Panel members:

Barbara Sjoholm: Local writer, teacher, and editor. Barbara founded the Author-Editor Clinic, Seattle, in autumn 2004. 

Jan Wright and Kathy Bradley: Local freelance editors and students in the Clinic

Barbara Sjoholm told us that the Author-Editor Clinic is an independently taught class that focuses on the process of developmental/structural editing of longer works – learning how to analyze the structure and how to communicate with authors.

The clinic stemmed from her interest in author-editor relations, based upon her own experiences as a writer (for the past 30 years), publisher, and acquiring editor. Because of these experiences, Barbara believes in making the author-editor partnership as successful as possible.

Barbara taught developmental editing for the UW Editing Certificate Program for two years, where she introduced students to longer editorial works, and encouraged them to interact face-to-face with authors. For many students, this was the first time they had met with a “live author”; it seemed important for them to see that there was a “real person” behind a manuscript. Some of the students were interested in continuing to develop their skills in structural editing, and the Clinic began with several of them.

The idea is that the Clinic not simply be a “lovefest” between authors and editors, but rather a “professional but fun” experience for both. The idea is to offer authors low-cost editing in return for them allowing Barbara to teach from their manuscripts, and the students to practice editing.

Her opinion: Many authors don’t need “one more writing class.” They also need more than just asking a friend to read their manuscript. While they may need something more, a lot of authors also don’t seem to know that they need an editor. So Barbara is trying to spread the word that editing can help a manuscript, especially with the competition in publishing today. At the same time, she is trying to help less experienced editors launch their editing careers.

The Clinic has handled 25+ manuscripts since last fall. The group gets to hear about all the manuscripts in class, and they also get to read their classmates’ letters. The idea is to spend about 20 hours with a manuscript, between reading it twice and writing an editorial report/letter.

The student editors in 2004-2005 didn’t have a lot of contact with their authors, but many of the authors came to class and gave the students a chance to have an in-person interview. The communication with the author is limited in the Clinic because the course is really focused on encouraging tactful communication via the editorial letter. It is about learning to, as an editor, separate yourself and your feelings vs. teaching the author.

The Clinic covers various topics – from analyzing theme, plot, and character to genres, age-appropriate language, and various “isms.” It doesn’t cover copyediting or line editing, and the students don’t write on the manuscript. The response from the authors has been very positive.

Jan Wright: Her interest in the Clinic grew out of her experience with the UW Editing Certificate program. Before that, she wasn’t even sure of the difference between copy and developmental editing. After the UW program, she knew she wanted/needed more training in developmental editing. She has been through three sessions of the Clinic.

What she has learned:

1.      Most important thing learned is RESPECT. Respect for, and the ability to communicate better with authors. Ability to discern authors’ goals. She tends to get excited about her work. And before she would have approached authors with an imperative, i.e. “You should do . . .” Now that has shifted to: “How can the author do the best that they want to?” It’s about the author.

2.      The uber-edit. Out there somewhere is the ideal edit. Freelancing is not like this. The author is in charge. She has learned, through the Clinic, to triage: she knows what the ideal edit is, but she applies elements of that to what the author wants.

3.      It took some time to shift from copyediting to developmental editing, looking at the big picture.

4.      She learned that she was right to feel nervousness/trepidation about developmental editing without instruction and support, which she has found at the Clinic.

How the Clinic has helped Jan in her freelance business:

1.      She has worked on seven manuscripts since studying with the Clinic (as well as the six within the Clinic). She has been exposed to a variety of ms. – mystery, thriller, adventure. Even if she hasn’t worked on the ms. herself, she has been exposed to all of them through the Clinic.

2.      The information shared in the discussion with other student editors in the clinic has helped her with some of her own issues while editing.

3.      Barbara offers a “safe” atmosphere in the Clinic – she doesn’t make you feel stupid. She is a fabulous resource because she is a writer as well as an editor.

Kathy Bradley:

Kathy was also in the UW Editing Certificate Program, although the year she was there, the class in developmental editing wasn’t offered.

When she did her first substantive editing project as a freelancer (2004), she liked the project, but was left with the feeling that she could have done much more for the author.

She saw the Clinic offered on the Ed Guild listserve in October 2004 and signed up.

