Freelance Editor Judy Myers

JUDY MYERS

I love to read, I love to write, and I love to edit. What don’t I love? Errors. Whether mistakes occur in my own manuscript or someone else’s, they are my sworn enemy.

When courting readers, it’s our goal to coax them deep into a story-trance. Every misuse of punctuation, every jarring word choice, every typo or misspelling (especially the ones that turn our perfect word choice into another word entirely, like turning lover into loser) undercuts our efforts, jarring readers back to harsh reality. Good editing helps prevent that.

Author-Me

As an author, I won RWA’s Golden Heart award for best unpublished short contemporary romance in 1987. That book was bought by Harlequin Temptation and was a RITA finalist in 1989. I’ve been published in YA, short and long contemporary romance, and erotica. Currently, my agent is marketing a middle grade historical and an adult historical romance of mine, as well as the first book in a co-written science fiction/fantasy series.

Editor-Me

As an editor, I’ve been a freelancer since 2005, helping to polish projects by unpublished and published authors that ranged from contemporary romance to fantasy to historical fiction. I offer two levels of editing, which can be chosen individually or as a combined package.

• Developmental Editing: In this edit, I read your manuscript and provide detailed feedback on plot, pacing, continuity, and character development. I tell you whether the story ‘works’ and, if not, how to strengthen it. This edit doesn’t address the mechanics of your manuscript. It focuses purely on the story you’ve chosen to tell.
  
  
•  Proofreading/Line Editing/Copy Editing: This is the nuts-and-bolts edit. I look for (and correct) spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors, misuse of words, overuse of specific words or phrases, typos, and format errors. I use Track Changes, which shows you every correction, deletion, and addition I’ve made, along with margin notes. This edit doesn’t address story elements. Its job is to make your manuscript technically clean and correct.

My rates are based on your project’s word count. (A page-count charge could leave you paying full price for a page that only contains a few lines. That’s why I prefer a word-count charge.)

• Developmental Edit Only:            $0.02/word
• Proof/Line/Copy Edit Only:         $0.015/word
• Combined Package Price:             $0.03/word

Where To Find Me

My business email address is: jmyersbook@gmail.com

Because I limit the number of editing projects I undertake, I don’t maintain a dedicated editing website. On the creative side, however, my co-writer and I recently completed the website for our sf/f novel, REFUGE. If you’re curious to see what we came up with, feel free to explore it at jjblacklocke.com  

I’d love your feedback! ~Judy Myers

The Unexpected Road Taken by Content Editor Anna J. Stewart

Thank you so much for the invitation to post on Romancing the Genres! I’m thrilled to be here as my editing alter-ego.

If anyone had asked me years ago, when I got serious about publishing, that in addition to my writing books for Harlequin (their Heartwarming and Romantic Suspense lines) I would add freelance content editor to my resume, I would not have been able to keep a straight face. Editors are the guardians at the gate: they clean up the (sometimes) messy manuscripts and help tighten and strengthen and polish. They have infinite patience and love, love, love the written word with a passion few others possess. All that still holds true of course, even as I’ve donned the editor armor. I love my Harlequin editor; I’ve liked most of the editors I’ve worked with over the years. They’ve taught me more than I never realized I didn’t know. There are, however, different types of editors and it’s important for writers and authors to know exactly what they’re looking for and, more importantly for the indie authors out there, who they’re hiring.

I am a content editor. The easy description is I edit the story (and sometimes the writing itself). I LOVE story, character, plot, conflict…all those ingredients that make the best of fiction cake that land on e-readers and bookshelves. I am also well aware of my limitations. No one (I repeat no one) wants me telling them where a comma goes, what a split infinitive is, or if a semi-colon is appropriate. Just ask my own editor. And while I do have a special affinity for the Oxford comma, punctuation is not my forte (spot the run-on sentence above? Yeah…moving on). But story? Oh, story. There’s my happy place.

It was one of my critique partners, another Harlequin author, who suggested to supplement my writing income (because I needed to stay close to home to care for an aging parent), to try my hand at content editing. The more I explored the option, the more I realized that content editing was a kind of ramped up version of what we did as a critique group. I, like many other authors, had a knack for helping root out story issues in other people’s work far more easily than I could see it in my own. I also always pushed hard on conflict because without conflict, there truly is no story. Especially in a romance. And so…I dipped my toe in the content editing pool waters. In the few years since I’ve been working with authors, I’ve earned a number of return clients and have read and worked on some truly amazing stories, all of which, I believe, have since been published. It’s the best of both worlds for me, without a doubt. This feeds my creative side, allows me to work from home, and refills the creative well. It’s also a way for me to pay it forward in gratitude for all the authors and editors who have helped me on my own publishing journey.

So what exactly is it that I do? For want of a better term, I excavate. I go deep into characters’ thoughts, their motivations, and most importantly their conflicts. I have an entire check list of questions I keep nearby as I read through a story the second time (the first time I read, it’s straight through, just as a regular reader would). Conflict is not something that can be solved with a conversation; if people can talk out their “issues”, that’s a really quick book. We want them to earn their happily ever after; don’t just hand it to them. In romance especially, you need characters who grow, who change, and who (at least one of the main characters) makes a decision at the end of the book they wouldn’t have made at the beginning (something I learned from the fabulous Mary Buckham)

As a content editor, I’m also looking for consistency and therefore inconsistencies. Does everyone’s descriptions remain the same? Anyone changing eye color? Hair style? Did the author mention an event that collides with something else in the timeline? Do they say something that contradicts something they’ve stated or thought previously? Is their behavior consistent with how it was set up from page one? Are they behaving realistically, rationally, believably?

