How did you become an editor?

In 2010, I started as a copywriter for a small publishing company, and within six months, I was asked to apply for the copyediting position. I drafted an email to say no thank you because I didn’t think I was old enough, smart enough, good enough. But I deleted the email and said I wanted to apply.

When I took the copyediting test, I was certain I had failed. When the supervisor offered me the job, I said, “But didn’t I fail the test?”

She laughed and said, “Normally, editors miss fourteen errors on that test. You missed four.”

I was dumbfounded! I took the job, enjoyed my time there, and by 2013, I started my own company.

What kind of editing do you do? And will you work with a client who asks for the kind of editing you don't normally provide?

I provide developmental editing, content editing, copyediting, and proofreading. If I choose not to work with an author, it’s not because of the services I don’t provide, but because of the things I will not tolerate in a client. (I have learned my lesson!)

I’ve rejected projects and fired clients if/when: they will not listen to instructions; they do not know how to use a computer (your investment into my services shouldn’t be “How do I attach a PDF?”); they hire me but refuse to listen to me; they insist on my doing work way outside the scope of our project; they don’t listen to me about genres (e.g., If I made it crystal clear that a children’s picture book is 400–700 words, I am not going to work on one that’s nearly 2,000).

What editing tools do you feel are the most helpful?

The Chicago Manual of Style (online and the book) is my bible, that’s for sure. Second to that is M-W.com so I can ensure accuracy in my spellings. I use Google Docs every single day to create my style sheets, keep up with client to-do lists, and even paste my favorite quotes in the doc for their future book launch use. I have the Pomodoro Method app (Pomofocus) on my laptop so I can make the most of my time without straining my eyes. Word Hippo is my favorite thesaurus. And Dubsado is the CRM I use.

What are the most common mistakes you see?

I wrote a blog post about this called “Manuscript Errors Novice Authors Keep Making.” However, there is one area that I wish authors would listen to me about: formatting. When you send in your manuscript via Microsoft Word, I want the most boring, black-and-white, graphics-free manuscript you can give me. It should be Times New Roman, 11-point font, first line indent of .5, and that’s it! Very boring.

If you don’t do this, I will . . . and all the hours of fancy formatting? Yes, that all gets stripped away.

The two “But my English teacher said so!” conundrums I deal with most often? Prepositions at the end of a sentence are not wrong. It’s a remnant from Latin grammar, which should never straitjacket American grammar. And for the love of all things pure and holy, stop using two spaces after a period. I will delete them, your book formatter will delete them, and you will save money with printing.

Which books do you feel are helpful to writers who want to write better?

It depends on the genre, and I list my top favorites here, but for novelists, they should have three books that they read front to back: 1) Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody; 2) Beyond the First Draft: Deep Novel Revision by Laurel Yourke; and 3) The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. Other books I highly recommend, no matter the genre, are: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and Pep Talks for Writers by Grant Faulkner.

I also highly recommend that whatever genre you want to write in, you must study those genres. Not just read them! But study them. If you want to write your memoir, you need to read and study memoirs. (Interesting fact: I will turn away a client if they don’t read in their genre.)

How do you handle a situation where a client often questions or argues your edits done on their work?

I first start with proof. Usually, that proof is already there in my comments within the manuscript or in the style sheet. But let’s say the proof doesn’t work. I first have to decide if that’s a hill I want to die on. (Oxford comma? I’m dying on that hill.)

If it’s not that big of a deal, then I’ll shrug and say okay. It is the author’s book, after all.

But what happens if it’s something big, like what happened to me recently: a children’s picture book that went from 28–32 pages (standard) to 80 pages. I kindly bowed out of the project and offered a partial refund (since I still had a storyboard and proofread left). If I stayed on that project, I would’ve made a huge compromise and I would’ve disrespected the readers.

That said, please describe your ideal client.

The one who signs the contract, pays their invoice, and sends their manuscript. And leaves me alone to work! They listen to me because they respect my twelve years of experience in this industry, trust that I am taking exceptional care of their book, and try to learn from me along the way.

In terms of genre, I love thrillers, horror, science fiction, business leadership, self-help, and poetry.

What should a client expect when working with you as their editor?

A lot of resources! I love to create my own checklists and articles and how-to videos so my clients have the knowledge they need to succeed. Even though I’m an editor, I’m also a marketer, so when I finish edits, I love to suggest marketing and book launch ideas.

What do you do in the event that you feel the client’s work needs more in-depth editing than what they have asked for?

I actually have a boilerplate for this! Basically, I praise them for writing their first book (that is no small feat!) and tell them: “At this time, your book is not ready for editing, but I want to give you the steps needed to get it ready.” I encourage them with resources and books, suggested online writing courses, and an invitation to resubmit.

Do you negotiate your rates?

Not anymore, no. I know my value and my worth. If I’m out of someone’s budget, I simply recommend other editors who can meet their budget.

ABOUT SHAYLA:

A self-publishing mentor, best-selling author, and public speaker, Shayla Raquel works one-on-one with writers every day. A lifelong lover of books, she has been in the publishing industry for twelve years and teaches on author branding, indie publishing, book marketing, and the craft of writing.

Her award-winning blog teaches new and established authors how to write, publish, and market their books.

She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist, “The Rotting” (in Shivers in the Night), The Suicide Tree, The 10 Commandments of Author Branding, All the Things I Should’ve Told You, and “Savage Indulgence.” In her not-so-free time, she studies all things true crime and obsesses over squirrels. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three fur babies.

Learn more at shaylaraquel.com.