Thank you, Susan, for joining us. I have a goal to
get self-published authors to consider an editor before they launch their
babies. I believe it would make all the difference in the world for sales and
for respect.
First
question, tell us a little about yourself, married? Kids? Grandkids?
I’m not married, and I have two grandchildren –
Mason is nineteen months old and Lylah is seven months old.
Fill
us in on your background with regards to writing.
I had my first poem published when I was a child,
and I wrote some short stories in high school.
After I trained as a secretary in the early 1980s, I mostly did business
writing. When my children were small, I wrote some non-fiction parenting
magazine articles, and newsletter articles for La Leche League, a breastfeeding
organization. I had a letter to the editor published in Time magazine once.
Have
you published a book and if so what was the genre?
No, I haven’t had a book published. I actually did
start a novel when I was in my 20s – I think I still have it somewhere. It had
something to do with espionage and the potential for nuclear war. Give me a
break – that was in the 80s! It wasn’t very good, but that attempt has given me
a great appreciation for all of you creative people out there who actually complete
the process! I know there are lots of tips and tricks for keeping track of
characters and subplots (spreadsheets, white boards, etc.), but even just to
think them up in the first place is impressive. You’ve all got to give
yourselves a big hand for that.
What
got you started in professional editing?
As a secretary/administrative assistant, I
inevitably edited my boss’ work, as well as my own. In addition, since I loved
grammar and was happy to pore over the written word, I gradually became the
go-to person for people who wanted me to review something. My mother took up
writing after her retirement, and I started editing her books, which I enjoyed
very much. I loved seeing how a story
developed and how I could tweak it just a little to make it better. And how I could point out something an author
hadn’t even considered and help polish their work. I stopped working in 2010
and went on disability, but I wasn’t comfortable relying on a source of income
that could stop at any time, so after the first six months, I started
investigating other employment opportunities that would fit my circumstances
and editing came to the forefront. One of the best things I loved about
administrative assistant work is that I enjoyed the tasks, and I could work in
any industry and learn all about it. Editing has that same allure! I enjoy the
tasks involved, and I get to read all about all sorts of topics. In the past
year, I’ve learned about dinosaur fossils in Oklahoma; the history of
Martinsburg, New York; and how to be a successful entrepreneur. Moreover, I get
to read great fiction books! Depending on the changes I may suggest, nobody
else in the world may ever read that exact book again… that’s exciting.
What
are your goals in editing?
Well, my goals are to support myself financially and
to support authors in achieving their dreams of being published. I’m not out to
make a million dollars, and I don’t want to work for a publisher or another
kind of company – I like being a freelance copy editor and working directly
with authors. I genuinely want to help you make your book the best it can be.
What
is your favorite genre to read? Do you have a favorite author?
My favorite genre is science fiction, particularly
disaster and end-of-the-world scenarios, and dystopian fiction. I don’t really
think I have a favorite author. There are some authors from whom I am have all
the books in a series, but there isn’t anybody whose book I would automatically
purchase regardless of the specific book. In addition to editing, I also offer
honest reviews of self-published books.
And
last but not least, where is your favorite place to vacation? I like to ask
this one for fun!
My goodness! I haven’t been on a real vacation in
over fifteen years. Hmmm… I did go to Paradise Island in the Bahamas once, and
that was very nice. I think that was in 1989. Lol! I’d like to go on a cruise
someday.
Thanks again for your willingness to come on my blog
and answer questions about yourself and your profession. I am so glad there are
people like you who love editing and are willing to do it at an affordable
price. You can reach Susan at these links:
Adirondack Editing http://adirondackediting.com
Susan Uttendorfsky’s public LinkedIn profile http://tinyurl.com/bfyw6bnhttp://tinyurl.com/bfyw6bn
E-Novelist
profile http://www.e-novelist.com/profile/SusanUttendorfsky
Smashwords profile https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SusanUttendorfskyhttps://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SusanUttendorfsky
I am leaving all of you with one final note—Susan’s
trailer for all of you to watch. I hope there are those among you that are
considering Susan as an editor. Don’t wait, contact her and find out if this is
the right way for you to have your book clean and professional when you put it
out there for all to read.