The author she had worked with previously offered her a second manuscript while she was studying with the Clinic; then she felt that she could tell him not only what he could improve, but also what he did well. She felt she offered him a much better editing value, and that she did a much better job.

The letters that the Clinic students share with each other are a “treasure trove” of useful information and ideas.

What she learned:

1. How to better phrase a question to an author. She was used to stripping out all emotion as a business editor. She came away from the Clinic with much more respect and empathy for the author.

2. Ways to approach an author.

3. The ability to better see what is working and what is not; writing issues that she could not analyze before (plot tension, interior monologue vs. dialogue, etc.)

4.  New strategies for attacking a large nonfiction project.

5.   To spend only as much time as she can afford, and how to use that time to offer the most effective help that she can.

6.  To remain objective, even when some elements of the ms. “push her buttons.”

Barbara invited an additional student editor at the meeting (Karalynn Ott) to give her impressions of the Clinic, why she took the course, and its usefulness.

Karalynn Ott:

1.  I always wanted to “work with books,” but I didn’t know how when it seemed that many developmental editors “learned on the job” – but there weren’t many staff jobs to be had.

2. I came from a background in journalism – I never would have had the confidence to work a project as long and detailed as a book before; I just didn’t even know the logistics of how to do it. I had never worked directly with an author before, either.

3. As a journalist, my idea of an editor revolved around cutting/trimming, and moving paragraphs around. I also worked only with editors who worked for publishers – not those who worked independently, for writers. This was a whole new concept for me. The Clinic helped me to understand this new, broader relationship.

4. Self-publishing seems to be increasing, so there may be more work for independent developmental editors.

5. As a relatively new resident (2 years) to Seattle, I wanted to connect with other editors in the community and be able to “talk shop.” This helped me to do that.

Audience questions:

Q: What is your impression of publishers – do they do much of this kind of editing anymore?

Barbara: My impression is, for the most part, no.

Q: How is the Clinic different from the UW course?

Barbara: Mostly length. The UW course was big on working in the publishing house format; but I realized (while teaching the course) that there wouldn’t be many jobs at publishing houses, that the market would be for freelance jobs. (Although Barbara’s impression is that many authors don’t even realize that freelance editors are a possibility; many don’t even know about the Editors Guild.)

Q: Is there a reticence on the part of the authors; do they fear you will just tear up their ms.?

Barbara: Some people will just send it off to us; some are more gun shy – they ask a lot of questions: who will edit this work? What kind of person will be doing the editing? The “early adapters” – authors that have worked with us this first year – tended to be braver.

It is a very nonthreatening environment, though. With more experienced authors, it has tended to be more of a collaborative process.

Q: What are the best and worst reactions you have gotten?

Barbara: I don’t think there were any “non-successes.” We did have one very quiet author in class (that was difficult). The author meeting is not a “grilling session.” It is more informal; editors ask authors what their backgrounds are, ask about the ideas behind the book. I place a lot of emphasis on the author letters and the language used there – it is not hard to hurt the authors’ feelings. But many authors feel revitalized about their work afterward.

Q: When does the letter occur, and do you change your mind about parts of it after meeting the author?

Clinic editors: Some of us draft our letters throughout the session; some things may change after meeting with and clarifying themes and elements with the author.

Q: Do you follow with a verbal brief?

Barbara: No, we discourage this – this is a contained program (we don’t want the author to drag out questions to the student editors over time).  Keep in mind that this is a class (that’s why we try to contain it). We also look for manuscripts that are good for teaching – at first we had to take all the manuscripts that came our way; now we can choose more. We look for diversity, try to give students a variety of ms.

Q: How do you establish your role?

Jan: I see it as my job to be part of the team, to help get the ms. to be the best it can be, help get it into good shape; but we cannot guarantee publishing, although I have worked with authors who are self-publishing.

Q: What kinds of things do you put in the letter, especially for nonfiction works?

Kathy: Logic/premise; consistency; definition of terms; tone – is it/should it be academic or not?; organization; some fiction elements: narrative areas, writing issues, how information is presented, what is the theme?

Q: In the class you use letters to communicate with authors – is that the case in the “real world”?

Barbara: Yes, you also usually have a phone or in-person interview with the author; the “letter” is more of a report. (Others from the crowd chimed in that this is the case; a letter/report is generally used.)

 --Karalynn Ott, notetaker extraordinaire