A career as an editor is often a solo adventure, especially if you’re a freelancer. So, we thought one way to better connect with fellow editors was to ask them to submit their responses to some questions based on the Five Ws: who, what, where, when, and why. Read on for some thought-provoking, enlightening tidbits from those of us who choose to work with words to earn our keep.
Please tell us a little about yourself, the kind of work you do (and where you live), and how long you’ve been an editor.
My career began when I met a neighbouring editor up in Parry Sound, Ontario, back in 1997 when home internet access was still new. That connectivity let me start freelancing (through that editor) on school materials (textbooks and related) for Canada’s major publishing houses. Today most of my clients are international NGOs and professional associations publishing educational and reference materials.
Who: If you could edit one famous author, living or dead, who would it be?
A few common sayings come to mind in answering this: “don’t see how the sausage is made,” “don’t meet your heroes,” and the misguided advice to “do what you love.” When I’m teaching editing, students not infrequently tell me that seeing the rough drafts was too painful and “ruined books” for them. People who come at the early editing stages with the purpose of getting to read good writing for a living may be sorely disappointed. Partly, this is why I’m very happy working in lucrative “corporate” training markets that leave my entertainment unscathed. However, I do think that working with the likes of Mary Roach or Bill Bryson would be rewarding just to be able to talk to them about all of the material that doesn’t fit, not to mention being ensconced in their enthusiasm for their latest topic!
What: What is the one thing that has helped you the most in your career as an editor?
Looking it up! Humility and double-checking have paid off far more than being confident in my knowledge has. Secondly, learning to praise my authors. Yes, even those who write annual reports and nuclear safety manuals want to hear that what they have put together was worth the effort and will be valued out in the world, and maybe that they aren’t a bad writer, either! I used to just do the edit then pass it on, but I’m finding that project teams are much happier with my work and with the outcome now that I take some time to give them a few lines of praise in my transmittal notes.
It’s hard to pick just one thing that has helped me most: Connecting with colleagues as people is how I got started and how much work continues to find me (via referrals). Setting aside time to work on my business—a tip I picked up at an Editors Canada conference—rocketed my business growth. Then there was stating my rate and then staying quiet; and even more, putting my rate calculator right on my website so prospects know exactly whether our budgets fit before they call to see if I’m available!
Where: If you could work anywhere in the world as an editor, where would that be?
Well, I can work anywhere in the world. It turns out that where I want to be is close to family. That said, after searching the globe and making exactly that choice 15 years ago, I’m still in love with the area I live in. I’m a big sea-kayaker and average about 500 km a year, visiting dozens of lakes within an hour of my house. Being at the midpoint between Toronto and Montreal, and having three institutions of higher education, also means that our populace is heckin’ educated and that Kingston draws far greater entertainment and dining options than a city this size warrants. We punch above our weight!
When: Was there ever a time in your life when you seriously questioned your career choice?
Certainly! Usually doubt arises when I get tired of wondering where the next assignment will come from or get lonely from working alone, eight steps from my bed, day after day. Moving to a bigger centre was spurred by those feelings. Adding teaching helped smooth out the cash flow and increase my meaningful connections to colleagues.
Why: Why did you choose to become an editor? Or, should we ask: Why did editing choose you?
Frankly, I was trying to be a writer and found that being an editor paid a lot more, and a lot more steadily. I wanted to freelance in some way so that I would have flexible schedule and location options. Judging from how my neighbours are feeling at the end of winter, having the flexibility to get out in the middle of the day to take in the two minutes of sunshine may be the biggest benefit of all.
And, of course, we just had to ask the inevitable how: How would you sum up your motto?
If you know my name, it’s probably from hearing me say either “raise your rate” or “a 95 percent catch rate is the tested human limit of error detection,” or maybe “make Word do the work, for a change!”
This article was copy edited by Keith Goddard, a freelance editor based in Toronto.
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