Writers and Editors: Finding The Right Fit

November 12, 2022

Andre Calilhanna, BookBaby Blog editor, and Janna Lopez, creative writing coach, book guide, and Land of Enchantment writing retreat leader, talk about writing and editing and the process of finding the right fit to produce your best written work.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Andre: Let me say, I’ve been to the Land of Enchantment writing retreat in Santa Fe and what a great time that was — I got a lot out of it. So, that helped cultivate our relationship and we thought that having some conversations related to editing and writing might benefit our readers as we flesh out ideas and share our insights and experiences.

The first topic we want to explore is finding the right fit, for both a writer looking for an editor and vice versa. Janna, one of the notes you wrote here was “how to preserve a story’s essence.” As an editor, I’m curious what you were thinking when you said the story’s essence.

Table of Contents:
• Voice and essence in written work
• Intention in written work
• Freedom in self-publishing
• Establishing a relationship
• Understanding the editing process

Janna: Before I jump into that, I want to add that it’s interesting that we have the relationship we do and the perspectives we have because we are both writers and both editors, and we’ve worked with each other in both capacities. Not all writers get a chance to talk to editors and not all editors get a chance to talk to writers to the degree that we have — that’s a unique relationship unto itself.

So, how do we talk about preserving a story’s essence, because that is what all writers hope for when they look for an editor? And, at the same time, if an editor is a good fit, he’s truly looking to try to preserve a writer’s essence. So let’s define what a story’s essence is.

Voice and essence in written work

Andre: I guess the hang-up I have is the word “essence” as opposed to “voice.” That, to me, certainly from an editor’s perspective, is what I’m trying to keep in mind as I’m editing somebody’s work — that I’m not injecting or introducing my own voice. It’s really about preserving the writer’s voice. I don’t know if I’m parsing words or if this is a case of semantics, but that’s the distinction I’m trying to get at.

To me, the essence of the story is what the story is about and the voice of the story is how the author uses language to convey the story. So I’m trying to figure out if there is really a distinction there or if we are actually talking about the same thing just using different words.

Janna: I love that question. To me, “voice” is how the writer goes about trying to express what they’re saying and “essence” might be the outcome or feeling or intention of what they want the story to convey. So, the essence is the “what” and the voice is “how.” I look at them as very closely related, but different.

Intention in written work

Andre: OK, and different projects require different voices. When I’m editing a piece for the blog, there’s a certain tone we’re trying to cultivate, and that’s a much different task than when I’m editing somebody’s book. A book author can go in all sorts of different directions — I’m thinking of writers like William Burroughs or Charles Dickens — they use language in entirely different ways, you can’t approach book editing as one-size-fits-all. Different authors have very distinct voices.

So, when I’m working on a blog post, I’m trying to pare it down so we’re really getting to the core of what the message is in a concise way and in a tone that is in keeping with what we’ve established as the voice of the BookBaby Blog. But an author’s book is going to be able to go in all sorts of different directions. I never want to trample the essence of the story — but if you’re confusing the story with your language, then we’ve got a problem.

Janna: If I were to give advice to prospective BookBaby authors — or current BookBaby authors who are trying to find an editor — I think having clear intentions about how you’re going to tell your story and seeing that through is critical, because editors can pick up on those intentions, we can pick up on those things when we’re reading the work. We appreciate your unique voice and your unique point of view.

We also know that if the writing is going for a specific intention, then that’s something to be considered. As a writer, I know the BookBaby Blog has a tone and I try to write in what I understand it to be. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given is, “when you’re going to write for something specific, check out other things that have been written in that place and get a sense of what they’re trying to create in tone and voice.”

Freedom in self-publishing

Andre: We’re really straddling the difference between “for hire,” or “for a specific purpose” as opposed to a book, where you’ve got a lot more leeway in terms of expressing yourself through your words.

Janna: Especially with self-publishing. That is a very important distinction. When you are self-publishing, you have total freedom to express your story in the ways you want, and that is a luxury. That’s a benefit and part of why I chose to self-publish two books with BookBaby and have two more on the way. Self-publishing gives you that freedom.

Andre: Sure. Though you don’t want to confuse your audience by going in strange circles — you still need to be able to write and tell your story.

Janna: Yes. Well, I’m assuming we’re talking to amazing, interesting, creative, brilliant writers aspiring to have a book published.

Andre: Right. There are certain conventions you need to conform to and clearly you have a ton of leeway to spread your wings and express yourself at the same time. And there are other distinctions, like editing a book of poetry versus a story, a book of prose, as opposed to something like a blog post. Every genre of book is going to have its own parameters and space to break and bend and make its own rules.

Establishing a relationship

Janna: One thing I appreciated about working with you as an editor and would encourage all writers out there to consider is: try to find a good fit. Andre, as an editor, suggested I send him a few pages of my work, and then he went ahead and did his version of editing and sent it back to me, and that gave me an indication of how he would execute the editing of my poetry book.

As we’ve said, poetry is very different than prose or memoir or short fiction, so one way, as a writer — to give you a good tip — before you work with an editor, see if they’re willing to edit a few pages and see what they send back. You’ll know, from that, if that editor will be a good fit.

Andre: That’s why I established that as my protocol with writers, because, trying to explain what you’re going to do — it’s like dancing about cooking. I can try to tell you what’s going to happen, but until I’ve got my hands on the work and am steeped in the writing, I don’t know how the edited piece is going to differ from the original myself.

So this gives me an opportunity to get into what the project is going to be, set my expectations in regard to how long it’s going to take, and at the same time, I’m showing the writer, “This is what you’re going to get. This is exactly what you’re going to see at the end of this project.” I couldn’t think of a clearer way to communicate that.

Then they can say, “This is great, you’re hitting all the right notes,” or “You don’t know what you’re doing, I don’t want to have anything to do with you.” It’s been an effective way to communicate what the process is — particularly for a new author who has never gone through this before, it gives them a very concrete idea of what the editing process is going to look like and what they can expect.

Understanding the editing process

Janna: And I think writers are trepidatious, and rightfully so, about working with an editor. I think writers don’t always know what the editing process is going to look like. They don’t know how to navigate everything that editing entails. It is a give-and-take. We, as editors, are trying to make decisions on your behalf, in your best interest, to polish and highlight and bring out the strengths of what we’re reading.

I’d recommend to writers to understand that, just as writing your work was a process, for us, as editors, it’s also a process. We’re taking our time to get a sense of the book’s strengths while recognizing opportunities to maybe take a few things out so that the stronger points can shine. There’s a degree of flexibility and trust that’s required. So be patient with your editor as you learn how they’re going about being with your work and addressing your work.

I know that when I work with writers, as an editor, it’s an interesting, close relationship. I feel like I’m stepping into the writer’s world of their work that took so much time and effort to create, so it’s important to me to get it right.

Andre: It’s an honor, and it’s where, as an editor, you don’t want to consider yourself part of the artistry. You’re not the artist in this situation, the writer is. I’m trying to take this work and put it in its best light and make sure the essence of the story really comes through clearly in the voice of the author.