When an author works with an editor it is not only about the manuscript and the text but about what the author wants to convey through their book. No wonder an author needs to analyse and evaluate various parameters before choosing an editor.
This interview series is an exercise to ensure that the search is an easy one. For the tenth interview in the #EditorExplains series on the blog, please welcome the creative, insightful writer as well as a meticulous, skilled editor; Dagny Sol.
Dagny and I have known each other since the days when we were writing and blogging ages ago. That tells you about her experience and expertise. For the rest, let’s hear it from Dagny, herself.
Q1. Welcome to Eloquent Articulation Dagny, what pulled you into the field of editing?
Ans: I am an editor because of my love for books and language. I took the turn your passion into your profession rather seriously… and how wonderfully it has worked out! This thing works!
Q2. What levels of editing do you offer? What are your favourite genres to work with?
Ans: I offer all levels of editing except proofreading. I really, truly enjoy developmental editing. It is always a moving experience to see a story go from good to outstanding with just a few minor tweaks. It is like magic.
In fiction, I enjoy working with women-centric stories, murder mysteries and thrillers, and stories with a spiritual slant to them. These stories speak to me and impel me to the best of my efforts.
In non-fiction, I love working with creative non-fiction and work that is in the self-help domain.
Q3. Dagny, tell us about your typical workday.
Ans: My typical workday begins at 4.30 am. I usually get in an hour or two of work done before breakfast and another three hours before lunch. Before I shut down for the night around 8 pm, I will usually have put in another four hours. Since I am also a farmer, sometimes that takes precedence. But I definitely put in 5-6 hours of work every day except Sundays. On Sundays, I often don’t power up my laptop at all.
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This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.
If you click on any of the links and make a purchase, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to help offset the cost of the Eloquent Articulation website.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Q4. Editors are usually voracious readers and book lovers. Dagny are you a one or multi-book reader? What are you reading right now?
Ans: I am a multi-book reader. Before I turned editor, I was a one-book-at-a-time reader. Now that I have had to train myself to switch books as they go through various stages of editing, I find myself reading two or three books at the same time. Currently, I am reading Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens (again) and David Baldacci’s Zero Day (also again).
The truth is, my profession has impacted my reading habits. I don’t read for pleasure as extensively as I did before.
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Q5. How do you sustain interest in even the most mundane aspects of editing—proofreading, fact-checking, source-checking, etc.?
Ans: These are certainly the most non-exciting parts of the editing process. There are times when I struggle. Taking a round of my garden, putting on some instrumental music while I grind through these unlovely parts of the job, get me through. If the client permits me to, I sometimes let one of my associates do these things. But only if the client is okay with it. Otherwise, I remind myself of the pleasure of having finished the project and get on with it.
Q6. Share about your most confounding editing assignment to date, Dagny. How has it affected you as an editor?
Ans: I wouldn’t call it confounding exactly, but yes, it did impact me. When I was still new to editing, a lady wrote to me telling me about a novel she had written. She told me she had approached many editors and none of them had agreed to help her.
After reading her sample, I asked to talk to her on the phone. Her entire manuscript was a single block of text without punctuations, line breaks or paragraph breaks. The manuscript was a true nightmare. When I spoke to her, I knew that she knew it too.
I edited two of her manuscripts. After both books were published, her husband called to thank me. He said, “What you have done for my wife, I can never forget. There is nothing I can give you that will match her joy.”
It made all the work worthwhile. It also made me realize—deeper than before—how many dreams come to our mailbox wrapped in a manuscript. I never forget to treat each manuscript with the greatest respect and gentleness.
Q7. Please share one pro tip for your writers. Dagny, what advice would you give writers trying to pitch stories for publications?
Ans: When it comes to getting published, I have only one pro-tip for all writers. Get good at marketing yourself. Paraphrasing Don Corleone (from The Godfather by Mario Puzo), make your offer(ing) so compelling, they cannot refuse. When you’re easy to sell, publishers will be happy to do so… and rake in the money for both of you.
Q8. Where can writers reach you for editing queries?
Ans: I can be reached via my Website, Email, or LinkedIn.
It was a pleasure chatting with you Dagny, wishing you all the best and a fruitful, fantastic 2023.
This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.
If you click on any of the links and make a purchase, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to help offset the cost of the Eloquent Articulation website.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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