Editor’s Note: Authors Talk About Lessons They’ve Learned From Their Editors

I may have mentioned this before (I can’t actually remember and I can’t find the post, so I’m going to pretend I haven’t), but last summer I went to a book signing.  The author, Elana Johnson, answered a few questions before she started slapping ink on paper, and one of her comments has been stuck in my head for months.

Someone asked if there was any one thing that helped further her career. Elana’s response was, “The one thing that really improved my writing was working with a professional editor.”

We don’t all have the luxury of having an editor, or paying one, but wouldn’t it be awesome if we could collect all the knowledge authors have gained as their stories have gone through editorial?

I’m not going to pretend I can pin all of those lessons into a blog series — I could probably have an entire blog devoted to just that subject — but I’m hoping that over the next few weeks, I can create a “best of.” Maybe these posts will help those of you trying to break into the business or others who are honing their craft.

Authors from every category — big houses and small, self-pub and multi-pub, individual and co-authored — have agreed to participate.

Here’s the line-up so far:

  • January 24th:  Author Mary Waibel (MuseItUp and BookFishBooks)
  • January 28th:  Author Trisha Leaver (FSG/Macmillan and Flux)
  • January 30th: Co-authors Lindsay Currie and Trisha Leaver (Flux)
  • February 4th: Author and Copy Editor Dahlia Adler (Spencer Hill)
  • March 4th: Author Lynne Matson (Henry Holt/Macmillan)

And, I’ll add more as the weeks go on including my own personal experience!

If you have any questions you’d like answered, please let me know.  I know these authors would be happy to help!

 

 

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