Editing

"Style is a tool, not a possession." -- Laurie Laliberte

"The road to hell is paved with adverbs." -- Stephen King

A writer friend (whose work I've never edited) asked how I convey to an author what my ideas are when editing their work. This was my response (be prepared for some off-color language):

It's easy to explain. Three words that writers so often forget:  Know your audience.

The guy reading the cop novel wants you to talk to him like a cop, so do it. How do cops talk? How do they act? They're not going to be polite like a guest at Sunday dinner. They'll be rough around the edges. They're spending most of their time with other guys. So dirty up your dialogue, but don't forget to dirty up your narrative too.

The reader of sci-fi tends to like a brainier read, but you still have to be careful to appeal to the masses. Remember that most sci-fi readers are male. So your audience is a smart young man (known in some circles as an oxymoron). Talk to him like he has a brain. Don't repeat yourself. Throw him some tech and some history, but be careful about balance. Don't flood him with it.

The bored housewife who reads erotica wants to be seduced. Seduce her. Make love to her. Or throw her down on the bed and fuck her brains out. Speak to her the way you would a lover. She's not a reader; she's your love interest.

Explaining yourself from an editor's point of view is easy. Getting the buy-in from the writer is a challenge. Some give me a fight. THAT'S when I get down and dirty.

I regularly tell one author that every time he misuses an apostrophe a kitten dies a horrible death.

I once told a writer to grow a pair before he sent me his next piece because he was writing like a pussy. I get downright nasty when I have to. Whatever it takes to get the best out of him I possibly can. Because that's my job.

Sometimes that means being a total bitch. Sometimes it means holding hands and drying tears.

On my end, it's just as important to know MY audience. I have to know my writer. I have to know how to read what he's written and understand why he's writing the way he does. I identify spaces where we can improve and figure out how to do it.

It's a very intimate relationship because I'm looking into the deepest, darkest recesses of a writer's soul. Some of the first drafts I've seen are nothing like the finished projects we've put out.

It took me a week to recover from one edit. I was a mess. I can only imagine how the writer felt and what he went through. I couldn't even read afterward, let alone edit. I never want to read that book again. Four times was enough. Times like that I wish we could work face to face. But it was worth every minute.

**********
My basic method is as follows:

1.  Read through/story edit

2.  Line edit with detailed changes for grammar and refining narrative

3.  Proofread which sometimes entails minor grammatical and narrative changes

4.  (If necessary) a final proofread

I simply pass a .doc or .docx (Word) back and forth with the author. I use the tracking feature for any changes I make. Turnaround time depends on the size of the piece, but I get each step done as quickly as possible since indie authors have the ability to publish within hours of completing their work.
I am also quite experienced at working in Google docs, but it takes me a bit longer as the process requires more steps than working in Word. The advantage to Gdocs is that I can be in the form with the author chatting and working at the same time. It's basically a virtual office. The drawback is that conversion to Word for publishing can sometimes be more labor intensive from Gdocs.

What I need from you:

1.  Your first couple of chapters so I can get a feel for your work. Make sure those chapters are from the manuscript you are looking to have me edit. (You would think that goes without saying, but you'd be wrong, dead wrong.)

2.  A timeline. I need to know what your expectations are so I can plan accordingly. (Most important: begin date and target date for publishing.)

3.  Your word count so I can give you an estimate on cost.

Also, the one thing I ask of every author is a simple recognition somewhere in the book mentioning me as editor. My authors generally add that to their acknowledgments or their copyright page. Something to the effect of "This book was edited by Laurie Laliberte."
Some authors choose to put my name right next to theirs when listing on Amazon, but that's the writer's decision to make.

**********

• A la carte services are priced on a case-by-case basis.  Please contact Laurie Laliberte at KindleAllStars@gmail.com for details.
• You may also visit Tony Acree's blog, Crasher's Corner, where I've written a guest post that will take you step-by-step through my editing process in more detail.

**********
Recommendations:

“Laurie is very good at many aspects of her job. She homed in right away on issues that plagued my writing and marred the experience for the reader. She is tough as nails when it comes to whipping a writer [into] shape, but a big softie after you come out the other side with a piece of quality work. And you will. I have hired Laurie twice to punch up some of my work, and both times I came away satisfied and with a more polished representation of my work. She's harsh, but she teaches you the fundamentals by beating them in to you. She does it because she cares. No matter how much we spar, it always ends with a hug and a tear. I love her to death.”

David Hulegaard, author of Noble, The Jumper, and Noble:  Bloodlines

“If you're a writer, Laurie Laliberte is your best friend. She's an editing deity. A wordstress. 

She's also a workaholic. She never stops.

During my time with Kindle All-Stars, Laurie was the driving force. She was down in the mud with the troops. She pushed us forward. As much as Bernard Schaffer inspired us, Laurie gave us direction. And not just when it came to manuscripts. 

Laurie doesn't just care about the product. She cares about the writer, too. 

I'm honored to have worked with her. And I'm honored to keep working with her.”

William Vitka, author of Infected, and Emergence

"Laurie is a rock star. Period."
"I see the quote of mine Laurie used above and my only concern is that it was too brief to fully explain the amazing awesomeness that is the editorial machine known as Laliberte.
Over the past year, Laurie has exclusively edited my work. 
She is my go-to guy. My number one receiver. My confidant. My trusted adviser. My teacher, my partner, and if I were aboard a sinking submarine and had one phone call left to make to the single person on the planet I know would be resourceful enough and possess the necessary ass-kicking skills to get me out of there, it would be to her.
You follow me yet? 
If you are an author and considering publishing your work without retaining the services of an editor, you are entering the lion's den without a whip or a chair, buddy. 
If you are hiring an editor and it isn't Laurie Laliberte, in the comfortable vernacular of my day-job: Sucka, you stupid."

Bernard Schaffer, author of Guns of Seneca 6, Superbia, and Overdogs, among others

"I don't think there's a single thing you've said I can disagree with, to be honest... Great edit, really happy with it all so far."
"I'll work with you either way. If they want my book then they have to have you too. Period. I'm not working with another editor."
Tony Healey, author of The Stars My Redemption, tutti frutti, and Far from Home: Legend

***********
Further Reading

How To Find an Editor
Are You Done Yet?-OR-Why I Don't Read Queries
Five Ways to Get Your Editor to Kill You
Editors Hate Everything. Yes They Do.