On a Personal Note: Professional Growth

My April Reads

Ebook:

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Audiobook:

Caught Up by Navessa Allen

This month has felt a bit slow (although, behind the scenes, it really wasn’t), but I haven’t read quite as much as I wanted to. There’s a subtle – or not so subtle – pressure that I should read more. More than the average reader. After all, I am an editor. An expert, right?

The reality is that there are simply too many books to read, and I’ll never truly stay ‘on top of it,’ no matter how hard I try. I have 246 books on my ebook TBR alone, which is both thrilling and mildly alarming. At the moment, most of my time is spent reading non-fiction (for my career), progressing through even more editing courses, or working on my business.

Professional Growth as a Romance Editor

I’m so pleased to announce that I’m now an Intermediate Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). Professional growth has been at the heart of my journey as a new editor – and it always will be.

When I first considered becoming a romance editor, advice from outside the publishing world (read: family and friends) was to try it without training and see how it goes. I knew that was never an option for me. Before launching my business, I completed several professional editing courses with the CIEP, EFA, Liminal Pages, and Louise Harnby. I wanted to deliver quality from the very beginning, not somewhere down the line.

I’m currently undertaking the Editing Romance Fiction course from the CIEP, deepening my expertise in the nuances, expectations, and emotional craft of the romance genre. (The course should have happened before my launch, but it was postponed twice.) I’m going to be quite sad once it’s over. What can I say? I just love talking about romance – it’s truly my favourite genre.

The Kiss Quotient is part of my assignments for the course, and it’s so, so good. I’ll be showcasing some great examples of writing craft from this one, so stay tuned.

Soon, I’ll be diving into a new course from Liminal Pages, Coffee and Clauses: The Art of Line and Copy-Editing Fiction, to further refine my skills. I’m very much looking forward to this one.

Here’s one promise I can make to every author I work with: I will never stop learning.

If you’re looking for a professional romance and erotica editor who not only preserves your voice but strengthens it, I’d love to be considered for your next project. I have limited availability for May and June, so please get in touch early to secure your slot.