My Philosophy
One of my earliest mentors once advised me, “Doctors do not operate on themselves and few hairdressers successfully do their own hair. Why, then, do authors think they can correct their own words?”
While this analogy stretches some parallels, it does raise the point that authors too often think they can edit themselves, or rather, their own work. While some can self-edit, I have found throughout my editing career that most authors become too involved in and protective of their work to be objective and critical of it. That is the way it should be, though—no one knows the dream, the intent, the labor of a product like its creator, its author.
That is why I like to work so closely with the authors of projects I work on. For most projects, I recommend using a multi-step editorial process that encourages maximum interaction. The steps we use on your project, of course, will depend on our mutual agreement.
I will not force you into more work or more expense than I think you need.
For more discussion about techniques, click here.