Editing Uncovered: What Writers Need to Know, Episode 51

Donna Carbone
Jul 30
2 min read

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the editing process with two expert guests: Sarah Rexford, a seasoned editor from a Manhattan publisher and John DeDakis, author, freelance editor, book coach and former CNN editor. Whether you're prepping your manuscript for submission or self-publishing, this conversation offers invaluable insights into what editors really look for. You'll hear their biggest pet peeves, hard-won lessons, and the advice every writer needs before hitting "send." Plus, a peek into a typical day in the life of an editor—and how they balance editing with their own creative work. Writers, this one’s for you!

SHOW NOTES:

Sarah Rexford is an SEO Copywriter for clients internationally, including those recognized by Forbes, The New York Times, and The United Nations. She edits for a publisher in Manhattan, with her most notable title ranking as a #1 New Release in Sports Psychology. Sarah runs a website for writers that brings in roughly 100k impressions, coaches writers, and has spoken at writing conferences with bestselling keynoters.

John DeDakis, freelance editor & author, is a former editor on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." DeDakis is the author of six novels in the Lark Chadwick mystery-suspense-thriller series. In his most recent novel, Enemies Domestic, Lark is a pregnant White House press secretary forced to make an abort-or-not-to-abort decision in a highly toxic and polarized fishbowl while dealing with an attack on the presidency. Enemies Domestic won the Pencraft and Feathered Quill book awards and received the Grand Prize for Chanticleer’s Clue Award for Best Suspense/Thriller. DeDakis, a former White House correspondent, is also a writing coach, manuscript editor, and podcaster.

Can you tell us about your experiences as an editor and book coach?
What types of editing do each of you do?
What’s the most common mistake you see writers make during revisions?
What tools or software do you rely on in your editing workflow?
How do you handle giving tough feedback to an author?
John, does being an author affect your processes as an editor? If so, in what ways?
Sarah, you provide a free downloadable eBook for authors on your website, what golden nuggets can they find there?
At what stage in the writing or revision process should writers approach an editor?
What are your pet peeves in a manuscript?
What have you learned the hard way that might help our authors in their writing or in working with editors?