Am I too late to wish you a Happy New Year?
I'm a historian, so of course not. But beyond the sincere wish, I'm using this new-and-improved 'stack to look ahead and think aloud about some things, as many of us do.
So we made it to 2023, worn and weary but present nonetheless. It’s about this time of the year that most new year resolutions become “well, there’s next year.” And I’m here to say, that’s perfectly fine! Hell, it’s encouraged! In the serious political & economic climate we are in, showing up is more than enough.
But the turn of the calendar year did and does give me opportunity to think about what I would like to do professionally, which I want to share with all of you. It also functions as a sort of introduction for anyone who is new!
Black Feminist praxis is at the heart of our work
When I put out my little shingle advertising that I was editing freelance and full-time, I had two clients within the space of a WEEK. I was stunned and thought, maybe I could actually make this fantasy become reality. Over the next months, other clients came — and some went. I came into this with the goal of helping Black feminist scholars get their books, journal articles, and public-facing pieces published. I made it through & then out of academia and over that time, I edited seven academic journals so I knew enough about numbers and who gets published to know where I could do the greatest good. For this work, Black feminism means Black women feminists, of course, but it also means people practicing foundational tenets of Black feminism — intersectionality, gender & race analysis, antiracism but also anti-Blackness, and pivoting the center of inquiry to show what we learn when we allow Black women to be and to do. To quote Anna Julia Haywood Cooper,
When and where I enter, in the quiet, undisputed dignity of my womanhood, without violence and without suing or special patronage, then and there the whole Negro race enters with me. -- A Voice from the South (1892)
Voices from the people most marginalized in late-stage capitalism and a world on the brink of environmental disaster need to be heard. Voices from the people seeking to upend patriarchy because it is of no service to anyone need to be heard. Theirs are the voices I work with or that scholars and writers bring to me. But…
There are projects I turn down to make space for Black feminist writers, and no, that is not discrimination.
There are projects I turn away simply because I’m not the person they need to succeed. I also turn away projects to keep my calendar open for feminist scholars and writers who are publishing in a world where writing by people of color is disproportionately overshadowed by writing by white people. My work, then, is openly conscious of these data and I choose to work with Black feminists and authors who are engaging in the hard histories and analyses. No shame to other writers, but when it comes to editing and writing support, feminists of color often need the most help. This is especially true for academics — women of color bear the greatest burdens of institutional service work in the name of “diversity.” (Why don’t institutions then work harder to hire more people of color, or why can’t institutions keep people of color? Questions I know need to be answered because they are routinely asked.) Women of color also often don’t get access or tips to internal and external grant money or other things that circulate casually among the menfolk, so I share what I’ve learned along the way.
So what are “editorial services” anyway?
Editing is a collaborative process with a writer (or writers) to develop, imagine, create, substantiate, and publish a writer’s written work. I talk a little bit about this on my website, but in all honesty, it varies from person to person. Some people need a very firm hands-on approach (think “dissertation is due in two weeks!! HELP ME!!). At the other end of the spectrum is someone who has perfected their personal and paid craft but on the side, they have penned a literary novel that they want to publish. In every case, I do the following:
create and sign a NDA. I do this before we exchange any writing because I’ve seen first hand how feminist and antiracist scholarship, writings, and ideas get lifted and passed off as original to someone else. So the NDA works in one direction — I can’t say anything specific about my clients’ work. That’s why I might vague-tweet or vague-post!
open a one-on-one conversation via Zoom or another platform to talk about what an author needs (again, varies wildly from client to client). We set out the actual project, where it’s been and where it’s heading, intended audiences, and steps to move toward goals. We set deadlines, if needed; we check in weekly, if desired.
operate differently than most editors. Many charge by the word (.01-.02/word is the going rate) and there are many benefits to that — it’s an established amount based on the project before you. And I do offer set rate packages if it is just one full pass and a Grammarly pass (some people really do just need/want that editorial service). However, I usually offer an hourly rate on retainer, starting at 10 hours minimum. I do that because I
work almost exclusively with academic authors. This means that a journal article is also the bulk of a book chapter, or a data set will be utilized in different ways. So which “word” would I count if 30-50% of one article will be cut/paste/finessed into another publication? Yes, academia is weird that way, but it’s also what it is.
help Black feminist practitioners develop a public audience and create more public-facing work to broaden audiences and conversations on meaningful ideas. This can be opinion pieces for newspapers, articles for online journals, or open letters to a particular community. But diversifying the voices and faces in our conversations to include Black feminism practitioners makes a difference, and that’s the difference we seek to make.
Then there’s the emotional support, the musical playlist, the occasional TikTok (if you know me, you know that sending TikToks is a love language), and contemporary issues for which one my clients is poised and prime to address. There’s the introductions to acquiring editors, publishers, and agents. There’s the coming webinars and workshops to tackle one topic or issue in publishing, hosted by me but often featuring people wiser than myself. It’s a community of spirit and lots of laughter and love along the way.
Speaker Bureau: Could that become a thing?
I was speaking with someone about getting speaking opportunities so we are working up her connections (pro tip: you know and have access to WAY more venues, communities, groups, gatherings than you think). And I started thinking that my clients have things to say on very timely events. Most are even at the ready for a written or virtual video response with short notice. So in the interest of throwing it out to the universe, here are the subjects about which my clients are experts. If you are reading this and hosting an event or need a speaker, let me know and I’ll get some introductions going!
Black feminist politics (including formal politics as they relate to Black women as well as policy and informal political dynamics)
Black feminist praxis
Black women/girls
HBCUs, history of and present/future
Immigration
Jewish cooking/keeping kosher
BIPOC family dynamics
Sexual violence, US and global
Race and "passing"
Environmental justice, race, & religion
What “in sickness & in health” means in practice
Women in formal politics, history of and present
Reproductive justice
Feminism, history of and present/future
LGBTQIA+ community needs assessments and data analysis
Subscriptions: A Note
This newsletter is free — it’s about what I do but also where you fit in. It’s news and advice and tips to pass along. It’s commiserating about writing because writing is hard and often so very isolating. It’s a love letter to Black feminist praxis. But it’s free.
However, if you subscribe, you do get a couple of benefits:
first invitation to webinars and workshops with agents, acquiring editors, & publishers
a 10% discount on all webinars and workshops
active membership discounts for all ABWH and Sister Scholars members (okay, you don’t have to subscribe, but they are there)
for “founding members,” a scholarship in your name for a Black feminist scholar/writer who wants editorial support but cannot afford it. This is a chance to give back and pay forward. If you are interested in this at a higher level or for a particular person (gifting editorial services is the best thing you can do to show the writer in your life that you love them and want them to cross the finish line), please email me directly at FormoreEditorial@gmail.com.
If you haven’t already heard…
Client Anastasia Curwood’s legacy cradle-to-grave biography of Shirley Chisholm is an absolute hit!! The first leg of the book tour is coming to a close, and the next stop is the New York State Library!!
Register HERE to attend.