EP 337 - Collaborative Editing with Erika Steeves

12/15/23 • 48 min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews editor Erika Steeves about her experiences in working with publishers and authors as an editor.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by HOW TO WRITE A HOWLING GOOD STORY by Wulf Moon

You can get this book in eBook, Trade Paperback, and Hardcover editions here.

Between Dec 15, 2023 and Jan 1, 2024, you can get the eBook for 50% off at Smashwords.

In their interview, Mark and Erika talk about:

Meeting at the Waterloo Book Festival
How Erika got involved in the world of writing and editing by starting off as an editorial internship at a regional Canadian publisher on Canada's East Coast
Deciding to become a freelance editor in 2012 taking on academic projects and some book projects
Pivoting over to do more editing on fiction in 2019/2020
Erika's experience reading the slushpile from a publisher and how that exposed her to great manuscripts that she loved but which weren't suited for that publisher's mandates
The difficult task of having to send rejection letters to authors
Being a member of two associations that have directories of editors
How Erika finds new writers to work with
The various types of editing work that Erika takes on
Contuinity editing and the style sheet that Erika likes so much
How the editor's "fresh eyes" can help detect some things that writers might no longer be able to detect in a manuscript that has been re-worked numerous times
Things Erika wished more authors knew about related to editors
How all edits are suggestions and that the writer can decided which suggestions to take, and which ones to ignore
Getting a sense of how many hours an editing project is going to take based on the sample edit that was done
Things that writers should "look out for" in an editor they're looking to work with
Why contracts are important for both parties
Types of writers that Erika is cautious about working with
Ideas for how a writer can find the right editor for them
The "House of Zolo" publishing company that Erika and a number of other writers and editors put together
Advice Erika would offer to writers
And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on Erika's perspective related to things that empower and encourage writers.

Links of Interest:

Mark interviews editor Erika Steeves about her experiences in working with publishers and authors as an editor.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by HOW TO WRITE A HOWLING GOOD STORY by Wulf Moon

You can get this book in eBook, Trade Paperback, and Hardcover editions here.

Between Dec 15, 2023 and Jan 1, 2024, you can get the eBook for 50% off at Smashwords.

In their interview, Mark and Erika talk about:

Meeting at the Waterloo Book Festival
How Erika got involved in the world of writing and editing by starting off as an editorial internship at a regional Canadian publisher on Canada's East Coast
Deciding to become a freelance editor in 2012 taking on academic projects and some book projects
Pivoting over to do more editing on fiction in 2019/2020
Erika's experience reading the slushpile from a publisher and how that exposed her to great manuscripts that she loved but which weren't suited for that publisher's mandates
The difficult task of having to send rejection letters to authors
Being a member of two associations that have directories of editors
How Erika finds new writers to work with
The various types of editing work that Erika takes on
Contuinity editing and the style sheet that Erika likes so much
How the editor's "fresh eyes" can help detect some things that writers might no longer be able to detect in a manuscript that has been re-worked numerous times
Things Erika wished more authors knew about related to editors
How all edits are suggestions and that the writer can decided which suggestions to take, and which ones to ignore
Getting a sense of how many hours an editing project is going to take based on the sample edit that was done
Things that writers should "look out for" in an editor they're looking to work with
Why contracts are important for both parties
Types of writers that Erika is cautious about working with
Ideas for how a writer can find the right editor for them
The "House of Zolo" publishing company that Erika and a number of other writers and editors put together
Advice Erika would offer to writers
And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on Erika's perspective related to things that empower and encourage writers.

Links of Interest:

Previous Episode

EP 336 - Coming Out of The Writer Closet with Bradley Charbonneau

Mark interviews Bradley Charbonneau about his new book PROCRASTINATE and his new "Book in a Weekend" program for writers.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, thanks Patrons, provides a personal update, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your audiobooks distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

In the interview, Mark and Bradley talk about:

