I reached out to graduating project managers Grace Hansen, Cole Bowman, and Bailey Potter who oversaw the successful launch events for LAUREL EVERYWHERE, FAULTLAND, and FINDING THE VEIN, respectively. I asked each of them about advice for planning future virtual events. Within a few hours, I had struck gold. Synthesized below are their replies and some guidance to get started when it is time to plan a celebration of your new book.
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The Art of Compassionate Critique: Why Building a Strong Editor-Author Relationship is Vital to a Book’s Success
By Emma Wolf
Taking criticism is never easy, especially when it comes to a piece of creative work. Respectful and open communication between author and editor will lead to the most fruitful editorial process, which is why establishing solid author relations needs to be a high priority for a book editor.
Editing Trauma
By Grace Hansen @thegracieve
William Faulkner said, “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” A good editor knows that this process is sometimes painful to the author because their words are their babies. How, then, is an editor to approach nonfiction trauma manuscripts when an author’s words are their nightmares?
Know Better, Do Better: Editing for Authenticity in Our Spring YA Title
By Hazel Wright
Our May 2020 title faces down its darker elements—including violence, bigotry, and abuse—with both unflinching realism and hope. Importantly, it portrays the struggles of two main characters who fall under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella. Because these identities do not exist as a monolith, and also because this is a book intended for a YA audience, Ooligan chose to incorporate authenticity readers (sometimes called sensitivity readers) into the editorial process.
Is freelance editorial work right for you?
By Thomas Spoelhof @thomasspoelhof
As the publishing industry evolves, media and publishing independents have witnessed the dissolution of the full-time copy editor. Among magazine, news media, and book publishing entities, an in-house copy chief is often considered a luxury of days gone by. The expense of the full-time position is often too difficult to justify, and the responsibility of clean copy can fall on in-house production teams.
Better to Split Infinitives than Hairs
By Kelly J. Hogan @dervilia8
Maintaining the attitude of a descriptivist rather than a prescriptivist when editing, particularly for fiction and memoir, is crucial to preserving an author’s voice.