3 things wrong with developmental editing

Image courtesy of Eyre Price

The following guest blog post is from Eyre Price, author of the Crossroads Trilogy, available from Amazon.com. You can follow him on Facebook. -Cesar Torres

By Eyre Price

The peculiarities of publishing have put me in an unexpected position. My latest title has been sold, but is stuck in a queue that will delay that book from hitting shelves for a while. At the same time, I’ve finished another novel that is currently being shopped around. So rather than add more manuscripts to this congestion, I’d like to use this opportunity to do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time: developmental editing – but with a completely different approach.

In my experience, there are three things wrong with traditional developmental editing.

The pressure to have a completed manuscript

The first is that developmental editors typically want to see a completed manuscript, but this has always struck me as counter-intuitive. It’s like having a builder complete his house and then inspecting the foundation afterward. Working from a final draft often makes rewrites more difficult and occasionally requires tearing everything down and starting from scratch. That’s an unnecessary waste of time, effort, and opportunity.

I believe that working with a developmental editor from the very beginning allows the writer to maximize the benefits of that process. So, while I’m more than willing to tackle a complete manuscript, I’m equally eager to work on a (very?) rough draft. A couple of chapters. Even an outline or an idea.

Expensive costs

The second drawback is the price. A full editing of a manuscript can start around $1,000.00 and go north from there. For a beginning writer--and some of us more established ones, too--that cost factor is prohibitive.

So what I’m offering is a service charged on an hourly rate. Pay for the time you need, and nothing more. My sincere hope is that this will make developmental editing affordable to absolutely everyone who is interested in working with an editor but has reservations about making a significant financial investment.

Communication loop is left open

The third issue is that at the end of the editing process, a client is typically provided with nothing more than a couple pages of written notes. There may be a follow-up phone call, but generally the writer is left to interpret and implement those changes on their own. To me, this lack of continued interaction frustrates the purpose, which I think often necessitates a series of conversations. So, while I’ll certainly offer written notes, I’m also planning to make myself available for on-going discussions. Phone. Skype. FaceTime. GooglePlus. Whatever works. Night owl or morning person, I’ll accommodate your schedule.

So, that’s it. Simple enough. No matter where you are in the process, from finished manuscript to just the germ of an idea, I’m available to help you develop your work on the terms that work best for you.

If you’re curious about me, I’m an agented writer and the award-winning author of the Amazon Best Selling Crossroads Thrillers series. I’ve been featured in Writer's Digest, was on the editorial staff of ITW’s The Big Thrill, and my short fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies. I’m a Fulbright Grant recipient and State Department selection as a U.S. representative to the 19th Salon International Du Livre D’Alger. I‘ve taught creative writing, presented panels at literary conferences, and appeared on numerous podcasts.

If you think that I might be able to help you with your work in progress, whether that’s just getting started or readying it for submissions or publication, email me at mreyreprice@gmail.com and I’ll be more than happy to share the details of my plan and answer all of your questions.

Podcast #16: Sarah Kendzior

In today’s episode:

• Sarah Kendzior is a columnist for The Globe and Mail, and has contributed to Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Guardian, Quartz, Slate and Politico. Sarah received her Ph.D. from Washington University. Her research focuses on authoritarian states. She tweets at @sarahkendzior. You can also quickly find all her articles and writing at SarahKendzior.com.

If you like the show, leave us a review in iTunes here. Thanks. If you want to support this show, visit my Patreon page. Got a comment? Send us an email at our contact page.

Google Slides: Raising the stakes of journalism video for social and mobile

I spoke to undergrads at Medill this week to talk about the integration of journalism standards with experimental new ways of telling stories on social (including Snapchat). You can check out the slides from the presentation below.

Google Slides: Raising the stakes of journalism video for social and mobile

I use Snapchat as a reporting tool for journalists

Photo illustration by Cesar Torres, original photograph by Terri Monahan

This year at Medill I have been fortunate to lead a group of graduate students in covering news events using Snapchat as a new type of camera. The work they have done has been astounding, and now is the right time for me to talk about what we have discovered so far.

Snapchat is unique, not just because it takes photo and video in an upright vertical format that drives traditional video pros insane with frustration, but because it offers production tools right inside the still image or video footage. You can add text, stickers, make your own stickers, and also verify your location by using Geofilters, among others.

“It’s clear that some of these very limited features offer a huge amount of creativity to tell a story digitally.”

I have found these production features very freeing, mostly because they are severely limited. For example, controlling fonts and font sizes is not very precise, and as a result, the "snaps" end up with a DIY, handmade look that is unique to the platform. There are no cropping tools, no color correction or image-editing options. What you see is what you get.

What's more, snaps and snap stories vanish. There is no archive, unless the journalist saves the video and re-posts on their site or a YouTube channel, which is probably a good idea to do. At Medill, we save the Snap stories for that day and archive. We sometimes post them as part of stories, like this one.

