Journal Entry #25–Line Editing Position and Learning Process

The last few days have been exciting in terms of my personal writing journey. Hopewell Publications, which runs The US Review of Books where I work as a book reviewer, offered an opportunity to join them in their latest venture of offering manuscript editing services. I submitted an application and got accepted as a line editor to help writers, specifically ones with children’s books, based on at least one experience I had helping to proofread and edit an illustrated children’s book, Enchanted Cedar, by Brooke Hampton, way back in 2013.

It’s an exciting prospect, but also somewhat terrifying. I want to do the best job possible and help fellow writers to make their work shine for their readers, but there is still so much I have to learn as a writer. My greatest fear, I guess, comes from the possibility of letting down any fellow writers who ask me to act as their editor. Among my greatest hopes, though, is to continue improving as a writer as well as an editor.

Still, every editor had to start somewhere, right?

Do you have any advice in starting on this new undertaking?