Editor’s Note: This is the first in a new series of interviews with BAIPA service providers. If you are interested in being interviewed or being an interviewer, contact webmaster@baipa.org.
What services do you offer authors?
I edit children’s books, for all ages—from picture books to young adult—all genres, and all types of editing: copyediting, line editing, and developmental editing.
What got you into this work?
I’ve loved children’s books longer than I can remember. My mother taught me to read when I was 19 months old. I mark 1998, when I joined the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators, as when I became serious about writing for children. Before that I went through an elementary school teaching credential program. I’ve worked with children in a variety of ways. I’ve always loved all things creative and am fascinated by the creative process. For a while I was working in educational software. My work included marketing and technical writing, and I often became the person who edited other people’s writing. Over the years I’ve been in many children’s book critique groups. I found that was a great way to learn to identify what is working or not working in a piece of writing and why.
I discovered BAIPA around the time I published my board book, My Amazing Day: A Celebration of Wonder and Gratitude. Pretty quickly I noticed that there was a need for editors who specialize in children’s books. Children’s books have many distinct genres based on both age and reading level. Though we were all children once, our brains and vocabularies change when we become adults. So there is real value in an editor who understands both how children develop as readers and the way different types of books work for them. I realized that many aspects of my background had prepared me well for this kind of work. So I did several test runs for writer friends that went very well. I knew when they left our conversations feeling excited about revising that I was on the right track. Then I hung my 21st century shingle—i.e. made a website—and the clients came!
Tell me about your approach to your work.
My role, as I see it, is to help authors turn their visions into reality in ways that will reach children effectively.
I start with a phone call with a potential client free of charge. We discuss the author’s vision, where they are in the project, and what they see as next steps. After that I follow up with a proposal, sometimes with options, and an estimate.
Usually one job is one type of editing. Some clients hire me just for one portion of a project (such as a developmental edit consult only, or copyediting only). Often I work on multiple stages of the same project. In those cases, we check in after each round of revisions, but I can give rough estimates ahead about what the project is likely to cost as a whole.
What do you charge?
On my website, karinfisher-golton.com/editing, I provide per word rates so that authors can get a sense of what a project would cost. When we actually work together, I charge by the hour so that I get paid for my time and the author only pays for the time I spend. When I make a proposal, I give an estimated range of hours, with the upper end being a cap. Some projects are straightforward and so that range will be narrow. Others have something unusual and unpredictable so the range will be a little wider. However, the upper end is always a cap, so that clients can make sure my work will be within their budgets.
What do you enjoy about this work?
I love the creative process; I love seeing projects come to fruition and working with people who are excited about what they are creating and what they want to provide for children and families. I love puzzles, and editing can be like finding the right piece to bring a whole together.
My most satisfying experiences are when someone leaves our time together feeling inspired and excited to revise. I am very happy with how consistently that happens.
In terms of grammar and punctuation, there’s a certain beauty when that’s all clean and consistent with nothing to get in the way between the words of the storyteller and the reader. I enjoy the variety of working on everything from those punctuation details to big picture structural questions.
What are the biggest challenges you face when doing your work?
The biggest challenge for me is at the beginning of a project. Many projects have unusual factors and it is often challenging to predict how long they will take to make good estimates. But I know that it is important for my clients and for me to have a sense of what to expect, so I really consider that carefully. Once that gets settled, I can get to the editing, which I find much more enjoyable.
What do you do when you’re not editing?
I actually wear three hats in my work life: I’m an editor, writer, and publisher (a small publisher with my one book, My Amazing Day, so far). So when I’m not editing during work time, I’m writing or supporting my book. In my non-work time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and with my dog, working on my garden, reading, and, as I said before, I love games and puzzles.