The more I use Snapchat with news teams, the more it makes me think of a particular technology from the past: The Polaroid camera.

Snapchat is possibly the equivalent of the introduction of a photo format like Polaroids, more than 75 years ago. Although the Polaroid did not get co-opted by newspapers or magazines as a photography tool, many artists favored it and worked with its limitations over the years. The Polaroid was an instant camera with a film exposure that would permit you to scribble on it as it developed. What's more, the print had a small margin at the bottom where a photographer could write an identifier, the date, whatever struck his or her fancy.

As my students experiment further with telling stories on Snapchat, it's clear that some of these very limited features offer a huge amount of creativity to tell a story digitally. We can tell stories in, colorful and animated ways that show a sense of humor, or a stronger sense of motion. We can show a sense of place that a broadcast crew or a more advanced camera can't. We can be spontaneous, and cover breaking news as it happens. At the same time, experienced journalists can uphold the values of the profession by seeking to tell these stories strongly with the who, where, when, and why. That means that introductions to Snap stories need to be strong, well told, well reported and researched. The reporter also remains as the responsible party to move us through a story with clarity, fairness, and objectivity. We need to cite sources, and yes, we can even cite the sources with a sticker or emoji.

I believe that journalists can go to new places with this type of camera than we could before. The camera is built into a smartphone, and as long as the mic is high quality and the sound is good, we can see some really amazing stories emerge. Yes, the bad news is that native mics are really crappy and don't give Snapchat journalism stories the right production values to be taken more seriously. Get yourself a decent mic for your smartphone. I recommend the Giant Squid Omniderectional Mic for entry-level journalists.

I should also note that there is also a learning curve on shooting video and photos in Snapchat, and making a good composition of high quality for journalism purposes also requires teaching, practice, and repetition, in order for it to improve. In other words, not all reporters know how to use this type of camera well, but they can learn.

Is Snapchat nothing more than a fad? Its parent company Snap has high hopes for the platform, asking for lots of money from media companies to run their content inside the platform, but not all analysts are bullish on Snap. The tech startup is slated to launch an IPO, and I personally think it only adds to the tech bubble we are currently experiencing as startups receive valuations that are beyond rich. The video space on social is crowded, and well, no one can actually predict what will happen. In the meantime, I think it's worth it for journalists to keep experimenting and using it. It certainly is more dynamic than a single shot that I could take with a DSLR, and in one single tap on my screen, I can distribute it to friends, or thousands of viewers.

I'll report again on how things are going with this experiment in a few months.

You can follow the work my students are doing at Medill on Snapchat at medillreports, and you can follow me at killsuperhero, or use the snapcode below.

Pocast #15 Don’t overthink it, use Createspace for paperbacks

In today’s episode:

• Big news, I’ll be performing at Homolatte in Chicago on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7:30. It’s free, and you will hear selections from 13 Secret Cities and 9 Lords of Night.

• Updates on audio issues in the last episode

• A quick primer on Amazon’s book printing service Createspace, and why you should use it for self publishing your book

If you like the show, leave us a review in iTunes here. Thanks. If you want to support this show, visit my Patreon page. Got a comment? Send us an email at our contact page.

Podcast #14 Jeff Curto

Photographer Jeff Curto is Professor Emeritus of Photography at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where he taught from 1984 to 2014. Curto hosts two popular podcasts about photography. He hosts The History of Photography, which presents a full semester of his History of Photography course along with other photo history concepts, and Camera Position, which discusses photography’s creative aspects.

If you like the show, leave us a review in iTunes here. Thanks. If you want to support this show, visit my Patreon page. Got a comment? Send us an email at our contact page.

Podcast #13 A special reading: Wandering Star

In this week’s episode:

• I have guests coming up on the show! Bob Paris, Sarah Kendzior and Jeff Curto. First episode with guests starts next week.

• A reading of the chapter “Wandering Star” from my upcoming novel 9 Lords of Night.

If you like the show, leave us a review in iTunes here. Thanks. If you want to support this show, visit my Patreon page.

Slack story up on Poynter.org

I recently wrote about the dangers of journalists sharing too much gossip and info on the third-party chat app Slack. The story ran on Poynter.org. It's mostly targeted to journalists, but the recommendations apply pretty much to anyone.

