Interview with Editor Jeri Walker

Happy #fridayguestinterview day everyone! So glad you could join us here on The Writing Piazza. Fridays are always so amazing for me because they mean I get to interview wonderful people like our guest today, Editor Jeri Walker! A majority of my interviews are with published authors but every once in a while I like to mix it up and do interviews with other people involved in the publishing industry. I think there’s a lot we can learn and I hope you have been finding these interviews both helpful and entertaining! Without further ado (for a quick and fun grammar lesson on the word “ado” go HERE), let’s get started.

Welcome! If you could start by telling us a little about yourself?

Jeri:
My name is Jeri Walker. I was born in the eccentric silver mining town of Wallace, Idaho. I now live in the Boise, Idaho area but have traveled extensively. I’ve been freelance editing on a part-time basis for two years, and I just recently took the plunge into full-time freelancing. I’ve been editing and writing for years and have taught college composition and high school English and creative writing in addition to participating in numerous graduate and undergraduate workshops in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. I’ve been telling stories since before I could write.

The Writing Piazza:
I too am a fellow natural-born storyteller. But I’m no grammar expert (as my mother will readily tell you). Although I’ve picked up my mom’s (sometimes) irritating habit of correcting my own children’s grammar whenever they say something incorrectly. They still haven’t quite gotten the hang of past tense yet. 🙂

Can you tell us a little about what you do as a freelance editor?

Jeri:
I offer a variety of editing and writing services. My motto is that of making every word count while offering affordable rates at incomparable quality. One area I don’t typically offer services in would be developmental editing where the editor acts as a coach through subsequent drafts. I prefer to offer manuscript critiques on projects that are complete and partially revised. In addition to critiquing, I also offer an economical reader report which addresses big picture issues.

In addition, I can assist with query letters and synopses. As someone who views writing as an art form, I most enjoy copy and line editing. The writing should not get in the way of the story, and I excel at addressing syntax issues while remaining true to the author’s voice. Proofreading isn’t nearly as satisfying as re-structuring sentences, but I do that too! On occasion, I will do a critique and a follow-up copy edit on a blog post as well.

As I’ve settled into an editing grove, I’ve started offering writing services such as book blurbs, taglines, pitches, author bios, and press releases. I’m in the process of starting a series of newsletters on everything an author should know about utilizing book clubs, including how to write a variety of discussion questions. Other than that, I can be hired for blog posts, newsletters, social media content, and research. I’m also pursuing ghostwriting opportunities.

As of this July, I am now officially a member of the Booktrope editing team as well.

The Writing Piazza:
Wow! Those sound like a lot of great services. I’m especially interested in the book blurbs. I always have the worst time writing those. And you’re newsletter sounds super helpful too. I’m sure a lot of my readers will be just as interested in all you have to offer as I am. You will have to keep us posted on that newsletter too!

Can you tell us about how many published manuscripts have you worked on?

Jeri:
So far, fourteen manuscripts that I’ve worked on as editor have been published. Counting the projects I am currently contracted for as well as past projects not yet published, the total is closer to twenty-five. That number goes up substantially if taking into account my time as submissions editor with The Idaho Review Boise State’s literary journal. I love to promote the work of my clients. There’s something about having a “book baby” that never grows old.

The Writing Piazza:
That’s something I love to hear from an editor! Someone who understands that it’s not just a manuscript, it’s a book baby! Ok, well some of them aren’t book babies but book wannabes but the ones we really want to publish are our book babies.

The editing work you’ve done is impressive. And you are certainly a versatile editor which I think could really come in handy.

Jeri:
Granted, some people don’t view teaching experience in the same light as editing experience, but I’ve provided feedback on thousands of papers of varying lengths and genres at the high school and college level. As part of my training as a graduate teaching assistant in rhetoric and comp I’ve studied effective commenting styles in conjunction with rhetorically analyzing texts. All of which means I have been trained how to read between the lines and help a writer say what they really want to say. Effective feedback truly is an art form unto itself.

The Writing Piazza:
Of course there are rules to grammar that we should follow, but as writers we sometimes like to stray from them just to help stay true to our own “voice.” I think giving writers feedback could definitely be considered an art form. We artists can be extremely sensitive and finding that line between being helpful and crushing all our hopes and dreams is a very thin one! 🙂

I’m always curious about what motivates people. Maybe it’s because I’m always mindful of my characters’ motivations? So to assuage my insatiable curiosity tell us what made you decide to go into editing?

Jeri:
My decision to start freelance editing came about unintentionally. A cross country move for my ex-husband’s new job meant I finally could finally afford the time to write my first novel. With the rising popularity of e-books, I went into the process guns blazing and started a blog as I worked on my book. Well the blog took off and I found I loved all it entailed. Writing a novel… not so much. I like to joke that I’m a much better editor than writer, but that’s just because I haven’t fully figured out what type of writer I want to be when I grow up.

Based on the critical book reviews I used to post on a regular basis, authors started to approach me and inquire if I would consider giving them feedback on their works in progress. Things started to grow from there. Like many freelancers starting out, I worked for peanuts at first but quickly came up to speed and now charge reasonable professional fees which I re-visit on a regular basis.

The Writing Piazza:
I’m always fascinated to hear about life events that were catalysts for writers. It’s my romantic side coming out. It often gets hidden behind the cynicism that builds up with each rejection letter. But then a wonderful soul such as yourself comes along and shares your story and suddenly I fall in love all over again with writing. So thank you for sharing your journey with us.

I also wanted to ask, since I have some readers who are thinking about careers as editors, what are some things they should do to pursue such a career?

Jeri:
Unless a person considering going into editing as a career has an English degree (preferably one emphasizing writing as opposed to literature) I would highly recommend obtaining an editing certificate from a reputable university. Unfortunately, there is no national standard. Another great way to get one’s foot in the editing door is to complete an editing internship.