Until Thursday, may all of you have a wonderful
week! Lisa
Hello Susan,
ReplyDeleteI've been looking forward to your guest spot on Lisa's blog since she told me about it.
I am one of Lisa's critique partners and we've had many conversations about how editing, and getting a professional editor to look at your work, is so important to releasing the best novel possible. I love Lisa's story and cannot wait to hold the finished project in my hands.
I have written a paranormal fiction piece which is in revisions right now. I'm hoping to have those done this year and will be looking for an editor myself. I'll definitely check out your website and connect with you on LinkedIn.
I respect people who love grammar as I, myself, hate it. Commas are my bane, although I've gotten better, they still trip me up. How long does the editing process take? Also, if someone is going the traditional publishing route, do you work with agents and publishers? I haven't decided if I'm self-publishing or if I will go through the process of queries and submissions.
If you like dystopian fiction, check out Park Service by Ryan Winfield. It's YA, but very interesting.
Thank you for guesting on Lisa's blog. I am so excited for her. She has been working so hard to get to this point.
Regards,
RG (Robin) Calkins
http://rgcalkins-author.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RGCalkins.Author
https://twitter.com/RGCalkinswrites
Susan, hang in there. I'm sure people will comment later. Some are probably at work. ;-) Robin, thanks for your comment! Susan has been great with me so far. I can't wait to see if she likes my novel!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Robin, for your comment! As for timing, it depends on how long the work is and the level of editing needed. For example, not only do I have different tiers of service (such as proofreading versus copy editing), but the work itself may need a different level of editing (such as light versus intensive). I require a ten-page sample before I commit to editing any material, both for the author's comfort and mine. The author gets to see ahead of time what I might do to their precious work, and I get to see how much work it's going to be for me. Along general guidelines, I can do a 200-page fiction book in about two weeks.
ReplyDeleteAs for going the traditional route, no, I don't work with any publishers or agents. But since you're trying to get your material out of the all-consuming slush pile, having a professional edit can definitely help in that regard.
Thanks for the book suggestion, too... YA is great in that it's short and sweet.
Warmly,
Susan
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteSorry for the belated comment. I was in Greenwood Village this morning taking the Colorado portion of my Loan Originator license and have been in meetings since returning to work.
Because Lisa has already told me so much about you, I honestly do not have any input. I do have one slightly off-topic question, though. Where did you get the idea for your company name? The mountain range? The Algonquian speaking Native Americans? The chair...?
I apologize if this is an odd question, but that is what I do. :)
Thanks for going on Lisa's Blog!
Hi Toni! Odd questions are definitely a writer's forte, so fire away!
ReplyDeleteI live in upstate New York not far from the Adirondack State Park. Everything up here is "Adirondack" this and "Adirondack" that. It just seemed to come naturally! My mother's children's series is called "Adirondack Mouse". Although I should have picked a shorter name - Adirondack gets a little long sometimes... but then again I'm used to Uttendorfsky. :)
Any other questions? I'm happy to share!
Susan,
ReplyDeleteIt was great to get an editor's perspective. I'm wondering what you find as the greatest challenge editing manuscripts for writers have not yet published. Anything we should try to focus on in our first drafts?
Thanks,
Janet
Hi Janet - thanks for joining in! Hmmm, frequent edits for unpublished authors. I think the most frequent issue I run across is dialogue mechanics combined with show, don't tell. For instance, newer writers often want to have their characters grumble, moan, whine, yell, exclaim, snap, whisper, and demand when they talk. This type of emotion should be shown in actions, not described in speaker attributes. The word "said", while boring, unimaginative, and frequently used, becomes invisible to the reader's eye and readers just skim over it. Using a descriptive speaker attribute can take the reader right out of the story and force them to focus on the emotion trying to be described. It's better to show those feelings with character actions.
ReplyDeleteSo, stick with "said"! :) Best wishes, Janet!