Don’t want the public to see your newsroom’s gossip? Don’t put it on Slack

Podcast #12 Updates on 9 Lords of Night and the launch of 13SC Apparel

In this episode:

• Updates on the podcast, and why I was absent for a few weeks
• Updates on 9 Lords of Night by Cesar Torres, due out in 2017
• The launch of 13SC Apparel, a clothing line designed by Cesar Torres that is bringing community to Chicago strength sports
• Other updates

For more info, visit cesartorres.me

Solar Six and 13SC seeking designers and illustrators

Solar Six, Cesar Torres’ publishing company, and 13SC, its related apparel brand, are  seeking illustrators and designers for Winter of 2016/2017 to actively work on book covers, book illustrations, tee designgs, men’s fitness apparel design, video and web branding. These opportunities are on a freelance basis, with the possibility of more long term options if there is a fit. We prefer to develop a relationship with a business-minded artist, and we select candidates who show promise and interest in working with startups and innovation. We pay a flat fee per project with clear deadlines for deliverables.

We are seeking two kinds of people. If you happen to fit both, even better.

• Illustrators with strong experience in drawing human figures in movement. Any artists who have comic book experience are welcome, though this is not required.

• Graphic designers who can develop branding elements for tees, posters and other physical products in photoshop and illustrator. We are looking for folks who have a real visual style but can adapt to the needs of the creative vision.

To apply, please email your resume, cover letter and link to an online portfolio to editor@solarsixbooks.com.

More information about Cesar Torres:

Cesar Torres is a writer and journalist with more than 20 years of experience across various areas of publishing and business including digital news, book publishing (fiction), startups, human-computer interaction and emerging technologies.

Cesar graduated from the undergraduate program from Medill at Northwestern University in 1996, and he earned a masters in science in human-computer interaction from DePaul University. He spent the first ten years of his career at Tribune Company and Tribune Interactive as a producer, developing breaking news content for Tribune’s network of newspaper web sites. During the tech boom of the late 90’s he also served as a syndication producer for Encyclopaedia Britannica’s foray into search technology and web-based encyclopedic content. After spending a few years in the middle aughts as editor and web publisher for healthcare entities such as HIMSS and The Rehabilitation Institute in Chicago, Cesar made a change in his focus by turning his focus to technology and the ways in which tech is impacting human culture and human behaviors. He served as Social Editor for the Conde Nast tech publication Ars Technica. Cesar also served a key role as managing editor in the founding stages of the consumer-product sites The Wirecutter and The Sweethome.

Cesar is also a longtime fiction writer. Even as far back as his undergraduate days at Northwestern, he wrote short stories. Cesar’s first published short story ran in the now-defunct Willows magazine in 2008. In 2012, Cesar created Solar Six, a startup that publishes his books in paperback and as e-books. Cesar’s debut novel 13 Secret Cities, launched in 2013. Since then, Cesar has published three more novels under a pseudonym. His next novel, 9 Lords of Night, a thriller set in Chicago and New York City, is scheduled to publish in 2017.

Cesar is also the designer and creator of 13SC apparel, a brand of gym and fitness wear inspired by mythical figures.

How to Kill a Superhero books and clothing now available in Chicago retail

Gratitude post 🙏: I am proud to announce my partnership the men's fashion and fetish boutique Men's Room here in Chicago to sell my How to Kill a Superhero book series (NSFW!) and the clothing line inspired by the superheroes from the books, starting this week, in their store. This is a HUGE milestone for my books, and I am grateful to all of you friends, family and loyal readers who support my efforts. If you are curious about the crossover between superheroes, LGBTQ and fetish communities, then stop into the store (located in Boystown at 3420 N. Halsted) where you can purchase the books, leggings, and wrestling singlets that are part of my artistic vision. This ain't no 50 shades! It's BETTER.

And don't forget, I write How to Kill a Superhero under the pseudonym Pablo Greene. Don't forget it! Hugs.

Podcast #11: What happened to me at Tuesday Funk

In which I tell you what happened to me at Tuesday Funk, and I discuss a different kind of "Tuesday funk", which could happen on November 8 in the U.S.

The Cesar Torres podcast is dedicated to coaching people in fiction writing and self publishing, as well productivity and digital strategy. Cesar is the author of the novel 13 Secret Cities and How to Kill a Superhero (under the pen name Pablo Greene). For more info, visit cesartorres.me. 

Catch a Preview of 9 Lords of Night at Tuesday Funk Nov 1

Want to get a preview of my new novel 9 Lords of Night? Come on out to Tuesday Funk Nov. 1 at the Hopleaf in Chicago! I'll be reading an excerpt from my new book (and will be celebrating Dia de los Muertos, as well). For more details, please visit the Tuesday Funk web site. 💀🌸💀 For

Podcast #10: Why you need $1,000 to self publish your first book

The Cesar Torres podcast is dedicated to coaching people in fiction writing and self publishing, as well productivity and digital strategy. Cesar is the author of the novel 13 Secret Cities and How to Kill a Superhero (under the pen name Pablo Greene). For more info, visit cesartorres.me. For more episodes, please subscribe via Stitcher or iTunes.

