Five entertaining and interesting authors from Hawkeye Publishing in Brisbane joined us for a panel discussion on writing and publishing at our November meeting. There were so many questions from the audience that we ran out of time. Trevor Rees had one final question and the authors very kindly responded to an email question after the meeting.

 

Can you please describe the process of working with the various kinds of editors to create your book?

​

Eileen O’Hely:
At bigger publishing houses, although there are different types of editors for copyediting, line editing and structural editing, I have only ever worked with one at a time. All the editing stages happened, but I just had the one “customer service” editor, who I assume would have been the structural editor. Editors do like to pass their work to others in the team, as a new set of eyes may pick up overlooked mistakes. With Hawkeye I worked directly with Carolyn and there was very little editing required for my 500-word book. – Eileen O’Hely is an award- winning children’s author and physicist.

​

Peter Long:
‘Identity’ draft was structurally edited by a professional editing company Laurel Cohn. This was my first contact with a creative writing editor, having been exposed to numerous in non-fiction. The process was time-efficient, very affirming and I felt safely guided. A significant feature was I was encouraged to expand the scope and, when I was confident I knew how, I accepted that piece of advice. Having accepted most comments, yet rejected a major one on artistic grounds, but adapted in its form, (which troubled me until recent reviews appear to have vindicated my intuition), I then approached the publisher.

Hawkeye used two editors the first being very complimentary and picked up inconsistencies and technical issues invisible to me. The next – the line edit – was sensitively handled and groomed the text to a polished state to enhance the work. In all, a positive and work-like experience. – Peter Long is a Brisbane writer with an interest in regional and historical fiction and any other topic that attracts his fancy.

​

Troy Henderson:
Only when I began writing this response did I realise how many editors helped birth Head Grenade. Initial editing focussed on the big picture and major changes, then each subsequent stage zoomed further in on the manuscript towards getting it to as close to perfection (whatever that is) as possible.

Upon completing my first draft, I reached out to the Queensland Writers Centre, who put me in touch with a local Brisbane author, Josh Donellan, and we sat down for three one-hour sessions. We went over three different chapters and this is where I solidified big items like my POV and tense, settling on first person present. I was also advised to write more short stories, for more immediate feedback and to hone my craft, rather than working on an unwieldy beast of a novel. Submitting short stories and placing in competitions also looked good on my submission resume, so I definitely recommend doing so. After I’d done another rewrite, I was then encouraged to seek out a professional editor, Lauren Daniels, from Brisbane Writers Workshop, and she provided a manuscript assessment and various structural feedback. Lauren suggested I submit my manuscript into competitions, and I was shortlisted in the Hawkeye Manuscript Development Prize, and Queensland Writing Centre’s Adaptable and Publishable programs. Each opportunity provided more feedback and rewriting as necessary.

An editor may take several weeks or even months before they can review your work, so it’s best to plan ahead. Once you receive feedback, and get over your insecurities, rewriting may take many months, but patience is a virtue with this process. Finally, I hired two more freelance editors to zoom in more and provide more extensive feedback and help me with polishing the manuscript until it was publishing-ready. Even then, once I submitted to Hawkeye, I received line editing and further microscopic help to make the manuscript shine. The first novel is bound to take the most work, but all of the editorial guidance is invaluable and I will carry the lessons I learned into my subsequent writing. Editing can be painful, but it is ultimately worth it, and you will be grateful you did.Good luck everyone! – Troy Henderson: is a fiction writer from Brisbane and has a Bachelor of Popular Music and a Masters in Journalism.

​

Kate Steele:
Working with editors gives the writer a chance to improve their manuscript and get a different point of view. A good editor will not try to change your main story or voice. They will offer guidance and suggestions to make your work more marketable. You should always try to polish your work to a point where it looks perfect to you. That way, you are paying an editor for meaningful changes, rather than fixing things you can do yourself like spelling errors etc. Kate Steele has a PhD in English Lit/ Creative Writing and teaches writing and PR for authors. She writes as K.M. Steele.

 

Natalie Kile

Natalie Kile felt Troy Henderson encapsulated everything she wanted to say about editing but had this to say on feedback on your work.
Feedback and criticism are fortunately and unfortunately, part of the process of getting your manuscript to the publishing stage. It has both pros and cons, so you need to get into a ‘protective’ yet ‘reflective’ headspace and try not to take the negative stuff personally. This is easier to say and much harder to do.

​

Your manuscript will not ‘please’ everyone, yet it is still good and beneficial to ‘hear’ this feedback. I say this because while the topic or theme may not translate to everyone, other elements that can add value to your manuscript could be identified. Things like pace, tension, character development, writing styles, redundant information or repeated information that is more confusing than beneficial and so on.
I think it’s best to have more feedback than less from a variety of people, and then when you collate them, you may find some ‘repeated feedback’, which you should probably pay more attention to. This is where your beta readers can help you before you get to the review stage. Navigating this feedback can be quite difficult, but you have to look at the bigger picture. If your manuscript is written well but it’s not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ – theme-wise – then that is still good feedback. – Natalie Kile is the author of Just Nat, Life in the fast lane with Nat Lowndes.

​

​