What To Look For In A Poetry Editor
With a total of 14 books of poetry in the works, I have come in contact with my fair share of editors. I made it a priority to seek out people capable of proofreading poems and knowledgeable on how to improve a poem in various ways.
I’ve met all different types of them.
Eccentric ones with loud booming voices, startling old ladies at the adjacent table, while in the coffee shop…
To the no-nonsense ones who believe that elbow pads never go out of season and only smile when smirking at their own cleverness…
To even having some run ins with the scary “stranger danger” ones.
Um, EW and GROSS.
Yes… it happened, and it’s also why it’s so important for me to share with you the top things to look for when considering hiring an editor.
I’m going to take you through how to find all different types of editors, what to look out for, the top 10 questions to ask before hiring an editor and how you know you’ve found a great poetry partnership.
Where to find a poetry editor
Professional Poetry editors aren’t hard to find. A simple google search will pull up a multitude of online opportunities.
I highly suggest staying away from poetry editing apps when it comes to poetry editing services however. Those apps might be great for grammar, but you want a human that is able to have an emotional response to your poetry. To really feel out what is working opposed to which lines are confusing or unnecessary.
An app can’t give you insight to creative line breaks, nor can it tell you,
“This line right here is beautifully woven. It moved me, move it to the opening line.”
Another great option to finding an editor is to research small local presses. The editors for companies often do contract poetry editor jobs. It’s also a great connection to have if you want to try to get your book published through that press. These editors will have great poetry proofreading skills plus insight to what the press is looking for when it comes to accepting publications.
Your peers can serve as a great set of eyes too, or someone you look up to in your field who is willing to offer insight and proofreading.
A great way to find these types of personal connections is just to put the call out on social media or in an email, offer a trade of services or go to an event where you know the person you’d be thrilled to look over your poems will be attending and network with them.
What does a poetry editor do - Correction - What do YOU NEED your poetry editor to do
Ooooo, I see what you did there…
Hands down the biggest mistake poets make when looking for an editor is not establishing what they need that editor to do.
For example, if you want someone to be brutally honest about what lines need to come out, what grammar errors are present and which poems don’t even belong in the book, you do not want to hire an editor that is only interested in formatting the poems for typeset printing.
You wouldn’t hire a grammatical editor when all you’re focused on is the imagery of the poems being original and not cliche.
There are different types of editors for different aspects of your book. Knowing exactly what you want your editor to do for you will save you tons of energy, money and wasted time.
At the end of this blog is a Poetry Editing Checklist, compiled of the top 10 questions to ask an editor you are considering hiring.
No need to sign up to download, I’ve made it accessible for you.
What can I say, I just really want you to pick the right editor and not fall into the traps I fell into.
Trust me. It’s not a great experience to be partnered with an editor that wastes your time and might even be manipulating you. And it DOES happen. It’s messy, it’s triggering and it’s hard to get out of.
Warning flags: Signs of a bad editor
Let’s get the most damaging one out of the way first. This one is more for women than men, but fellas watch out because it can happen to you too.
I had an experience where I met with an editor to go over a review of some of my poems. I had been in contact with him several times before and was even excited about our new partnership and what he could do for my next book. I showed up to the meeting eager and willing to embark on the next step of the publishing process.
I wasn’t the only eager one at the table…
Creeper Alert!
What ensued was a 30 minute long torture session of inappropriate comments about my body, unsolicited advances and even some slick attempts to touch my person.
GROSS.
I got the hell out of there as soon as I could without causing a big commotion.
SIDE NOTE: As women, the act of saying no can be terrifying when in the presence of men. For women, we aren’t sure how the man is going to react. Will he will cause a huge scene, cuss us out or even be physically abusive? It happens a whole lot more than you think, and if you are a woman reading this, you already know…
I tried to process what had happened.
Did I do something wrong, did I miss a red flag? What could I have done to prevent this?
Ladies listen to me…
It is NEVER your fault when something like this happens.
Do not beat yourself up for what you could have done differently. Just remove yourself from the situation as safely as possible and make sure your boundaries are in place.
That being said, there were some flags I could of seen, but chose to ignore. Luckily I hadn’t given out my personal information and chose to meet in a public place.
TIP: Always agree to meet in a public location where other people will be present.
One of the signs I waved off, was thinking that the odd comments he had mentioned before was just him being a quirky old man. He was much older than me and I chalked it up to just innocent fun.
It wasn’t.
I don’t care how old they are, how innocent they seem or how accomplished they appear to be…
If they are being inappropriate or unprofessional at any moment, stop the communication immediately and refuse their service.
Other Red Flags:
I drove 2 hours to a workshop where I had to pay $25 to attend several years ago. It was a round table style workshop where poets could bring a poem they were working on and get feedback from an editor who was seen as an established poet.
I started noticing as we went around the table that the editor was leading feedback with this:
“Well, what I would do is…”
In every person’s critique the editor had completely overlooked the poet’s own unique style, voice and message. This guy was basically just re-writing their poems to make them sound like his! I don’t think one single person got anything they could use to level up or edit their poems in a way that served their purpose.
Being the rebel I am…When it came to my turn, I purposely switched which poem I wanted him to critique. I picked a poem that was so vague, so abstract, that I knew he would have a difficult time re-writing it as his own.
And you know what happened? Crickets…
The man couldn’t even give me a single sentence or comment to change it. He stood there and rubbed his mustache confusedly and the only thing he said was
“I really like the imagery in that piece. Does anyone have any comments?”
The rest of the participants looked at each other, I smiled, and they shook their heads no.
Why would I make myself seem so inaccessible?
Because I wanted to see if he would call me out on what the purpose of the poem was, because a good editor would. I wanted to see if he could really craft a poem from a random string of words. After all, I drove 2 hours to get here and paid cold hard cash, by God you are going to give me my time and money’s worth.