I’m a pretty tough sell on these three characteristics, so I will push the author to think deeper about how their characters are dealing with situations. All those little details that tend to slip out of our control while our fingers are flying—are they right? Do they remain the same throughout? I’m an extra pair of not only editor eyes, but author eyes as well. I’m also still learning. I go to and listen to workshops; I attend conferences. I always want to make myself better at my craft and sometimes I’m just flat out wrong. Which brings me to my main “commandment” if you will.

Whatever story I’m editing, I always, always tell the author that these are my suggestions; what I would do to make the story stronger (not hopefully better). This is their story, first and foremost. If you think I’m wrong? Then I’m wrong. Take what works and discard the rest. Only the author, when all is said and done, can decide what works best for the book and characters. I have no doubt I’ve scared some authors away because I go hard. I go hard because I would want an editor to do that to me (and my editors have, believe me). I want to give my readers the absolute best experience possible when they open one of my books and that’s what I want for my clients as well.

I also consider being asked to edit an author’s book a privilege. I know how hard it is to send your work out. I know how blindingly terrifying it can be to wait for what’s essentially someone’s judgment of your hard work and I never, ever, take that for granted. I can’t speak to other editors, but that’s the code I edit by. I’m probably not everyone’s cup of tea (cliché alert! I’d totally ding an author for that phrase, LOL), but I go into each project with the best of intentions and I hope, the best advice I can give.

Thank you again, Romancing the Genres, for the opportunity to talk to you all today. I’ve loved being here. If anyone has any questions, please post them in the comments below.

Cheers!
Anna J

Bio:

USA Today and national bestselling hybrid author Anna J. Stewart writes sweet to sexy romance for Harlequin's Heartwarming and Romantic Suspense lines. Early obsessions with Star Wars, Star Trek, and Wonder Woman set her on the path to creating fun, funny, and family-centric romances with happily ever afters for her independent heroines. A former RWA Golden Heart nominee and 2018 Daphne DuMaurier finalist, her Heartwarming book RECIPE FOR REDEMPTION was recently optioned for a TV Movie and will air on UPtv during the 2019 holiday season. Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with serious Supernatural, Sherlock, and Jason Momoa addictions and surrounds herself with friends and family. When she's not writing, you can find her at fan conventions, wrangling Rosie and Sherlock, her two cats, or building her client list for her content editing services (Content Editing by Anna J). You can read more about Anna and her books at www.authorannastewart.com.

What Editors Wish Writers Knew by Julie Cameron

When I meet with a new client, one of the first things I am asked about is the difference between a Content Editor and a Copy Editor. Writers who decide to self-publish are particularly confused about when, and if, they need to hire different editors at each phase of the publishing process.

In a nutshell, I explain it like this:

A Copy (or Line) Editor checks for grammar, word usage, punctuation, and syntax, and is the last step before final proofreading (which is formatting, or typesetting, the manuscript for publication). The Copy Editor will check for typos, misspellings, missing or extra words, and will work to make sure the sentences flow smoothly and are well-written.

The Content (or Development) Editor is all about the story, and should be the first stop in editing the manuscript. Does the plot make sense? Is the timeline consistent? Are the characters believable and likable? Does the pacing flow throughout? Is the narrative consistent? The Content Editor works closely with the writer to make important changes to the structure of the manuscript before moving on to the other phases of editing.

Think of the Copy Editor as the logical part of the brain, making sure everything is technically correct about your manuscript. Whereas, the Content Editor is the creative part of the brain, making sure the manuscript has the right feel and imagination to it.

The confusing part comes in because these two different editing roles can sometimes blend into each other.

I grew up with a mother, a grandmother, and three great-aunts who all taught English, so I know a thing or two about grammar and sentence structure. This means that, although I am a Content Editor, I will also make note of “wonky” sentences, or correct grammatical errors when I see them, even though my focus is at a higher level on Point of View, Plot Structure, and Character Arc.

This doesn’t mean that, because I found a few mistakes in grammar, the writer doesn’t need a Copy Editor for fine-tuning to be sure the manuscript is as clean as possible before publishing. Both editors have a specific role, and focus on different aspects of the manuscript.

Writers might also be tempted to use Beta Readers instead of a Content Editor. This is not a bad way to go, provided you have experienced readers who know what they are doing. Too often writers send out to Beta Readers who are basically providing a short review and not necessarily an in-depth critique of the entire work. Beta Readers are a great step after content editing to give the writer an idea of how the book might be received to an audience. But they aren’t necessarily a successful replacement for a good Content Editor.

Bottom line: Please don’t cut corners! There are far too many books and e-books out there already that were rushed to publication, and it shows. Don’t be that author.

And one more thing… You are not an “aspiring” writer. 

You. Are. A. WRITER!

JULIE CAMERON

BIO:Julie Cameron is an award-winning author and screenwriter of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. She sits on the Boards of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW) in Colorado, and Writer’s Guild of Astoria in Oregon.  She is a member of multiple professional writers' organizations.

As a content editor, writing coach and instructor through her company, Landon Literary, Julie is also a member of Independent Book Publishers Assn. (IBPA), Colorado Independent Publishers Assn. (CIPA), and Northwest Editor’s Guild.

When she isn’t writing or working with clients, Julie enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and fellow authors in the literary community.