If you’ve been reading writing advice for some time, you know that hiring an editor (or working with one through a traditional press) is an important part of publishing a polished and saleable book. Working with editors can be amazing to make your story so much stronger—it can also be scary, especially if you don’t know what to expect. This can be especially true for memoirists, as your book is not just a big creative project, it’s also a very personal part of your life recorded on the page. Editors should be stepping into the life of your book as you’re shifting from the raw creative process to thinking about the market and publishing steps you want to take. (Hiring an editor too soon can be a mistake!) Getting feedback and bringing in other voices and opinions into that process can be uncomfortable. Preparing your mindset for the editorial process can ensure you get the most out of your editor and make the very best choices for your book. Watch or read on below for mistakes to avoid and how to adjust your expectations and mindset.
Before we get into today’s post, we wanted to ask—do you have a plan for actually finishing your memoir? If not, we know you aren’t making the progress you hoped for. That’s why we developed The Memoir Method Checklist. This free guide (and video training!) will take you through every single step you need from idea to published marketable book. Grab it now at https://pageandpodium.com/checklist
Shifting gears out of drafting
The drafting stage is often one of creative energy, and a stage that you will likely spend months in if not years. Drafting is a long-term outpouring and naturally you will become very attached to that piece of work—even when you know at the same time it’s a draft, and not a finished and polished draft. There is a natural resistance to letting go of that full control you have when drafting, even if was lonely at times. This is also the point of the project where you begin to shift out of writing for yourself and for its own benefit, and considering how you will publish to find your audience.
Part of this mindset shift is moving from creative energy to thinking strategically and with the business of publishing in mind. The business of publishing is the practical side—what are audiences looking for, what elements of your story and message will drive people to your book the most, and how to capture that audience among all the other books competing for their attention. Editors are enormous assets to have in helping you make these decisions. As professionals, they have the emotional and analytical distance needed to see what your book needs, not only to tell your story well, but meet the marketplace’s expectations.
Four obstacles to a strong editorial relationship
For new authors and memoirists who are sharing this version of their story with strangers for the first time, some obstacles can pop up that get in the way of having a strong working relationship with your editor. We see these issues in working with authors, but we also deeply empathize with how they happen from the author’s perspective, because we’ve been there too. When you can recognize and understand where these obstacles come from, you can avoid letting them cloud your mindset and get in the way of making the smartest business (and creative) decisions for your book.
It’s worth noting here that these obstacles will look a bit different if you’re working with an editor you’ve hired on the way to self-publishing or whether you’ve been acquired by a traditional press and you’re working with one of their in-house editors. Either way, it takes working with many eyes on your book to make it polished and professionally published, so mentally preparing for this stage is best, no matter what path you’re taking to market.
Between the personal and the professional
Clearly, when you hire an editor, that is a professional, business relationship. Typically, we have different versions of our personality when dealing with professional relationships and we keep deeply personal feelings and vulnerabilities away from those relationships. But in the editorial relationship, they are learning quite a bit about you from reading your book. To tell your story honestly, there are many points throughout your draft where you are revealing vulnerabilities and inner thoughts that are highly personal—not things you’d usually tell a working colleague. You’re also going to be working with that editor for an extended period of time, so having this nebulous feeling can be uncomfortable, but it is a necessary part of the process. It’s also excellent practice—because hopefully soon your book will be in the hands of lots of strangers.
It’s important to remember that your editors don’t think about working with a writer’s work in the same way they would a friend’s confidence or your personal dirty laundry. They are looking at your manuscript as a product in development before sale—no more and no less. They understand that there’s more to you than what’s on the page.
Whether you’re working with editors after you’ve finally finished a draft, or working with a developmental editor along the way, editors are not here to judge you. They aren’t even here to judge your writing—but to find how to polish and promote the most marketable aspects of your writing in order to prepare the book for sale. This can be a difficult emotional transition to make, but it’s an important one. As much as your creative self poured out your heart into those pages, there comes a time to step back and look at it with a business-minded perspective. Use the editorial stage as a time to make this important transition.
Working from a rush
Often when writers have spent months or years working on a book and get to the point of hiring an editor, they are ready to have that book done and dusted. It’s understandable to be chomping at the bit a little when the process has already taken so long, but you don’t want to rush your book to market. Whether you’re self or traditional publishing, the editorial and production processes are important, and you want to give them the time they need.
Working with a team
If you’re hiring an editor as part of a self or hybrid path to publishing, you might assume that all editors are freelancers, and that they will be the only eyes on your work and the only ones you’ll be communicating with. While there are many highly talented freelancers, many editors work with companies to help manage their workflow and ensure the highest quality work. Working with a team might multiply that feeling of being exposed. Having your draft being passed between a working team can feel a little bit like that dream of showing up to the ACT naked. However, more eyes on your book is a good thing, as it means there are more advocates and different details and perspectives will be taken into consideration.
If you’ve been acquired by a traditional publisher, a team might be even bigger than you expect, and you may have several points of communication. Remember that you’re stepping into a business relationship, and you can gain some professional distance from your book during this work. This is good practice and can help you brace yourself for the time when that personal story is out in the world!
Feedback and criticism is hard when you’re both protagonist and writer
Memoirists have a unique relationship with their books. Not only are they the creator of the narrative and the voice behind the message, but they are also the protagonist. It can always sting to hear significant changes are needed to your creative work, but when it’s your life story it can feel like another level of personal attack. Remember—your editors are not here to judge you. They are looking at your book from a business mindset and giving you the best advice they can.
It’s often industry practice, in fact, to refer to the protagonist of your memoir in the third person. It might be jarring to read feedback like “We need more of Emily’s internal thoughts here—what’s she thinking in this moment?” when you are Emily herself. This is not meant to be disrespectful of a lapse of understanding on the part of your editor. This is an acknowledgement that the protagonist is separate from you, even when it’s your story. The practice can help maintain that professional distance and objectivity. It’s also helpful for you, too, because in the example above, we’re not looking for what Emily thinks now, but the version of you in that moment that is captured on the page. The editor is referring to her as a separate entity because in many ways, she is.
Your book is not you
This brings us to the most important thing to remember as you enter these stages of your project. Your book is not you, and you are not your book. There is no book possible that could capture the complexity, the depth, and all the amazing things that make you up as a living breathing human being. You as the author of your memoir can and should take this opportunity to remember and create some emotional distance between your heart and the book. It can be a little painful, especially with all the creative energy it took to share it.
Drafting a book can serve your heart and soul in so many amazing ways. When you work towards publishing it, you are working towards making it so it can work to serve your audience now. It has already worked its magic on you, so you can step back and let it become what your audience needs it to be.
PS. Searching the internet for writing, publishing, and book marketing advice can be exhausting to say the least! If you’re ready for hands on, one-on-one support for your memoir, check out The Memoir Method. We’d love to welcome you into this nine-month group program specially designed for women writing their first memoirs. And don’t forget, if you’d like to chat with Amanda about the program (or any other services we offer), you can book a free consult any time!
