, and I have never faced a famine period in my business—and I would pay for what I have learned through these publishers.

So if you’ve been considering approaching publishers, here are some tips for excelling when editing their sample projects.

  1. Familiarize yourself with the publisher’s style guide and how to use its search engine, if you subscribe online (which I recommend, when available). For example, if editing a sample requiring The Chicago Manual of Style, brush up on the hyphenation guide and good usage versus common usage segment. And study the CMoS punctuation, numbers, and capitalization sections.
  2. Look over the sample edit thoroughly before beginning the edit. When you find areas you might struggle with, make a few notes.
  3. When editing for grammar, punctuation, and spelling, include brief comments on which style guide rule you’re applying (if applicable). If there’s a rule number, cite it. No need to repeat the same comments.
  4. Follow the directions. If it says to offer rewording options but not to ghost write, then don’t rewrite the entire section, no matter how tempted you are.
  5. Write comments as if addressing an author, and avoid criticizing. So rather than saying, “You need to reword this sentence because it’s unclear,” try something more neutral and encouraging, such as, “I recommend rewording this sentence for clarity. Read over my suggestions and see if they work for you.” Also, include positive comments where the writing is strong.
  6. Use your best judgment when the directions are vague. For example, one test I took asked me to address technical issues to the author. It gave no indication of the format I should use, so I wrote a brief editorial review letter.

Go ahead and approach publishers and publishing-services firms, and take their editing tests with confidence. It could mean the difference between an editing schedule that’s hit-and-miss and one that’s booked.

doriharrell

Dori Harrell owns Breakout Editing and edits full time. As an editor, she releases more than twenty-five books annually. Her client list includes indie authors, best-selling writers, and publishers. An award-winning writer, she’s published more than a thousand articles between her journalism career and freelance writing.

 

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