Bringing A Book to Life: Linda LiDestri, Copy editor
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By the time copy editor Linda LiDestri received the manuscript now known as Rachel Spinelli Punched Me in the Face, I'd been working on it for more than a year and a half. There'd been several big rewrites and revisions. A major plot line had been eliminated. Several dozen pages filled with Connecticut lore and history had been cut and sent back to my files and notebooks (That's where they should stay, but they'll almost certainly try to reappear in future work.) In short, the book that Linda received was a slimmer, fitter, more energetic manuscript than anything I'd written previously. That's why I thought it was done.
But I was wrong.
There was still room to make it better. But honestly, I'd looked at the manuscript so many times that I couldn't even see it any more. Fortunately, Linda made it possible for me to look at the writing with fresh eyes. Her notes and suggestions allowed me to revisit the choices I'd made so that I could be sure that the storytelling was as good as I could make it. Linda's work really made a big impact on the novel that readers finally get to see, and I'm very pleased that she has accepted my invitation to answer a few questions about her work.
Me: I always imagine that copy editors are driven by a passion for detail and a love of language. Do you think there are common traits among folks who do this job well?
Linda: Oh, sure. We are all hermits who stay indoors all the time poring over dictionaries.
Me: Huh?
Linda: Seriously, I think an attention (and love!) of detail is required. I'm sort of a detail junkie in everything I do. So copyediting and I are well suited.
Me: What kind of tools do you use for the job?
Linda: I love Adobe Acrobat, Word with Track Changes, and my dictionaries are even on my computer. It took a while to wean off of paper manuscripts. I prefer flipping from chapter to chapter to check on consistency. You can open several windows in a computer, but the scrolling is bothersome to me. Still, copy editors are not old-fashioned.
Me: What kind of educational background do you have that prepared you to be a copy editor?
Linda: I have a BA in English and a Writing minor and a History minor. I have a master's degree in Teaching and a teaching certificate from the state of Connecticut. I'd keep going to school if I could afford it; I love school. I do read a lot (in addition to working). I love everything about words: how they fit together, where they come from, how they change. Language is a living, breathing thing. It's organic.
Me: What about work experience?
Linda: After college, I worked at Harper & Row for a few years (college texts) and freelanced a little. I moved and kept freelancing in my new community. It never really paid the bills, so when I moved back east I got my freelance copyediting and proofreading business really going (1999).
Me: What does your work space look like?
Linda: I require quiet and not much else. My home office is cozy and warm. I don't like stark and/or modern. Oak desk, stone floor, lots of windows and light. And lots of books everywhere: reference books, schoolbooks, fiction, nonfiction and so on. On the walls are mostly framed art that my kids have made over the years.
Me: How many times do you read through a manuscript?
Linda: At least twice, usually more. First you read for sense, marking typos that don't disturb the flow too much. Then I do a really careful read; here is where all the typos get fixed and the usage and mechanics get taken care of. Do all the sentences make sense? Aside from fixing the details, do the sentences hang together, relate to the story and push the plot along? I will flag extraneous copy. Copy that doesn't drive the plot sticks out. The reader will notice. I often look at the text as a "regular" reader. How will the reader view the text? Will they care about the elements the author has put in front of them? I know that it's probably not typical of a copy editor, but if something is a little odd in the logistics of the story, I would be remiss in not flagging it (especially since I'm one of the last on the team to see the text).
Me: How many books are you working on anyone time?
Linda: I can juggle three projects without a problem. It gets a little hairy beyond that and I become difficult to live with. The amount of projects also depends upon their size.
Me: Is it hard to keep them straight?
Linda: No. A calendar with due dates (each editor is a different color sticky note) is what keeps everything on track. Sticky notes are easily moved as deadlines change. Most often, due dates will overlap rather than hit at the same time, so there is always wiggle room. I'm a quiet person, but I'm not shy when it comes to jobs. If there is a scheduling conflict, that means you won't get the work you deserve from me. This is always addressed before the job is accepted. Then everyone's happy.
Me: Do you have any thoughts about the work you put into Rachel Spinelli? Did it need more, less or an average amount of repair work? (Thank you, by the way, for helping me to impose some sense on a few of the more chaotic scenes!)
Linda: "Rachel" was a sweet, sensitive story. I'm so glad you were able to incorporate some of what I'd suggested–what's coming to mind now is a kitchen scene where it was unclear who was sitting, standing or tipping back in a chair. (I hope I'm recalling correctly; much has crossed my desk since "Rachel.")
Me: There was more than one scene where you noticed that – without some kind of transporter technology or time-turner magic – my characters' locations were physically and temporally impossible. Somehow, neither I nor Nancy (my editor) noticed despite the fact that we'd both been through the manuscript a dozen times. I'm really glad you caught it.
Linda: The more eyes you can get on your manuscript, the better! My suggestions are meant as suggestions; you have the final say as the author. That's always my point of view going in. I'm never offended if you choose not to use something I suggest. (But remember, there are very few exceptions where I will let the phrase "whether or not" stand–it's redundant.)
Me: What are some things you do outside of work that make you happy?
Linda: I do like to enjoy my kids. One is in her school's marching band and the other is a boy scout. I read a lot of fiction. I love the theater (amateur and professional) and museums. Also, work makes me really happy lately. I'm always cheering for the book. I want it to make it to publication, so I will try my best to put every last detail in order. It's my job. If my name is somehow attached to it, I'm going to give you the best product possible.
Me: Thank you again. It's been a pleasure getting to know you a little better! By the way, we seem to have a lot in common. At our house, we've got marching band, scouts, theater and lots of time in Connecticut too. With luck, we'll get to work together again!