I also highly recommend joining a couple of professional editing organizations at the national and regional level. I pay dues to the Editorial Freelancer’s Association as well as the Northwest Independent Editors Guild. For good measure, I am also a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, the Nonfiction Authors Association, and the Idaho Writers Guild. The resources and support offered by such groups is immeasurable.

If possible, find a mentor. The advice of a seasoned professional can help immensely. I worked with a career coach for months to wrap my head around how to be an effective entrepreneur. Also, my accountant that I worked with before my divorce has proven priceless in making sure I have taken all the necessary steps to incorporate Word Bank Writing & Editing as a legitimate business.

The Writing Piazza:
Phew! That was a lot of practical advice that would be easy to follow. Direction wise I mean, I’m sure it was a lot of time and effort to accomplish those things. I love advice that offers easy to follow directions. I think the publishing industry is hard enough as it is without not knowing what steps should be taken. So thank you for sharing those brilliant steps with us!

Now I can’t forget my writer friends. I know we are all itching for advice from competent editors such as yourself. I think a lot can be learned from what not to do. With that in mind, what is one of the most common mistakes you see authors make time and time again?

Jeri:
The number one mistake authors make is self-publishing and/or querying agents without getting enough feedback on their drafts. It pains me when I hear writers bemoan how evil critique groups are or how time-consuming. If a group doesn’t work, find a new one. Meet-up is a great site to begin that process, but professional organizations are a great starting point as well. I’ve found a handful of fabulous critique partners online as well.

Feedback is a wonderful thing and the more one participates in the process, the better a writer will get at filtering out the less helpful advice. If three people note the same issue, the writer should consider revising. If a writers admonishes, “They just don’t get it!” Think again. Readers complete the communication transaction that is a book. If nobody is getting it, it’s time to revise!

As for language issues, the list is long: unnecessary repetition, passive verbs, personal pronoun overuse, weak word choice, incorrect dialogue punctuation, telling rather than showing, over-reliance on adverbs, lack of sentence variety, too many exclamation points, run-on sentences, lack of commas, too many commas, etc. It always holds true that one must know the rules in order to effectively break the rules.

The Writing Piazza:
Oh my goodness, I want to just frame that last paragraph and keep it with me every time I do edits on my own work (I can keep it in my copy of my well-worn copy of

that I always have on hand when I work on edits). It’s like you’ve read my work and are commenting on my soul! haha but seriously, I think those are all great things to keep in mind once you’ve finished your rough draft and start working your way through your MS again.

And I loved what you said about feedback. I too think it’s so key! I did a couple posts on Critique Partners and on Beta Readers and I know I’ve had a lot of writers tell me they thought that having both was overkill. But I could not disagree with them more. I think putting out the most polished form of your MS that you possibly can is the bar we should be aiming for and having that feedback is crucial to even coming close to that bar.

Say that we’ve had our critique partners AND our beta readers go over our MS and we made the changes we felt needed to be made. Should a writer then consider hiring an editor?

Jeri:
As most of us are on a budget, it really helps if a writer knows their strengths. For example, I flounder in the early stages of draft development and have considered hiring a developmental editor when I write my second book. On the other hand, I can do a decent job copy editing and proofreading my own work.

That being said, I would recommend a line edit for all manuscripts. It really is amazing how much another set of eyes can clean up a draft. If going the traditional route, there’s no point in hiring a proofreader since they will be attended to by the publishing company. No matter the path to publication, competition is fierce, so why put out an inferior product?

The Writing Piazza:
All valid points. And since most beginning authors out there have never hired an editor before, what should a writer look for when considering an editor and what should they be wary of?

Jeri:
The old saying that you get what you pay for is painfully true. I’ve seen so-called editors offer services at rock-bottom rates. I guess that’s fine if a person likes making a dollar an hour. Another red flag would be an editor who insists they can do a critique and copy edit at the same time. Be leery too of extremely fast turnaround times. Always ask for a sample and be sure to look at examples of published work the editor has worked on.

Just recently, a new client pointed out how crisp my editing of Mandi Castle’s book Dear Stephanie was. I’ve also make sure to go over a detailed contract with a client before taking on a project. As time goes on, I post more and more examples of my work on my blog. By far, doing so has netted great results and I am grateful to my clients who have granted permission for more to post excerpts from their drafts.

The Writing Piazza:
More great advice! If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you for one final piece of it before I let you go. From an editor’s perspective, what advice would you give to writers who are writing and/or attempting to publish their work?

Jeri:
Whether a writer intends to self-publish or seek traditional publication, they need to educate themselves. I’ve had too many people tell me about agents who ask for money to represent them. No legit literary agent would do that. Successful self-pubbing requires knowing a lot about how to run a business and that also entails hiring a team of professionals. We all vary in our capacities, so pick and choose wisely where your money goes.

More than anything, write for yourself. Write from your heart and don’t censor your story or your message. Own your story or it will own you.

The Writing Piazza:
Spectacular! Jeri, thank you so much for joining us here on The Writing Piazza. We truly appreciate you taking the time to do this interview with us. For those readers interested in finding out more about you or connecting with you. How can they go about doing that?

Jeri:
Please join me every Monday at JeriWB.com for writing tips and lit chat or explore my books on Amazon.

                      

The Writing Piazza:
Sadly, this brings us to the end of another #fridayguestinterview. But fear not, we shall have another one next week. And if you can’t wait that long for your interview fix, you can check out all our other interviews HERE. Jeri and I would like to thank all you phenomenal folks who tuned in to read this interview. Helping others is what TWP is all about so we hope you found it helpful!

Until we meet again.