Visiting today is Freelance and Senior Editor at Imajin Books Todd Barselow. I've asked him to answer five questions about his job and what writers need to know before submitting a manuscript to be edited.
I've had the pleasure of working with Todd twice and what I've taken away from both experiences is knowledge within the editing process and the utmost respect for his work. He is awesome to work with and I highly recommend him!
Welcome to my blog, Todd!
1. What types of books
do you edit?
That’s an easy
question with a very simple answer. I edit all
kinds of books in all genres. I’ve edited poetry chapbooks, children’s books,
religious-themed books (not a personal favorite), science fiction (a definite
personal favorite), paranormal romance, erotica, historical fiction, general
fiction, horror, New Adult, Middle Grade, fantasy, etc… I’ve even edited a few
that defy being placed into any specific genre or category. Basically, I’ll
edit just about anything so long as my schedule permits it. I’d love to see
more science fiction and fantasy manuscripts coming across my desk, to be
honest. Some of my biggest literary idols are Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov,
Robert Jordan, and Raymond Feist. I dream of discovering the next Clarke or
Asimov…
2. How would you handle
sensitive writers who question every edit you make?
Each manuscript edit
that I do is with the understanding that my objective is not to change the
author’s voice or vision, only to clarify it where necessary and to clean up
the prose so that the reader experiences the best book possible. This is
explained before I ever even see the manuscript. The vast majority of the
authors that I have worked with get that and they understand, after seeing
sample edits and speaking with others who have worked with me, that I’m not
going to tear apart what they’ve worked so hard to create only to put it back
together in a way that they hate. I’ve never done that and I never will. If I
come across a manuscript that I think needs to be reworked to that extent, I’ll
make my suggestions to the author and let them do that reconstructive surgery.
If an author finds the
edits that I’ve made to be objectionable or questionable, then I’ll do my level
best to explain why I made said changes. If it has something to do with
grammar, I’ll point out the rule in play for the change that was made. This
usually clears up questions or concerns regarding those issues. If it concerns
a substantive/creative edit, then I will explain my reasoning for the change.
Ultimately, acceptance of those kinds of changes—substantive and or creative—is
up to the author. If I’ve made a change that I really feel strongly about, that
I feel adds significantly to the story, then I’ll fight for it. In the end
though, it’s up to the author to decide whether or not to implement the change.
I’m not at all heavy handed like that and I hope to never be that way. That may
change a bit in the future if I decide to pursue my goal of becoming a
publisher myself.
If it comes right down
to it and I see that an author isn’t really going to want to work with me to make
the changes that I feel are necessary to improve the book and make it better
for the reader, then I will most likely refer them to another editor. After
all, my goal is to get the book into the best shape possible for the reader. If
I feel that I can’t make that happen with the author, I’d rather another editor
work on the book.
3.What is your
favorite style guide? Why?
The Chicago Manual of Style is my go-to
resource for all things style-related. I invested in an electronic copy for
ease of use and when asked, I encourage authors to invest in their own copy.
It’s sort of my bible or holy book, if you will, and in my opinion is the best
resource a writer can have at their disposal. It has answers to almost any
question under the sun regarding style. I’ve also been known to consult the Grammar Girl website for ‘quick and dirty’ tips, as they
like to say. It’s also a great resource that every writer can easily use to quickly
answer grammar-related questions. I’m very fond of picking up Stephen King
books and following the lead for style-related issues, too. I keep three or
four of his books just next to me on the desk for such occasions.
I also have style
guides mandated by the publishers that I work for. For the most part, they all
instruct me to follow CMoS but there
may be specific things that they like for their books to have—or not have. For
example, one of the publishers that I work for doesn’t care for parentheses in
their fiction so I tend to replace them with long em dashes, things of that
nature.
4. What advice can you
give a writer before they send you their work?
Read it. Then read it
again. When you think you’ve caught everything you can, read it one more time.
