A Good Editor

A good editor is hard to find.

I was working on a final draft of my book, “Jazz Theory for Choral Musicians” today (more on that soon!), using some really detailed and concrete feedback from a friend. And I feel like I can’t overstate enough just how welcome that kind of feedback is. There are three things that make it so exceedingly valuable.

  1. It’s actionable. Giving feedback that can be acted upon is priceless.
  2. It’s generous. We are all too busy to take on extra projects like proofreading someone’s manuscript. Taking it on is a profound gift.
  3. It’s supportive. Saying that you respect someone’s work enough to support it and help improve it is a profound vote of confidence in their work.

Find those editors wherever you can! And thank them when you’ve used their feedback!