9 Questions With A Freelance Editor
In this interview I have a freelance editor from North West England who has worked with publishing houses like Hachette, Penguin Random House and HarperCollins.?
Her name is Rachel Rowlands, and?she works on a range of fiction, but is particularly keen on fantasy, sci-fi, horror, thrillers and romance, as well as young adult books of all genres. She also does creative non-fiction.
Fantasy and Supernatural are some of her favourite genres to read in and if you are a cat owner, you've got that in common with her. ??
(P.S: If you're an author who's looking to hire her for editing purposes, the link to that will be at the end of the article. But note that she is already booked all the way up to mid-November of this year.)
The Interview
1. As an editor who has worked on best-sellers and with big traditional publishing houses, what tips do you have for a newbie editor who's trying to get their client's fantasy novel to a good enough level so that it lands a traditional publishing deal?
The first thing I would bear in mind is that it’s very hard to get traditionally published – it’s incredibly hard to land an agent, and even when a writer lands one, they might not sell the first book they submit to publishing houses. I’m always open about that with writers if they ask me how likely it is. As editors, the only thing we can control is helping the client have the strongest manuscript possible, both at a storytelling and writing craft level and in terms of the market the writer is aiming for.
Most of the work I do for clients who want to publish traditionally is developmental work. So my tip for new editors is to read as many writing craft books as you can get your hands on, study story structure, and read widely in the genres you’re interested in. Keeping your finger on the pulse of the market by reading in your genre will help you give better feedback and it’ll teach you about genre conventions. For example, YA fantasy is quite a different beast to middle grade or adult fantasy, and you need to know the conventions of those if you want to work on different age categories.
2. You're currently being represented by Thèrése Coen from "Hardman & Swainson" for your writing work. What mistakes do you see authors who really want to get a trad publishing deal, yet never manage to even after multiple tries for multiple books... to be making?
Honestly, it’s not always necessarily about the author making mistakes! You can do everything right – have a great book, well-written, with a strong and compelling hook that you and your agent believe in – and still not sell in traditional publishing. It’s happened to me! The market is so fickle, it’s always changing. And you might not sell to a publishing house for reasons you can’t control: the editor already has a book like yours, they just bought a similar one, they think it’s too niche, they think it’s not original enough, marketing can’t get on board with it. We don’t often hear about that side of things but it’s very common.
I do think authors make some mistakes when they’re starting out and submitting to agents in the first place though. They might query agents before they’re ready, before they’ve really learnt about writing craft and got their work into good shape.
3. In one of your blog posts you mentioned that "some authors would prefer to have an editor who isn't a writer". I've never heard of anything like that before, so I'm curious. Why don't they prefer having an editor who is a writer as well?
Source: Canva
I think some people worry about having an editor who is also a writer in case there’s a conflict of interest. Lots of authors are protective of their work. I once read a blog post a long time ago by a writer who said they’d never want to work with an editor who is an author too, which shocked me! Many editors and publishing professionals write on the side.
Having said that, I’ve never come across anyone personally. All my clients seem to love the fact that I write! Being a writer makes me a better editor, and vice versa. I can empathise with what my clients are dealing with and I use a lot of what I’ve learnt on my own writing journey to help them. It’s always been a massive plus point for me and I love doing both.
4. Among the games you've played since you were a school kid was the Final Fantasy series. What other games did you use to play apart from that?
I loved anything fantastical which was why Final Fantasy meant so much to me – it really inspired me at a storytelling level. But I was obsessed with horror games too! I used to play things like Silent Hill in the dark with my friends, and Resident Evil.
5. You've read the entirety of the Wheel Of Time series despite having many mixed feelings about it overall, so there was something it clearly did right to get you to finish it.
So, if a fantasy author who has never read the series picks it up today, what would you recommend them to learn from it and what not to?
Source: Rachel's Instagram
Great question. There’s so much writers can learn from existing books in their genre. The Wheel of Time series is like a masterclass in world-building. There’s a companion book called The World of Robert Jordan’s the Wheel of Time that goes into the details of the magic systems and how everything works. If there’s one thing to learn from that series, it’s how to craft a solid world!
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One of the things that bugged me about later books was long-winded descriptions, so there’s something to be learnt about editing your work down, and not getting so caught up on pages of description – keep the story moving too!
6. What can you tell us about the book you're currently writing?
I’ve just finished revising a novella I wrote, which is a twisty reimagining of Rapunzel. It’s about to go off to a proofreader and I plan to self-publish that sometime before the end of the year, which is exciting. I’m also currently outlining a few projects including an urban fantasy series and a standalone fantasy.
7. One of my favourite questions to ask any editor who has a lot on their plate is about their time management.
You do a lot whether it be in terms of editing, working on your own book, marketing and doing other admin work. And then you also find time for hobbies like video games and spending time with your husband. How do you manage to do all that?
It’s not easy! I don’t have a commute because I work from home, so that helps. I’ve always tried to keep set work hours – I start anywhere between 8am and 9.30am and try to keep “office” hours, although I do end up writing in the evenings sometimes. I do the most pressing client work first when I have the most energy. If I have any time left at the end of the day, I’ll do some of my own writing.
I also make sure my weekends are kept fairly free for spending time with family/my husband. And I schedule in time off for myself in advance. I get booked up quickly now so I have to make sure I have downtime too.
8. You often go out for walks in forests, ancient woodlands and even visit some castles. What's your favourite part about these trips?
Source: Rachel's Instagram
You make my life sound so exciting! I don’t get to do it as often as I want to, even though I live close to some woodland. Most times I’m at home, at my desk! But when I have the opportunity I love visiting unusual places. I love being in nature mainly. There’s something relaxing about being around trees, and whenever I’m stuck on a writing project, being outside helps me untangle the problem!
9. Among the services you provide is one called "Submission Package" which itself is a bundle of 3 services, one of which being synopsis editing.
So my question to you is this: How does one write a synopsis good enough for a literary agent?
Not all agents request a synopsis but if they do, the golden rule is this: a synopsis is a concise summary of your book covering all the main plot points. It should be kept as short and succinct as possible.
The main plot should be the focus and you should give away all the twists and turns, and the ending! In a synopsis, it isn’t necessary to include every subplot or side character, or to explain all the themes of the novel. Stick to highlighting the main plot beats.
Links
For editing services:
Follow her on social media:
LinkedIn- Rachel Rowlands
Instagram- racheljrowlands
CONTENT WRITER, BLOGGER, AUTHOR
2 年I've been asking these questions on my Twitter account for days...well some of them :) .... Who knew that I would find all the answers here. This article is full of good advice and honesty for anyone who is wanting to publish thier manuscript or actually be a freelance writer/editor #writingtips?#writingservices? #publishingindusty
Editing & proofreading for gods & monsters. Detail-orientated & thoughtful feedback for a book your readers can't stop thinking about. World mythology & fantasy fiction. Everyone has a voice worth hearing ??
2 年Great interview! ??