If you’re able to, use beta readers. They can be friends and/or family members
or complete strangers you’ve met on Facebook. The more eyes you have on the
manuscript, the more likely you are to catch any major flaws before it gets to
me. That being said, most beta readers—unless they’re English teachers or
grammarians—aren’t going to catch the little things that will be poking me in
the eye when I read through the manuscript. They can also give you positive or
negative feedback as far as the storyline goes. This can be invaluable
information to have. I will say this though: when using family and friends as
beta readers, you have to be careful because they may not want to tell you that
they don’t think the book is good or they may not feel right about telling you
something critical may be missing. That’s why I suggest having at least one
person who isn’t personally attached to you beta read for you. You can find
tons of people including bloggers and other authors who are more than willing
to beta read for you. It’s just a matter of asking, really.
One other piece of advice before sending a manuscript to me. Use Word’s ‘Find’ feature (ctrl+f) to search for common errors including:
One other piece of advice before sending a manuscript to me. Use Word’s ‘Find’ feature (ctrl+f) to search for common errors including:
· your/you’re
· there/they’re/their
· then/than/that
· to/too/two
· a/an
· misspellings of your character’s names—type in
the first few letters of the character’s name and then search to make sure
spellings are consistent. The same for other frequently used place names,
organization names, etc…
Honestly? I get paid
to read. Every. Single. Day. How could you not love that? When I was a kid, I
literally daydreamed all the time of finding a job that would pay me to read
all sorts of fantastic stories and tales of other worlds and peoples. Most kids
back then dreamed of growing up to be a firefighter or a police officer or
things of that nature. Not me. All I wanted to do was read. It took me a while
to get to where I am, but now that I’m here, I won’t be doing anything else for
as long as I live. To put it simply, I have what is arguably one of the best
jobs in the world. I’ve met so many fantastic people—authors, readers,
publishers, other editors—that I probably wouldn’t have had the pleasure of
knowing otherwise. I’ve made the acquaintance of the likes of Anne Rice, who
sends me referrals from time to time. It doesn’t get much better than that as
far as I’m concerned.
Aside from getting to
read every day, I also take a certain satisfaction in knowing that I’m helping
authors to make a dream a reality. Many of the authors that I work with are
first-timers. They’re self-publishing and they can be scared out of their wits
at times. I enjoy being able to help allay those fears and make the process a
lot less scary than it might otherwise be if they were going it alone. I also
take pride in the fact that I’m able to offer my services at rates that are
more than competitive in today’s marketplace.
About Todd...
I’ve been a lifelong
reader and writer. I grew up behind a used book store and spent the majority of
my youth—daydreaming away while reading—sitting on an old milk crate in the
corner of that store. While my career path didn’t take me into writing and editing
immediately, I’ve never once stopped reading and writing. I’ve done all sorts
of things, lived the roguish lifestyle of a jack-of-all-trades. I spent nearly
a decade as a pizza chef; I did a stint in the army as a tank mechanic; I once
worked as a movie theater manager/projectionist for a time. It wasn’t until
after my father passed that I decided to pursue a career in writing full-time.
I wrote tons of web content for countless websites, I worked on several novels
of my own, too. This eventually led me to a career in teaching English as a
Second Language in, of all places, the Philippines, where I currently reside.
After teaching for a number of years here, I decided to take a hiatus and focus
solely on writing and editing and here I am, forty-plus books edited later, chugging
right along full-steam ahead.
Website: Todd Edits
Facebook: Todd Barselow
Twitter: @putipato
Email: todd@toddedits.com or putipato@gmail.com
I really enjoyed this interview. It was profoundly pleasant to learn more about this wonderful editor who played a key role in the current success of my first published novel. Keep up the great work Todd!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, Jesse. I look forward to the amazing career that you have ahead of you. 'Pelican Bay' was the first in a long line of fantastic novels that you're going to write, of that I have no doubt.
DeleteThanks so much for the opportunity to be on your blog, Kat. It was a great experience and I hope to be able to do it again in the future!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, Todd!! I will definitely have you on again soon. :)
ReplyDelete