How Do You Become an Editor in Publishing? Part 1!
Is there one "right" route to take to become an editor?
Hi friends, Emily Deaton from KWE Publishing here, and today I'm talking about a topic that I'm asked about fairly often—how to break into the publishing industry.
Before I start, I want to say that there is no single way to get into the publishing industry, and I don't think there's a "right" or "wrong" way to do it in most cases. I know, I know, that might sound like a cop-out, but I've heard of people taking so many different paths that resulted in them getting into the publishing industry that it feels unfair to say you have to follow one route.
With that said, I want to talk about a few common ways that I've heard of people becoming editors. I'll also share how I got into publishing as well since I'm currently an editor and book coach at KWE Publishing.
Since this is a pretty big topic to cover, I've decided to split this into two posts. Today, I’m going to talk about the first few steps you should take to get into editing if you’re brand-new to the process—reading and writing, learning about the different types of editing, and practicing editing published books.
Start reading and writing!
Time to pick up the books and start reading books in the genre(s) that you'd like to edit! This might sound like common sense, but as an editor, you need to be familiar with the type of books you want to edit. What do readers expect in the genre? What perspectives are most commonly focused on? What are common tropes, themes, or messages?
Beyond reading, many (but not all) editors also have a background in writing; honing your writing skills can teach you a lot about what makes compelling literature.
It helps to be mindful of your end goal as you read and write. If you want to edit memoirs, for example, you need to know what makes a good memoir—and what would turn readers off from one, too. Do you necessarily need to write a memoir to edit memoirs? Nope! There are so many wonderful editors who haven’t written books in every genre they’re editing. Regardless of the genre, good writing hinges on storytelling—and a good editor understands that. If writing helps you better understand story mechanics, it’s worth a try.
In my experience, simultaneously editing and writing allowed me to become a more well-rounded editor with an understanding of what writers are experiencing. I've received critiques on my writing—something I dreaded in school but that ultimately improved my writing skills and my ability to catch mistakes in my own writing and other people’s work—so I know how anxiety-inducing that experience can be for many people. As an editor, I keep that in mind when working with authors. I try to make a point of explaining my reasoning for my edits, and I also make an effort to point out what works well in the stories I review.
While not every editor is a writer, many editors, myself included, find writing to be a valuable way to learn about the craft. If you'd like the opportunity to get feedback on your writing and to edit others' work, consider joining a local or online writing group.
Know what type of editing you want to do.
What do I mean by "type" of editing? Well, there are various types of editing—developmental editing, copy editing, line editing, etc.—and each type of editor has a specific focus.