Hello all my fellow literary lovers!

This is the first in a series of blogs that answers the questions I’m asked most often, and the first question I’ll address is “How did you become an editor?” I get this question a lot because, I’m guessing, editor is something of an unusual career. It’s not something that most kids grow up wanting to be someday, and even many adults are not sure exactly what an editor does. And since many editors work for themselves, it’s not a career one just falls into. So, how did I become an editor?

It started with my deep and abiding love of books. As far back as I can remember, I loved to read. I spent hours in my local public and school libraries, and it was no surprise to anyone when I decided in sixth grade that I wanted to be a librarian when I grew up. I chased that dream through much of the rest of my education, earning my undergraduate degree in English, two teaching credentials (so that I could be a school librarian), and a Master of Library and Information Science degree. My dream came true when I was hired as the librarian for a San Diego high school, and I had a wonderful time sharing my love of books and reading with the students and staff there. The downside, though, to working in a public school system is that staffing is determined largely based on seniority, and as the rookie librarian in the district, I ultimately lost my position to somebody with more seniority when budget cuts forced many of the district’s librarians out of their jobs.

That left me with a choice. I could work as a substitute librarian and hope to someday be hired back as a school’s permanent librarian. I could seek employment in one of San Diego’s public libraries. Or, I could go to work on the other end of the literary spectrum, helping people prepare books for publication instead of recommending them to people once they were published. I had worked as an editor for various companies on a part-time basis since college, not to mention the countless papers and essays I’d edited for my undergraduate classmates, family members, and students along the way. I’d also gone back to school while working as a librarian to earn my copyediting certificate, just in case I ever wanted to do more editing.

After many long conversations with my husband, I had my answer: I was going to see if I could make it as a full-time editor. I was fortunate to still have those companies around, happy to hire me for editing services once more, and I was able to build my client base from there. I also realized that I loved being an editor as much as I’d loved being a librarian; without expecting it, I had transitioned from one dream career into another.

And that, in short–well, really, in long–is how I became an editor. Stay tuned for next time, when I’ll talk about that mystery of what exactly it is an editor does. See you then!