The question I’m always asking is: how can I adapt my practices to better meet the needs of the authors I work with?

Short Bio:

I’ve been editing and writing fiction since 2021. I primarily edit queer fiction (romance, crime, historical, and memoir), and offer authors developmental editing, manuscript evaluations, and coaching to help them put their ideal story out into the world. Celebrating and championing queer characters and authors is a key value that underscores everything I do as an editor, educator, and coach.

Career Development & Skills:

What editing skill or publishing trend are you focusing on developing this year?

An editing skill that I continue to hone and develop is author coaching, and in particular author revision coaching. Working 1:1 with authors is the highlight of my editing work, and I enjoy meeting with an author who has finished their early draft, has had some beta feedback, and is ready to dive in but wants some help making a plan and picking the best direction. I’m a huge advocate for taking the writing process seriously and not taking shortcuts (sorry, ChatGPT), because so much of the benefit of writing a novel, memoir, or a book is going through the process. I know this because I’ve done three times now, but it’s easy to get caught up in the rush and the scramble that is the world, and only think about the end product. So I’m a process-focused editor, where learning and teaching authors is as much a part of the work I do as getting the end result finished, because mastering craft at each stage means future novels are easier to write, and future editing is also much smoother! I’m looking forward to expanding into the helping fields of queer business, self-improvement, and healing books next.

Industry Insights & Experiences:

Share a project you worked on that felt particularly meaningful to you.

A recent memoir project really encapsulates what I’ve been working towards and the types of projects I hope to be involved in going forward. The memoir is part of a gay man’s coming-out story, exploring the struggles and challenges of living authentically, but the author is offering his story not as something depressing, but as an inspirational message to those facing adversity, prejudice, and discrimination, showing that through finding authentic ways to express ourselves, we can live the most fulfilling versions of our lives. I love this, and it speaks to me on so many levels: my past, my present, and my future. I’m looking forward to working with other gay and queer writers who are working on books around their business journeys, therapy books, and texts that help readers to heal and grow as they move through life. Words have power, as we know, and I can’t wait to play a small part in supporting authors as they take their tough times and turn them into something beautiful, strong, and empowering.

Community Building:

What type of content or authors are you most passionate about working with?

Coming across the LGBTQ+ Editors Association in January 2023 has been a pivotal moment in my editing journey. Until then, I hadn’t factored in how important it is to have support from people who have had similar life experiences and understand some of the obstacles that come from navigating an increasingly hostile world as a queer person. Through volunteering with them, and now as a board member, I’ve found four awesome editors to work with on my own novels, started a queer romance writing group and a Discord server, and worked with and collaborated with individuals on different projects celebrating various LGBTQ+ days throughout the year. I’m very happy to expand my network with the newly formed International Chapter of the EFA, and it was great to connect for our first Zoom meeting and learn about all the great work that’s going on globally. Find your people, because they make this journey so much brighter and we all need some support sometimes.

Practical Resources & Support:

What tools, resources, or references have been game-changers for your editing work?

Switching to Notion this year has been a game-changer, and creating a client portal system means I keep everything in one place and can share agreements, client information, and keep reminders organised. I also use TextExpander for boilerplate email replies and Zoom Scheduler for calls and calendar updates.

Representation & Advocacy:

What does conscious language mean in your editing practice?

It is sometimes easier, for me, to explain what conscious language is not, and it’s not censorship, author shaming, demanding changes, policing language, or being offended by everything.

It is acknowledging that language is powerful, and that language shapes how people perceive or understand a group of people. For me, it recognises that language has been historically unfairly deployed to create division rather than unite people, and has been used to harm rather than heal. Ableist, racist, and othering language slips into writing all the time, and my role as an editor is to point out to an author how it might be perceived by someone else. We are all products of our environments, and I operate under the assumption that people are doing the best they can with the tools they have, and that might mean people slip up, and that’s okay. We are all learning and we are all students.

Keeping up to date and educated on language changes means Karen Yin’s Conscious Style Guide sits close to my editing station, and reading widely from groups I don’t belong to means I can listen and hold space for what is important in the current discourse. Authenticity and sensitivity reading are an area that the LGBTQ+ Editors Association can help authors with by connecting them with someone who can advise and offer input on making a character or topic more realistic, accurate, and sympathetic to the real people who might see themselves written about in fictional ways.

Networking & Collaboration:

What type of collaboration or partnership would you be interested in exploring with other group members?

I’m open to speaking with all authors and editors! My cup is pretty full with the current volunteer roles I have, but I’m always interested to learn about how people are marketing books, how they connect with authors, and I love hearing success stories! Share your wins, big and small, because it always inspires me and shows everyone what is possible. (Also share your struggles, because editors are some of the most generous colleagues I’ve had the pleasure of working with and can usually point you in the right direction.) 

Image shows the EFA’s International Affinity Group logo