The Editorial Blooper Reel

Back when I edited a custom magazine, I assigned and edited a package about an upcoming event (similar to a business conference) which included profiles of some of the attendees and speakers, a how-to-get ready checklist, a travel piece on side trips to take at the location, a celebration of highlights of the event over the past twenty years, and detailed instructions on how to register for the event.

I was so proud of that issue! After it went to print and was mailed out, my boss took me aside and said, “I just read the issue. You don’t have the event date listed anywhere in it.”

That’s right, I made sure readers knew all there was to know about the event except when it was actually going to be held.

None of the writers included the dates of the event or noticed they were missing. The copy editor didn’t notice. The proofreader didn’t notice. The production editor didn’t notice. Our liaison with the organization (who approved the copy) didn’t notice. And I, the person who signed off on everything and absolutely should have noticed, didn’t notice.

Oops.

I didn’t get fired, although it wouldn’t have surprised me very much if I had been (thanks, Frank). I went on to develop a checklist for not making stupid mistakes like that again (I still use checklists on projects because the pain is real).

The point of this post isn’t to say that you can avoid mistakes by having checklists, although checklists can help, the point is that editors make mistakes. Even big, obvious, how-in-hell-did-you-miss-that-mistake mistakes, to which the only possible answer is an embarrassed shrug and a “We’re all human” disclaimer.

Editors make mistakes. And like anyone else who makes a mistake, they pick themselves up, dust themselves off, learn what they can, and move on.

So don’t let fear of making mistakes hold you back. Rest assured, one day you’ll have your own editorial blooper reel, and I promise if you hang in there, some day it will actually make you laugh.

Half off the Developmental Editing Starter Pack (DE 1 – 6)!

Ends April 30, 2025

Interested in exploring developmental editing for fiction? Through the end of April (just two days), you can take half off the regular price of $350 for this package of six self-paced classes.

Don’t forget to use the coupon code: GetStarted

For more information and to register, click here.

New! Mid-Year Review

Starts July 7 (two weeks).

$35/$15 for members. (Note: Members need to use the coupon that can be found in the membership program classroom.)

During last winter’s annual review, several people mentioned that they’d like to do a mid-year review so that they can tweak things as needed before the year ends. That’s why I’ve created this new class.

In this forum-based class/conversation, we’ll do a mid-year review of our individual businesses and reflect on what we’ve accomplished, what went well, and what we’ve learned.

We’ll consider how our accomplishments have aligned with our values and mission and consider ways to become more fully aligned.

We’ll talk about the challenges we’ve encountered and what may be keeping us from taking steps and work out solutions to our challenges.

But our main focus will be on taking those lessons into the second half of the year!

Class materials will include review prompts, such as questions to journal about and information to research. We’ll use the forums to talk about our answers, help each other out, brainstorm and act as sounding boards, and create a plan for the coming months.

For more information and to register, click here.

Starts tomorrow! Creating Classes & Info Products!

Starts Wednesday, April 30!

$330 (Members: $297) | How to create and sell classes and information products | 4 weeks | Instructor-led | Intermediate

This class will introduce you to a whole new set of money-making opportunities!

I’m not going to pretend that there’s any such thing as “passive income” unless you’re super-rich and can live off the interest from your investments, but I do promise that there are ways to earn revenue from your editing skills that don’t require constant work.

Once you’ve made the original investment in creating the material, whether it’s a class, a book, or a white paper, you just need to spend a little time marketing to keep the money flowing. (And often you can get someone else to do the marketing for you!)

In this class, we’ll cover:

• identifying your USP – unique selling proposition (the thing you can do that other people can’t)

• how to find and evaluate teaching opportunities (teaching for other organizations is a great way to get started!)

• the dangers of one-off teaching opportunities

• principles of curriculum development

• giving (and getting!) effective feedback

• creating and hosting your own classes

• overview of learning management systems

• repurposing already created materials to make ebooks and white papers

• developing a book proposal for big projects to make sure they’ll sell

• basics of self-publishing your work, including finding a good designer and beta readers

• the difference between using classes and information products to market your editorial services vs primarily as a means to generate income

• and more!

Each week includes a new lesson and a new assignment to be submitted for the instructor’s feedback along with online discussions about the lessons.

For more information or to register, click here.

For Members

Find the coupon code for the new Mid-Year Review in the Membership Program classroom. (This class costs just $15 for members!)

New discount for PerfectIt and Draftsmith software! Save 30% off your purchase of PerfectIt and 20% off your purchase of Draftsmith. PerfectIt is a well-regarded program that many copy editors use to help ensure their edits are applied correctly across an entire manuscript. Use the coupon code you’ll find in the Membership Program classroom.

The new instructor-led class, Freelancing Through Tough Times, is available to members for just $75, but you have to use the coupon code that you’ll find on the membership program classroom page.

Upcoming Classes

Instructor-led classes starting soon:

• Editorial Toolkit: Creating Classes and Information Products, starts Apr 30, 2025

• Editing Sagging Middles, starts May 12, 2025 (two-week class)

• Intermediate Line Editing for Fiction, starts Jun 2, 2025

• Getting Editorial Work from Book Publishers and Packagers, starts Jun 4, 2025

• Freelancing Through Tough Times, starts Jun 30, 2025

About Jennifer Lawler

I help editors figure out what the hell they’re doing.

If you’re an aspiring, new, or established book editor or story coach, I can probably help you learn how to do the work better and more profitably.

Through Club Ed, I offer developmental editing classes, a freelance editor membership program/support group, and a slightly bony shoulder to cry on.

I’ve worked as an editor for more than twenty years. I learned how to edit in the trenches of traditional publishing with its insane deadlines, pitiless competition, and crushing bureaucracy. To that I added a Ph.D in English literature with a specialization in medieval literature because of a long story.

Editorial clients have included Simon & Schuster, Girl Friday Productions, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Barnes and Noble Custom Publishing, and others, along with many independent authors. 

For fiction self-paced classes, click here.

For fiction instructor-led classes, click here

For nonfiction self-paced classes, click here

For nonfiction instructor-led classes, click here

For on-demand instructor-led classes, fiction and nonfiction, click here