Podcast #8 The Day You Wrote Down Your Busines Vision

The Cesar Torres podcast is dedicated to coaching people in fiction writing and self publishing, as well productivity and digital strategy. Cesar is the author of the novel 13 Secret Cities and How to Kill a Superhero (under the pen name Pablo Greene). For more info, visit cesartorres.me. For more episodes, please subscribe via Stitcher or iTunes.

Podcast #7 This Isn't Going to Work

The Cesar Torres podcast is dedicated to coaching people in fiction writing and self publishing, as well productivity and digital strategy. Cesar Torres is the author of the novel 13 Secret Cities and How to Kill a Superhero (under the pen name Pablo Greene). For more episodes, please subscribe via Stitcher or iTunes.

Podcast #6 The Day You Wrote Down Your Editorial Vision

The Cesar Torres podcast is dedicated to coaching people in fiction writing and self publishing, as well productivity and digital strategy. Cesar Torres is the author of the novel 13 Secret Cities and How to Kill a Superhero (under the pen name Pablo Greene). If you would like to support this podcast, you can do so at Cesar Torres' Patreon page.

I'll Be Teaching at the Medill School of Journalism this Fall

I have some very exciting news to share today. I will be teaching news reporting and digital storytelling this Fall at The Medill Content Lab at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern in the graduate program. The Content Lab provides a fast-paced immersion into a news and editorial environment for graduate students. Medill at Northwestern is my alma mater, so this opportunity is extra special.

I will be teaching graduate students 2-3 days during the week in an environment that very much resembles a real newsroom, and in the process, I'll also be working alongside faculty and mentors from my days at Tribune Interactive, as well as Northwestern from my undergrad years. The future of journalism rests on the alchemy of disciplines of news writing, video story telling in short and long form, podcasting, and the smart use of user experience and human computer interaction. Add to that mix the rigor of the Medill School, and you get a very challenging experience. I can't wait to meet the students in my class, and to learn more about them, and what kind of stories they will tell and report. If you live in Chicago and you want to grab lunch downtown, that means we can do that, too, since the graduate school campus is located there. It's going to be a great Fall Quarter.

Podcast #5: Be Ready to Deal

The Cesar Torres podcast is dedicated to coaching people in fiction writing and self publishing, as well productivity and digital strategy. Cesar Torres is the author of the novel 13 Secret Cities and How to Kill a Superhero (under the pen name Pablo Greene). For more info, visit cesartorres.me. 

Book Update: Haunting the Somerset Hotel

Most readers aren't going to give a shit how many words I am writing daily. That's the kind of stuff only other writers care about. And if you want to know the counts, just message me, I'll tell you privately. But it's still worth sharing with you the journey I take in creating my books, isn't it? That's why starting today, I'll be writing about some of the real-life places, events and people I am researching as I write 9 Lords of Night, my next thriller.

NOTE: Though these updates feature parts of my research, not all of these elements may make into the final published book.

The characters of 9 Lords of Night will be visiting the Somerset Hotel, a magnificent building from 1919 that still stands today in the historic Uptown neighborhood. (I wrote about Uptown in 2013 in 13 Secret Cities as the main characters attended a concert at the Aragon Ballroom.)

The Somerset Hotel launched at the height of Uptown's glory. Before Hollywood rose as the pinnacle of moviemaking in the United States, Uptown held a title as the movie nucleus. Most people can't imagine how this mixed-income neighborhood known for its theaters and music venues could have held so much prestige, but they should be imagining it. 

For a deeper historical look at the hotel's early history, including information about its architect Samuel N. Crowen, please visit the excellent Jazz Age Chicago blog.

The Somerset was born into a decade of jazz,  luxury and glamour, but as you will learn, it fell into new hands in the late 20th century. At one point, it housed hundreds of people as a sheltered care facility for senior citizens. Stories about its downturn are grim. At some point, the Somerset was housing inmates and the mentally ill along with the senior population. The facility was shut down in 2010 for myriad violations, and in the past six years, the building was re-zoned to allow for a developer to turn it into apartments.

This is the kind of deep history that resounds in Uptown. The Somerset is haunted by the luxurious, the decadent, the corrupt, and the ill. And now it has a chance for a new beginning, though history never forgets. 

As I research further into the Somerset history, I can't help but to go deeper into the research. This week, I plan to walk over to the apartment building and ask its management company to let me tour the halls and the rooms. I need to see it for myself. Even if the site ends up as background in the novel, this is the sort of context that will give the manuscript solidity.

If you live in Chicago, I recommend you drive by the hotel and get brunch at Tweet, the restaurant across the street. I am amazed to see the gigantic structure revitalized this way. Just a few years ago it was nothing but a shell, a ghost of itself. 

And with that, I now return to my manuscript for 9 Lords of Night. I'll share more updates as I run across more shiny objects in the dark. You will want to see admire their glow.

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