Bradley's love of Europe and his first eye-opening experience at the age of fourteen with the continent
His early experience writing extremely long letters to his parents when, several years later, living in France
The importance of the "audience" being yourself when you write
The fact that on no calendar is there a day called SOMEDAY
The concept of Stubborn VS Determined
Bradley's first challenge of writing every single day for the month of November in 2012
A further challenge of posting a YouTube video every single day
The idea of "practice is perfect" (as opposed to "practice makes perfect")
The long-time streak of writing every single day for 2808 days in a row
Being painfully reminded of himself when he hears an author say that they have an idea for a book that they might write "some day"
Avoiding regret by taking action
Bradley's admiration for humor and improv
The program to get your "opposite" book written as a critical step to getting to that larger "massive" project that has always been kept at the horizon
How the humor aspect of writing your "opposite" book can help bring out new elements of creativity and how it can be therapeutic
Bradley's book PROCRASTINATE, which was his "opposite" book project
The "book in a weekend" program that Bradley is running to help other writers overcome the things he had to overcome on his own writing journey
The idea of writing a book every year as a way of creating a "timestamp" of who we are - the same way creating a photo album every year (which his mother used to do) works
The DIY option as well as the interactive "virtual" real-time and "real-life in person" and the "one-on-one" options Bradley is working on
And more . . .

After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of adapting "the rules" into something that works in the ways that work for YOU rather than some pre-prescribed notion that doesn't fit. If you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet, maybe it's okay to break or shake up a few rules in order to pave your own path to success.

Links of Interest:

Bradley's Website
Mark's Affiliate link to get 25% off BOOK IN A WEEKEND
EP 334 - Welcome to the Stupidpocalypse with Brittlestar
EP 335 - So You've Failed NaNoWriMo
Building Our Christmas Tree Built Out of Books
Draft2Digital Blog: So You Didn't Win NaNoWriMo
Harley Christensen on Twitter (Harley's Website)
Mark's YouTube Channel
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Best Book Ever Podcast
Lovers Moon Podcast
The Relaxed Author
- Buy eBook Direct
- Buy Audiobook Direct
Publishing Pitfalls for Authors

Next Episode

EP 338 - An Amazing F*cking Pivot into Sh!t-Tons of Money with James Fell

Mark interviews James Fell, the Sweary Historian, and bestselling author of ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY SH!T WENT DOWN.

Prior to the interview Mark warns listeners of the adult language used in this episode, reads comments from recent episodes, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

Mark's Stark Publishing Solutions books are 50% off in the Smashwords End of Year Sale. (Ends at the end of day Dec 31, 2023). Patrons will be getting a special coupon to get the titles for only $0.99. Offer good until Jan 31, 2024.

In the interview, Mark and James talk about:

How James is an author who "can't make up his F-ing mind"
Advice James was given regarding how hard it was to make it as a writer and that most science-fiction authors also had other jobs
Starting off writing health and fitness articles and getting columns at the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune as well as a few magazines
The idea of SERVICE vs PRODUCT income
Having the delusions of grandeur that he might one day have one of those books that would "blow up"
The initial Random House deal he got for one book, then, a few years later, a US deal from St Martins Press
How the publishers were interested in James' own platform for helping to sell the book
The way James was crestfallen with the sales results of his first two traditionally published books
Beginning to start a public speaking career just as Covid-19 hit the world
James' background in University studying history
The bike-riding epiphany that first popped into his head (a la the way he describes it in his book THE HOLY SH!T MOMENT) and the daily story about Mae West that was extremely popular and led to an even bigger "holy shit moment!"
Ensuring that he did not miss a single day in posting a well-researched and funny post for two years straight
James hiring a good copyeditor and also hiring Mark to help with his distribution strategy
The more than a million views of his column of articles
How most of the sales came from free daily stories on Facebook - and not really any other PR
James' Substack experience and how he was able to leverage that via paid subscription
The book sales taking off way beyond his expectations
How 90% of the sales of the two versions of ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY SH!T WENT DOWN have been in print rather than eBook
Receiving a respectable offer from a good mid-sized publisher about 14 months after the first volume was available for sale
His agent being able to leverage that offer to pitch the book to a number of larger publishers
The proposal that James wrote for this that was in the voice he used in the book (instead of in the standard recommended proposal format)
The unexpected bonus of the publisher who bought the rights allowing James to keep the existing books live for almost a full year before their version of the book came out
How James' career took off when he stopped giving a shit about "what the market wanted"
Hearing "the voice is a triumph" from his New York Publisher Editor before she then "ripped the shit out of it"
The pull quotes that were mostly selected from the interior book designer
The fact that James sold more than 52,000 print copies of the book in print when it was entirely self-published
The special arrangement that James had (and still has) with Calgary Indie Bookstore Owl's Nest for the procurement of signed copies
A powerful story about solidarity among writers
The 3 Rules of Marketing for Authors
And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the unique method by which James gave away two of his books entirely for free, but in an inventive "self-promotional" way that was blatantly salesy, but also provided incredible entertainment and value.

Links of Interest: