RWS Interviews Dennis from Moneysaver Editing
Hi Dennis, let's settle in and have a chat about what makes you tick as an editor and writer...
Company Name: Moneysaver Editing
How long have you been an editor? Since January 2009
How does editing help you with your writing? Editing is not easy and neither is writing. As an editor, I must pay attention to details and remain focused. I think those traits help me write better.
How did you become an editor for Readers Favorite.com? I never wanted to be an editor. It just happened. About 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to help writers by reviewing their books but I didn’t want to purchase them. I contacted a wonderful lady, Deborah Gaynor, from Kentucky. She had a reviewing service, Readers Favorite; she had started it a few years earlier. She accepted me as a reviewer and I began by reading an adventure novel. (I edited the next book he wrote and it won a gold medal for best fiction in the category). When I sent my review to Deborah, she realized it was well written. Apparently, most of the reviews she received needed tweaking. She asked me to do that for her and I accepted the challenge. I tweaked 1000 reviews for her and she agreed to put me on her website as her editor. The first thing I edited was a children’s story about a horse. I wanted to edit the story for free but the author insisted on paying me. I accepted five dollars as payment and that is how this adventure began.
What genre(s) do you edit, and why? I prefer to edit fiction because that’s what I like to read but I have edited some non-fiction. I have edited general fiction, Christian fiction, fantasies, adventure stories, YA’s, romances, mysteries, poetry, children’s books, short stories, philosophical fiction, historical fiction, a dream manual, an addiction manual, a biography, a travelogue and others.
What type of research goes into your editing or writing? That depends on what you are writing. Editors and writers always have to fact check, pay attention to chronology and dialogue characteristics.
What is your editorial process? As soon as a writer contacts me, we set up a time for a lengthy phone conversation because we need to get to know each other, to see if we are a ‘good fit’. Next, the writer sends me a sample of his or her writing for me to edit and if the writer likes what I have done we go from there.
Have you ever dealt with writer or editor’s block? If so, how do you find your creative flow again? I have never experienced writer’s block only because I haven’t written a lot of material. To date, I have written three poems, a recent piece of flash fiction, found HERE, and I contributed two chapters of a writing motivational manual entitled Jumpstarting Your Inner Novelist. Here is the audio link. It is also available in paperback and e-book.
Editor’s block, now that is a different story. Every editor runs into a snag now and then. The easiest fix is to give the writer a jingle and work through it together. Let’s keep it simple, why wrack your brain.
Are you self-published or traditionally published? It is much easier to self-publish than trying to jump through the hoops required to have anything published in the traditional manner (unless you have a hook). Angie Merriam published two of my poems via Smashwords in e book, it’s entitled Intertwine and it’s free to read.
Do you market yourself? If so, how easy or difficult is this for an editor? It’s much easier for an editor than a writer since there are tons of writers and fewer editors (and even less that are really good at it). Robin, thank you. You are helping me right now. It’s difficult if you tell yourself you don’t have the time to do it; so many writers tell themselves that every day.
What advice would you give other writers/authors about receiving negative reviews? One of my writers panicked because she got one 2 star review after getting 14 positive 5 star reviews. If that happens to you, ignore it. Who cares why the reader gave you a bad review. If it persists, wake up and pay attention.
As an editor, what advice would you give to wanna-be writers who are trying to get a book published? The slow turtle wins the race. Please read this article I wrote HERE.
If you had a chance to meet one of your favorite authors, alive or dead, who would it be? And what questions would you ask? I have so many favorites. Here’s one. A. A. Milne. Why did you name him Pooh?
List your editor and book links and where we can find them:
My LinkedIn Moneysaver Editing profile is HERE. Check me out. If you’re not a member you need to join.
Jumpstarting Your Inner Novelist - Audio link HERE.
Intertwine by Angie Merriam featuring two of my poems.
Have an editing question? Feel free to call Dennis at 845-239-4513.
Thank you for chatting with us today at RWS, we appreciate your time! We wish you continued success in your editing and writing. And remember...Keep on Writing... [image error] [image error]
Company Name: Moneysaver Editing
How long have you been an editor? Since January 2009
How does editing help you with your writing? Editing is not easy and neither is writing. As an editor, I must pay attention to details and remain focused. I think those traits help me write better.
How did you become an editor for Readers Favorite.com? I never wanted to be an editor. It just happened. About 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to help writers by reviewing their books but I didn’t want to purchase them. I contacted a wonderful lady, Deborah Gaynor, from Kentucky. She had a reviewing service, Readers Favorite; she had started it a few years earlier. She accepted me as a reviewer and I began by reading an adventure novel. (I edited the next book he wrote and it won a gold medal for best fiction in the category). When I sent my review to Deborah, she realized it was well written. Apparently, most of the reviews she received needed tweaking. She asked me to do that for her and I accepted the challenge. I tweaked 1000 reviews for her and she agreed to put me on her website as her editor. The first thing I edited was a children’s story about a horse. I wanted to edit the story for free but the author insisted on paying me. I accepted five dollars as payment and that is how this adventure began.
What genre(s) do you edit, and why? I prefer to edit fiction because that’s what I like to read but I have edited some non-fiction. I have edited general fiction, Christian fiction, fantasies, adventure stories, YA’s, romances, mysteries, poetry, children’s books, short stories, philosophical fiction, historical fiction, a dream manual, an addiction manual, a biography, a travelogue and others.
What type of research goes into your editing or writing? That depends on what you are writing. Editors and writers always have to fact check, pay attention to chronology and dialogue characteristics.
What is your editorial process? As soon as a writer contacts me, we set up a time for a lengthy phone conversation because we need to get to know each other, to see if we are a ‘good fit’. Next, the writer sends me a sample of his or her writing for me to edit and if the writer likes what I have done we go from there.
Have you ever dealt with writer or editor’s block? If so, how do you find your creative flow again? I have never experienced writer’s block only because I haven’t written a lot of material. To date, I have written three poems, a recent piece of flash fiction, found HERE, and I contributed two chapters of a writing motivational manual entitled Jumpstarting Your Inner Novelist. Here is the audio link. It is also available in paperback and e-book.
Editor’s block, now that is a different story. Every editor runs into a snag now and then. The easiest fix is to give the writer a jingle and work through it together. Let’s keep it simple, why wrack your brain.
Are you self-published or traditionally published? It is much easier to self-publish than trying to jump through the hoops required to have anything published in the traditional manner (unless you have a hook). Angie Merriam published two of my poems via Smashwords in e book, it’s entitled Intertwine and it’s free to read.
Do you market yourself? If so, how easy or difficult is this for an editor? It’s much easier for an editor than a writer since there are tons of writers and fewer editors (and even less that are really good at it). Robin, thank you. You are helping me right now. It’s difficult if you tell yourself you don’t have the time to do it; so many writers tell themselves that every day.
What advice would you give other writers/authors about receiving negative reviews? One of my writers panicked because she got one 2 star review after getting 14 positive 5 star reviews. If that happens to you, ignore it. Who cares why the reader gave you a bad review. If it persists, wake up and pay attention.
As an editor, what advice would you give to wanna-be writers who are trying to get a book published? The slow turtle wins the race. Please read this article I wrote HERE.
If you had a chance to meet one of your favorite authors, alive or dead, who would it be? And what questions would you ask? I have so many favorites. Here’s one. A. A. Milne. Why did you name him Pooh?
List your editor and book links and where we can find them:
My LinkedIn Moneysaver Editing profile is HERE. Check me out. If you’re not a member you need to join.
Jumpstarting Your Inner Novelist - Audio link HERE.
Intertwine by Angie Merriam featuring two of my poems.
Have an editing question? Feel free to call Dennis at 845-239-4513.
Thank you for chatting with us today at RWS, we appreciate your time! We wish you continued success in your editing and writing. And remember...Keep on Writing... [image error] [image error]
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