In part 2 of our interview, the writers and editorial masterminds behind Networking for Freelance Editors, Brittany and Linda, cover the steps they took to make their book accessible. Linda issues a challenge to all writers. Plus we talk about how they customize the editing process to make it work for their writing and lift up some excellent editors and resources in our Hot & Wholesome Gossip Corner! Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week I’m joined by two–that’s right, TWO–fabulous editors and writers of Networking for Freelance Editors, Brittany Dowdle and Linda Ruggeri. Brittany and Linda share how they picked the editors who worked on their book, the philosophy that drove all their editing decisions, and some really solid advice for how to vet editors if you’re not already in the editing community. Plus, Linda and Ariel talk drool-worthy marinade recipes. Also be on the lookout for the second part of our conversation in Episode 31, when we discuss the importance of accessibility and give shoutouts in our Hot & Wholesome Gossip Corner! Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week I’m joined by psychiatrist and speculative fiction writer Justin C. Key. Justin shares his experiences writing and editing for audio stories, finding a team of people to trust when you’re moving around geographically, deciding whether to revise and resubmit or to look elsewhere, and balancing the writer’s life with an outside career and why editing short stories fits better into a busy life than novels. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week I’m joined by kidlit author Maggie Tokuda-Hall. Maggie shares how illustrators amplified the messages in her picture books, why she worked with women editors for her feminist graphic novel, and what she did with her overedited, totally trunked manuscript. Plus we dive into our objectively perfect #StetPet personalities. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week I’m joined by kidlit author Erin Dealey. Erin shares how editing is like pottery and a checklist of important points for children’s book self-editing (word count, hook, marketability, and aha! endings). Plus she makes Edit Your Darlings history with our first rap! Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m joined by literary fiction writer Hilary Zaid. Hilary explores the mindset she brings to self-editing, shares how working with professional editors has differed from the critiques she received in writing conferences and workshops, and provides guidance for writers who need to make big, big cuts. Plus we talk about why our lawyer besties are so dang sweet.

This week, I’m joined by Oludara (Dara) Adeeyo, an editor, writer, and psychotherapist passionate about helping people improve their overall well-being, especially Black women. We talk about how to avoid erasing AAVE in editing passes, how to decide whether you’re being sensitive or the feedback is valid, impostor syndrome, and how writing and editing for books differs from magazines. Plus she reveals her secret blog!

This week, I’m joined by fantasy writer Melissa Caruso. Melissa shares how editing is like a car, the different flavors her editors at Orbit have brought to the work, and how her copy editor inspired a character’s name. Plus we discuss what is perhaps the scariest note an editor can leave in the comments: “Why?” Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m joined by YA writer and fellow podcaster Sarah Nicolas. You may have also read their romance writing under Aria Kane. Sarah shares tips on how to survive writing an entire draft in 4 weeks, the process they undertake from “I hate this” to “my editor is a genius,” and how they were able to swap services to get editing when they had no budget for it. Plus they kindly correct a common misconception that even I had about Pitch Wars and we go off on a tasty tangent about chocolate. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m joined by veteran writer and editor Joni Sensel. Joni shares the questions she tackles in editing her work and how it's the same (or different) for corporate writing and tech editing. We also talk about how different genres have changed her approach, her writer-illustrator relationships, and how long the runway can be for publishing. Plus her furry editorial assistant chimes in! Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m joined by kidlit writer and copyeditor Anna Dobbin. Anna shares a secret of dynastic proportions while discussing her experiences in writing and editing pieces for two middle grade anthologies. Plus we chat about her conscious language services, in-house versus freelance editing from both sides of the desk, and what’s gone into her win jar recently. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m joined by queer romance writer Skye Kilaen. Skye shares her process for finding beta readers and editors she can trust, how she weeds out toxic criticism, and how she took a sensitivity reader’s feedback to totally reshape a story. Plus we chat about in-house versus freelance editing and our favorite romance tropes. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m joined by award-winning historical fiction writer Alan Brennert. Alan explains the differences between revising work for screenwriting versus novels, how he infused his historical novels with cultural awareness and sensitivity by accurately capturing the language, how he navigated a change in editors between novels, and what it’s like to be edited by his wife. Plus, he breaks my entire heart by sharing his misadventures with copyediting. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m joined by freelance writer and editor Samantha Hanni. Learn and laugh along with us as we cover serious topics, like whether your editor needs to share the same beliefs as you and how to tell if your message is landing with your readers, and not-so-serious topics, like roller coasters and creative ways to repurpose your edited darlings. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m talking with YA and romance author Dahlia Adler. Dahlia shares her stories of editing for self-published and traditional works, plus the chaos of editing anthologies. She tells how she found her critique partner BFFs and and how she fits a billion hours of work into each week, somehow squeezing writing and blogging and editing all in while still remaining active and supportive in the writing community. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m talking with prolific children's writer and veteran editor Lisa L. Owens. Lisa explains how writing and editing children's books, from picture books to YA, can take different processes based on the author's goals to either self-publish or work with a traditional publisher. We cover which professional organizations we find meaning in, the perils of fact-checking, and how she handled one big publishing mistake. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m talking with YA speculative fiction author Farah Naz Rishi. Farah shares how she totally cheated to get the best critique partners ever, drew inspiration from her legal background to craft I Hope You Get This Message, and how she uses her other talents to enhance her self-editing. We also discuss how she shaped her diverse cast of characters and the challenges of BIPOC writers working with white editors. Listen until the end for recommendations on a super cute video game and the best unboxing video ever. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m talking with indie author SiriGuruDev Singh, who shares how she found her editing team, her philosophy on harsh feedback, and where she drew the line for her YA stories. We also go off on fun tangents about YA in general and drafting longhand in pretty notebooks. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m talking with Dr. Stephanie Vanderslice, the witty and heartfelt professor who taught me everything I know about children’s literature. She shares stories of withering and uplifting critiques, her experiences on submission, the editing partnership with her husband, how she finds the rest of her editing team, the “one weird trick” of reading all your work out loud to catch mistakes, and the downsides of being a concise writer. Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, I’m talking with literary writer and editor, Alle C. Hall. We discuss how to spot a bad critique, six elements sentences must convey in your writing, what to expect from a literary magazine editing your work, privilege in publishing, editing sensitive material, and more! Music: Harlequin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3858-harlequin License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/