Always be on the lookout for editors that lead off with “What I would do is…”
Not only does this compromise your voice, this is also why we get pockets of poets who all sound and write the same. It’s really sad, for the poet and for poetry lovers. Don’t be manipulated.
Other warning signs to look out for:
Blowing you off: Don’t be second hat to anyone. If they aren’t treating you seriously, they probably won’t take your poetry seriously either.
Their emails aren’t professional or are too loose. It means they aren’t taking themselves seriously either.
There’s no contract. You want a clear understanding of what's expected in writing. Exception: If you are getting your friends or peers to look over your poetry for you, having a contract might be going a little bit overboard. In this case, just make sure there is a clear understanding of how the process or trade off will go.
There’s no enthusiasm. Editing can be grueling for some poets, if you have a poetry editor that isn’t excited about this phase of your work, then it is going to be hard to endure the process.
They don’t understand your purpose for the book. If your editor is continuing to make remarks that contradict the whole point of your book, or doesn’t seem to get the jist of what you are trying to do, it’s probably not going to help you in the long run. They have to be able to understand your reason for publishing this book.
They are just downright disrespectful. (Cue song: “It’s a maaaan’s world!” Important tip for you women… If your editor is making derogatory comments to you, mansplaining (completely different from follow up questions to make sure they are understanding you right, what I mean here is talking over you, interrupting you, etc) then kick them to the curb.
Signs you’ve landed a killer editor
Beyond having bad experiences, I’ve also had some amazing ones.
I’m going to tell you about two editors that completely over delivered and blew me away with their customer service, their passion and professionalism.
The Upfront Professional
When I got ready to release my first full length book “Divine Disturbances,” I hired Leslie Rupracht.
She is a strong, unbelievable poetess and badass who is hosting Waterbean at the Mic in Mooresville NC.
She’s been an editor for many years and worked for publishing companies before. She’s also a very passionate poet.
The very first thing Leslie did was ask me about the book, my intentions and what I expected from her.
Ya’ll, that is KEY to knowing you have a good editor.
A clear understanding right up front of what is expected and what your vision is for the work.
Not only did Leslie meet with me in person to go over these aspects (before I ever even hired her) she also put forth the effort of drafting up a contract with a clear understanding of price and description of what was expected.
I was blown away by her professionalism, and had no issue at all paying her what she asked.
I felt well taken care of. Like Allstate, “I was in good hands.”
She even over delivered by meeting with me after the process was complete to discuss my understanding of the edits and my next action step moving forward.
That is the kind of editor experience you want to aim for.
The professional editor in disguise
Another great example of an amazing editor partnership is my recent interaction with a poet by the pen name of Nemo Sum.
The first time I heard Nemo Sum, I immediately fell in love with his work. His lines are crafted with extreme thoughtful care and boy, do they pack a punch!
I had no knowledge of Nemo prior to hearing him. I had no idea if he had any editing experience at all, but what I did know for a fact was that he didn’t mess about when it came to picking the right words to get his message across in poetry.
That my friends, is a very remarkable and well sought out skill for any poet or editor.
We talked for a bit and I asked him if he would be interested in helping a fellow poet out by looking over some of my work. He agreed and then asked me to do something first that blew my mind…
“I want you to pick three poems that you feel represent your unique voice and send them to me.”
No editor had ever asked me that question before and I was incredibly impressed by his knowledge of how important that is to a poet’s work.
Nemo also did something that I appreciated a lot in the beginning of our partnership.
He made it clear what kind of editor he is going to be.
I was told up front that he might come across as brutal and would be challenging me to whittle my poems down to “the meat of the matter.”
I knew going in what the atmosphere was going to be like, and my response was…
“Hell yeah, bring it on, that’s what I need!”
Not only that, he also went above and beyond by editing 3 of my poems before we continued to see if it was the kind of thing I was looking for, even after I agreed.
That is the kind of follow up and understanding you want in an editor.
This example also goes to show that even if the person isn’t working as an editor, they can still kick some major ass as yours.
Remember…
When all else fails, follow your gut and take some time to get to know the person before hiring them.
After all, these people are digging deep into poems that are a reflection of your deepest fears, thoughts and desires.
That’s a special kind of relationship that requires understanding and care.
As promised, here are the top 10 questions to ask a poetry editor to see if they are a good fit.
Leave a comment below about any editor experiences you’ve had, good or bad.
Let’s make sure every poet gets the support their craft deserves!
Top 10 questions to ask a poetry editor before hiring
Be very clear about their pricing. How much are they going to charge? Is it per poem, per page or a flat fee?
Ask who they’ve worked with before, read the poet’s work to see how good of a job they did.
Ask them to critique a sample of your work to see if it’s a good fit. And by sample I mean a very short poem or excerpt. Do not send them an entire book or 10 poems.
Ask them what aspects of editing are they passionate about. You will get a clear understanding of their strengths and where they will put most of their attention into the editing process.
Get clear on expectations of turn around. How long will it take, is there a deadline? Will I get edits via per poem, or a bulk of edits when the whole project is complete?
What is their follow up procedure? Do you get a meeting with them to go over any insight they have for your book?
Are they available for questions? Can you easily reach out to them if you are confused at a suggestion they make?
You might want to ask up front how much time they can devote to your book. Sometimes this question alone will give you an answer if they are able to commit or not.
Ask them if they would be willing to write a short blurb for a review of your book. They would be the perfect person to give a quick review to help you promote your book launch.
Ask them how you can spread the word about their services. This will not only build a great relationship between you both, but also help their business. They will appreciate it greatly.
What are some experiences you’ve had with editors in the past?
Drop a comment below and let us know!
