Keynotes and Copyediting Fiction with Amy J. Schneider
Red Pencil is back after a four-year hiatus, and we’re pleased to announce that Amy J. Schneider, a veteran editor and author of the new book, The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s conference. If you haven’t registered yet, the deadline for the Early Bird registration has been extended to March 13, so don’t miss out! Find all the details at Red Pencil 2023.
Q: First of all, welcome back to Red Pencil 2023! What are some of the key themes or topics that you’ll be addressing in your keynote speech, and why are they important to editors and writers today?
The cover of Amy’s upcoming book, The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction, available March 10, 2023.
A: Well, in keeping with the conference theme of “Seasons of an Editing Career,” and also by request, I’ll be giving an overview of how I got started in freelance copyediting, how I transitioned into attending conferences and speaking and writing, and how The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction came to be. My own career trajectory has been, I think, rather irregular, so I think it will illustrate that everyone’s path is different and there’s no One True Way to build your career.
Q: How do you stay current with changes in the publishing industry, and what advice do you have for others who want to do the same?
A: Networking is so important. When I started freelancing in 1995, the Internet as we know it was just an infant, and I felt like it was just me in my garret out here in the middle of nowhere. There are so many online resources, whether direct online training and forums where you can connect with other editors, or links to lead you to offline courses, books, tools, and other resources you might not have heard about elsewhere.
Q: How do you build and maintain strong relationships with clients and colleagues, and what strategies have you found to be most effective?
A: It’s important to be personable and professional but also yourself. With clients, I tell them a little about myself, and if they offer personal information, I take time to interact with them on that level as well to help build the relationship. And since I work for publishers, who are usually solid repeat clients with a stream of work, personal connection (along with returning solid work, of course!) is a good way to stay top of mind when they have a project.
With fellow editors, I think of them as colleagues rather than competition. We help each other; a rising tide lifts all boats. Maybe this week you have a tech tip for me, or commiseration over a project gone haywire, and next week I have a webinar to recommend or a potential referral. Interacting with other editorial professionals is not about making a constant sales pitch; it’s about demonstrating that you are helpful, knowledgeable, engaging, and someone that they might want to interact and/or work with.
Q: How do you balance the demands of your editorial work with your personal life and other interests, and what advice do you have for others struggling to do the same?
A: When I figure it out, I’ll let you know. :) My problem is that I want to do All The Things, I love my job, and I work hard so my dogs can have a good life. :) My favorite breaks from the desk are when I take my dogs on outings, whether I’m taking Josie on a pet therapy visit or going to a dock diving competition with Alice. (More on her later!)
Q: Your book, The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction, is coming out March 10. What inspired you to write it and what do you hope readers will take away from it?
A: If I tell you that now, you’ll just be bored during my keynote! :)
Q: Finally, we have to ask about your StetPet: how does your dog, “Alice the Land Shark,” “help” you with your editing?
A: Hahahahaha. Directly? Not one single bit. But she is excellent for when I need a break, or some laughs, or cuddles at the end of a long day. She’s the Happiest Dog in the World™, and it’s impossible not to be happy when she’s around. If Alice is there, it’s a party!
Amy J. Schneider, owner of Featherschneider Editorial Services (featherschneider.com) since 1995, is the author of the brand-new Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction. She is a full-time copyeditor and proofreader of trade and scholarly nonfiction books and best-selling fiction in a variety of genres for large and small publishing houses. Her book covers how to cultivate the proper mindset; managing workflow; ensuring continuity by keeping track of general style and facts about characters, locations, and the plot and timeline; dealing with informal grammar, conscious language, and different forms of English; copyediting dialogue (see her session on this in the first after-lunch time slot); and blending fact and fiction within the story.
Amy has also written articles and presented in-person and online sessions, both solo and on panels, on editorial topics including fiction copyediting, style sheets, macros, templates, the business of freelancing, and mastermind groups for a variety of editing organizations, including ACES: The Society for Editing, the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), Editors Canada, and the Northwest Editors Guild. She has led two mentoring groups for aspiring freelance editors for Copyediting.com. When she's not working in the soft glow of her four-monitor desktop, she enjoys running, singing, and teaching her springer spaniels to do silly tricks (not all at the same time).
