Book editing
I am Samwise Gangee, a loyal companion to Mordor. I am Chief Bromden, chronicling my reunion with my individuality. I am but a hopeful literary device waiting for Kundera's appointment. I am a patient horcrux waiting to be found by Harry Potter. I am Ford Prefect, almost turning into a penguin.
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I have often wondered why readers make such good storytellers ... In their arsenal, an invisible tool forged alongside the dawn of man.
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A unassuming, hunched-over teenager fixing peers' essays soon became a qualified editor, infused in the semiotics of a network of threads which climb our very existence. Stories – an endless yarn that continues to find ways to unravel itself. And so, if you are anything like me, you observe that spool, carefully watching when it needs a hand untwisting itself.
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With a prize in tow, under the mentorship of published South African author, Irma Joubert, in 2014, I continued my quest, eventually winning a prize at Stellenbosch University (2017) for best student in their editing postgraduate short course. Starting my career at a publishing house, I had the opportunity to work with authors to develop their stories, as well as language editing, copy-editing and proofing manuscripts on the daily. That evolution is still alive today.
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Since 2017, I have edited over 50 books that went on to walk successful publishing journeys. This includes Children of Ghosts; Anatomy of State Capture; Language and the Law: Global Perspectives in Forensic Linguistics from Africa and beyond; Mother Earth, Mother Africa: World Religions and Environmental Imagination; Living with Little Monsters; Life Under Lockdown; The Naval War in South African Waters, 1939-1945; Exchanging Symbols: Monuments and Memorials in Post-Apartheid South Africa; Youth Participation in Electoral Politics in South Africa; Handbook on Legal Language; The Lightness of Air and oh-so much more.
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For all that, dear reader, this story is actually not mine. It belongs to all the storytellers I have met, helped, who have helped me and who I have yet to meet. Oh, and feel free to ask me for more publications' details.
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That's a lot of images and words, but what does your average edit actually look like? Well, here's a quick look ...
Key skills
Language editing Proofreading Story development Quality control Copy-editing Structural editing Publishing preparation Non-fiction Academic publishing Research Author relationships & collaboration Writing Project management Academic referencing Editorial direction Non-fiction Liaise with other publishing departments Style sheet & editorial policies Afrikaans & English editing Feedback Fiction Novel Anthology