The Challenge of AI - and What to Do About It
AI is going to kill routine editing jobs. But it won’t kill jobs that require expertise and human judgment.
That’s why it’s important for editors to move beyond basic skills like proofreading. It’s not enough to say, “But homophones!” Most people will accept a small error rate if it means they can save three thousand dollars. Most people already do.
But when an author needs help creating a more powerful ending, or can’t figure out how to solve a story problem, or doesn’t have the necessary skill to see their vision to fruition, they turn to an editor—a human editor. And that won’t change.
I’ve been at this a long time and over the course of my career, I have had to constantly learn new skills so that I don’t become obsolete. It’s a mistake to think that at some point you’ll know everything you need to know and now you can just do it.
Think about ways you can make yourself indispensable as an editor. I don’t mean by piling more work on your plate. I do mean by doing the kinds of work that only humans with expertise and judgment can do.
This is why I encourage you to explore moving into line editing, developmental editing, book doctoring, coaching, and the like. Humans do those things far better than AI can, or ever will.
Marketing Toolkit: Content Marketing Strategy
Starts Today, October 8!
($50/$15 for members - members, use the coupon code in the Membership Program Classroom)
This Marketing Toolkit class will begin with a webinar on Tuesday, October 8, from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific time with Club Ed Lead Instructor Jennifer Lawler. (It will be recorded for people who can’t make the live session.)
Then, we’ll continue the conversation in a Club Ed forum specifically dedicated to discussing content creation, content strategy, connecting content to SEO strategy, developing a unique selling proposition and more.
The Q&A session will cover:
what content marketing is and how it works
creating a unique selling proposition (USP)
how USP can and should impact content creation
connecting content creation to SEO
repurposing content throughout your marketing
using content to bring your ideal client to you
creating an overall content strategy
using a content calendar to organize your work
and more!
For more information: Marketing Toolkit: Content Marketing Strategy
Editing for Plot and Story Structure
Starts tomorrow, October 9!
$300 (Members: $270) | How to edit for plot and story structure | 4 weeks | Instructor-led | Intermediate
Plot and story structure (also called narrative structure) are the big-picture elements of storytelling that we might call “what happens” and “the framework within which the plot (what happens) is shown.”
Authors (and editors!) sometimes think there is only one type of story structure to use, based on a three-act quest story. This is why you’ll often hear writers and editors talk about “the first turning point” and “the black moment.” While this type of three-act structure may be how many popular movies are written, it is not the only or necessarily the best way for novel narratives to be structured.
In this class, we’ll cover:
The wide range of story structures authors use and the basics of editing them
Helping authors recognize when a different story structure would serve their purposes better
Recognizing the intersections between story structure, plot, setting, character, and theme
Using conflict to drive plot
Identifying plot implausibilities and incongruities
Dealing with “nothing happens” plots
Scene and chapter construction within the structural framework
and more!
For more information and to sign up, click here.
For Members
The quarterly marketing challenge started yesterday, October 7, but there’s still time to join! This challenge is separate from the marketing toolkit classes and is free and open to any member who’d like to be more consistent with their marketing efforts.
Each weekday, everyone does at least one marketing task (such as updating website information, posting on social media, writing a blog post, etc.) and reports their progress in the forum. A random winner gets a $25 Club Ed gift certificate at the end.
For more about the Membership Program, click here.
Upcoming Classes
Fall classes starting soon:
Marketing Toolkit: Content Marketing Strategy, starts Oct 8, 2024
Editing for Plot and Story Structure, starts Oct 9, 2024
Editing Horror with James Gallagher, starts Oct 22, 2024
Beginning Line Editing for Fiction, starts Oct 28, 2024
Marketing Toolkit: Social Media for Editors, starts Oct 29, 2024
About Jennifer Lawler
I help editors figure out what the hell they're doing.
If you're an aspiring, new, or established book editor or story coach, I can probably help you learn how to do the work better and more profitably.
Through Club Ed, I offer developmental editing classes, a freelance editor membership program/support group, and a slightly bony shoulder to cry on.
I've worked as an editor for more than twenty years. I learned how to edit in the trenches of traditional publishing with its insane deadlines, pitiless competition, and crushing bureaucracy. To that I added a Ph.D in English literature with a specialization in medieval literature because of a long story.
Editorial clients have included Simon & Schuster, Girl Friday Productions, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Barnes and Noble Custom Publishing, and others, along with many independent authors.
For fiction self-paced classes, click here.
For fiction instructor-led classes, click here
For nonfiction self-paced classes, click here
For nonfiction instructor-led classes, click here
For on-demand instructor-led classes, fiction and nonfiction, click here