Greetings from Charlotte, NC

Greetings from ConCarolinas!

Our first panel, Choosing an Editor, went well. I say “our” because it was a great team effort. I should add that it was well-attended for one of the first panels of the convention, when many people were still checking in or had not arrived yet!

To sum up what was covered, we discussed the different types of editors there are. Most of the panelist were developmental-plus-copy editors, who made sure the “big picture” of the story made sense, then went for the little details Two of them were acquisitions editors, and one also did proofreading. There were a large press editor, a two small press editors, and three freelance editors…and some of the positions overlapped.

We all told horror stories about difficult writers (don’t be difficult; word gets around and it’s a small community), and we all glowed about what a pleasure it was to work with writers who listened and learned.

As for finding an editor, we suggested looking within the genre if you write SF&F, and that you might look for one at a con, via word-of-mouth, or in the acknowledgements of a book you enjoy.