Walking the Line: The Forgotten Editorial Phase
When I was a creative writing major, the bulk of my classes were writing workshops. In that environment, I heard about line editing (LE) far more often than developmental editing […]
A Craft Crash Course
Plenty of writers know they have a great, compelling idea for a story, and they just don’t know how to bring it to life. That’s where craft comes in.
6 Things I Learned While Copyediting
On its face, copyediting is a relatively simple prospect. Find grammatical and spelling errors, highlight them and then send them to the author. But is there more to it than that? To be honest, not really, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy! During my forays into copyediting both as a freelancer and as an Oolie, I’ve picked up a number of tips and tricks that I’m now obligated to share with you.
An Editor as a Gardener
After working as an editor for a while, I started gardening to relieve stress and soon noticed how much these two activities resemble each other. A gardener loves their garden […]
Editing Unreliable Narrators: Deception in Storytelling
Working at a publishing house and editing a manuscript with an unreliable narrator is both fascinating and complicated to deal with. These stories do not give one person the whole truth, as there are many varied perspectives and interpretations, rather than a straightforward narrative where we know which protagonist to trust. Editors must walk the line between that mystery and making it all too obvious without revealing too much. The worlds created must be balanced ultimately with how the material is pushed, advertised, and presented to readers in the publishing realm.
Pick the Perfect Word: Efforts in Translation Choice
It also raises the question: Is there such a thing as a perfect translation? The answer is along the lines of “it depends.”
Editorial Calendars: How Publishers Plan Across a Season
In publishing, the timing of a book’s release can literally make or break its success. That’s where the editorial calendar comes in—it’s the master plan publishers use to map out every stage of a book’s life before it ever hits the shelves.
Giving Design Feedback
Design feedback can be tricky for the inexperienced. Even if you’ve been giving design feedback for years, it can be hard to express the feelings you have about a piece without discouraging your colleagues—or to put into words intuitive or feeling-based critique.
How Self-Publishing Authors Utilize Freelance Editors
Have you ever Googled “How to be a self-published author”? If you have, you’ve probably seen several blogs and websites that advertise a step-by-step process to be self-published. One of the most important steps, in both self-publishing and traditional publishing, is editing. Author’s going the self-publishing route typically find a freelance editor to perform these necessary editorial tasks.
What is a MSWL?
A manuscript wish list (MSWL) is a curated list created by literary agents, editors, and publishers that outlines the specific types of manuscripts or book projects they are currently interested in acquiring. By creating or viewing MSWLs, both authors and publishing professionals can streamline the process, ensuring that the right stories find their way to the right hands.