A week ago, I came across a quote by Louise Glück on social media: “We look at the world once, in childhood. The rest is memory.” These are the last two lines of her poem, “Nostos.” As with many quotations I read online, I inwardly nodded and thought, “Sounds right,” before scrolling on. I’m pretty […]
Look at the World: On Writing and Reading Read Post »
If you’ve ever read a book without being distracted by inconsistent formatting, punctuation mistakes, typos, or any of the other errors that can crop up when it comes to writing, you likely have a team of copyeditors and proofreaders to thank. While developmental editing tends to be a more visible part of the traditional publishing process, copyeditors
The Different Types of Editing: Copyediting and Proofreading Read Post »
Despite its focus on the written word, the publishing industry has its fair share of unclear jargon. When I started working at Little, Brown, I kept a cheat sheet at my desk to help me decipher notes from copyeditors and acronym-filled requests from other departments (the copyediting section looked a lot like this). While you probably
The Different Types of Editing: Developmental Editing Read Post »
When I started working in publishing, I heard the editor’s role described as being an expert reader or the reader’s advocate. More than fifteen years later, I still think those descriptions fit, though I would add author’s advocate to the list. Editors work to bridge the gap between authors and readers, helping authors engage readers more effectively
What Exactly Does an Editor Do? Read Post »
Hello! Thanks for visiting Your Editor Friend. My hope is that these letters will feel like conversations between a writer and an editor who also happen to be friends in real life—touching on writing, publishing, editing, and everything in between—while also providing actionable advice that you can apply to your work. If you’re like me, you
Welcome to Your Editor Friend Read Post »
