Editor: Cynthia Williams Company: Dragonfly Editorial # of years in editing: 17 years
Tell us a little about yourself, including how you got started as an editor?
I grew up in New Orleans. When I was an undergrad, staff from the only book publisher in town spoke to my Editing and Publishing class. I applied for an internship with them, and that turned into a full-time job a week or two before I graduated. Though editing isn't always easy, at the time, I thought, "How great is it that I get paid to do this!"
What is your area of focus and why did you select this niche?
I started out in book publishing and worked in that arena for six years (on regional books, fiction, literary studies, history).
After taking a break to get a master's in public administration, my focus started to shift to more technical material. I wanted to bring all my skill sets (editing, program evaluation, research) together. I also found that I had a preference for shorter material (e.g., newsletters and reports, as opposed to books).
Since then, I've worked on more technical material, including policy papers, and program evaluation and research reports.
Walk us through a typical workday. How do you manage your time?
Dragonfly's services are on demand, so it's different every day! I keep an eye on one email inbox for a client who sends us regular work. So that's the first thing I check in the morning and continue to check throughout the day. I'll edit any projects that come in.
For another client, I manage the intake and assigning (and, sometimes, the editing) of projects as they come in. So I'll also check that inbox in the morning and throughout the day, getting the details for the project and checking the calendar on our project management site to see what Dragonfly editors are available.
I also take whatever editing projects I can from other clients. I may have a project that carries over for a few days or a week. So I'll continue or wrap up any work from the previous day. This could be an editing project or a PDF to proof.
In between those things, I have fun g-chats with my co-workers, who are also working from home.
What is your favorite thing about being an editor?
Learning a little bit about a lot of things.
What is your biggest challenge and how do you work through this?
Communication skills are an editor's best asset. And communication (not strict rule adherence) is the end goal for all final copy. I'm constantly thinking of how to better communicate with writers, because they're the folks I want to either accept my edits or explain to me the reasoning behind their messaging/writing, so I know their style.
Often, at Dragonfly, we work on only one round of edits. That is, there's no back-and-forth with the client until we get a clean copy. I'm always wondering how to use my one shot with the client to strike the right balance between explaining a change they may be resistant to or dismiss and not explaining too much.
Since every client is different, I'm always fine-tuning my querying and communication skills.
What are you currently working on?
A little of this, a little of that. I just finished reviewing the second round of some page proofs and editing a press release. I'm sure more has come in since I started this survey! I'm also planning to try my hand at helping out our writing team.
What advice do you have for someone who is just starting their career as an editor?
Immerse yourself in all the expected resources (CMOS, AP, APA, etc.; and some of my favorites: ACES, KOK Edit, John McIntyre's Baltimore Sun column, The Subversive Copy Editor), but avoid self-imposed pressure (which, I know, some editors just can't help). Every year of your career, there will be so many more things to learn and much more nuance to try on.