Blog

We wanted to get to know Helen Armalas (NAIWE’s Style Guide Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.

Authors have praised your ability to deliver constructively critical feedback directly and honestly during initial video consultations. How do you establish trust and set realistic expectations during that first 30-minute discovery call?

Establishing trust in an initial client call requires professionalism (fundamentally respect), being proactive and prepared (by reading sample material and writing out questions and potential next steps beforehand), and actively listening to the client. Since many authors are not versed in the language of and the different types of editing, I always ask them what their expectations are for an editing project, what specific concerns they have with their manuscript, what level of editing they desire (which typically tells me how receptive they are to criticism), and what questions they have for me. Listening to the client’s needs and drawing certain information out of them through having an authentic, honest conversation and by asking questions helps to get us on the same page so that we both have a clear understanding of what my services would entail for their specific manuscript.

Many student editors struggle to balance accuracy with professional speed expectations. What exercises or habits do you recommend to help novice editors increase their words-per-hour efficiency?

To become a faster editor while still being accurate, become fluent in Word’s different features and keyboard shortcuts. Also, use checklists and do multiple passes through the manuscript concentrating on different common mistakes (e.g. number formatting, capitalization, hyphen usage, etc.). As you move through a manuscript, you will become more acquainted with not only the author’s style but their mistakes (and people tend to make the same mistakes over and over again until they become aware of them). You can then search and correct these mistakes all in one pass, speeding up tedious editing. Also, if you find an error that you are having trouble finding the solution to, bookmark it and come back to it later. Instead of wasting time agonizing over one detail, keep moving. Often the answer comes to you as you work through the manuscript.

——————

Style sheets are important tools that editors create while copyediting manuscripts. When done well, they serve as a useful resource to the copyeditor, author, proofreader, and (if applicable) in-house production team to track a manuscript’s stylistic decisions, words and terms, citation preferences, and, in fiction, timeline and character development. In this webinar, we will go over how to make a style sheet for both fiction and nonfiction books using The Chicago Manual of Style as a primary resource. While covering the importance of using the style sheet as an aide to ensure consistency and correctness in manuscripts, we will also go over different Chicago Manual sections as well as other resources that are often referenced when copyediting manuscripts.

You can join in this conversation on July 22 at 2:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on creating and using useful style sheets. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Nonmembers can join for $30. Register today!

Helen Armalas is a freelance editor currently residing in Chicago, Illinois. She provides a full range of editing services to traditional publishers, university presses, museums, independent authors, and business clients. A versatile editor, Helen edits nonfiction and fiction (adult and young adult), academic journals, museum-exhibition text, and really anything you throw at her. She is fluent in The Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, APA, AP, and the AMA Manual of Style. Before starting her own freelance editing business in 2023, Helen worked for over ten years in different professional service industries as an accountant and then executive assistant. Disenchanted with the business world, Helen quit her job and decided to pursue her lifelong dream of working with words and being her own boss. Helen has a BA in Art History, Theory, and Criticism from Columbia College Chicago and has completed the Editing certificate program, with additional coursework in medical editing and writing, from the University of Chicago. When she is not reading or editing, Helen is spending time with her two extra-spicy dogs, Louise and Jackie.