Me in my attic office.
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Want to get to know me a bit more? I’m flattered.
Here’s a little more about who I am and what I do when I’m not knee-deep in someone else’s fascinating words. |
Quick story…
Before I started my editing business, I worked as an intern at Breakwater Books, a small press in St. John’s, NL. It was my job to read all incoming submissions and report any gems in our weekly team meetings.
I read A LOT of submissions.
My favourite part of that process was discovering something truly powerful—a piece of writing that I could see raw potential in, that I could champion to the rest of the team.
(The worst part was the sheer volume of rejection letters I had to send. I got really good at giving helpful and kind feedback, though. It might help you to know that rejection from a publishing house is less often “This is terrible!” and more often “This doesn’t fit our current list”.)
At my press job, I learned how passionate writers are about their craft, and I got to see the inner workings of a traditional publishing company. I struggled because I saw so much potential, but we couldn’t publish all the books I wanted to bring to life.
After a year there, learning the ropes of copyediting and proofreading from the managing editor, I decided freelancing was a better fit for me.
So, I started my own editing business to work with all the amazing writers kept out of the competitive (and often risk-averse) traditional publishing route. Writers who could make a go as indie authors self-publishing their books and building a raving fanbase. I knew you were out there… because I’d been reading your work all along.
Before I started my editing business, I worked as an intern at Breakwater Books, a small press in St. John’s, NL. It was my job to read all incoming submissions and report any gems in our weekly team meetings.
I read A LOT of submissions.
My favourite part of that process was discovering something truly powerful—a piece of writing that I could see raw potential in, that I could champion to the rest of the team.
(The worst part was the sheer volume of rejection letters I had to send. I got really good at giving helpful and kind feedback, though. It might help you to know that rejection from a publishing house is less often “This is terrible!” and more often “This doesn’t fit our current list”.)
At my press job, I learned how passionate writers are about their craft, and I got to see the inner workings of a traditional publishing company. I struggled because I saw so much potential, but we couldn’t publish all the books I wanted to bring to life.
After a year there, learning the ropes of copyediting and proofreading from the managing editor, I decided freelancing was a better fit for me.
So, I started my own editing business to work with all the amazing writers kept out of the competitive (and often risk-averse) traditional publishing route. Writers who could make a go as indie authors self-publishing their books and building a raving fanbase. I knew you were out there… because I’d been reading your work all along.
“With her enthusiastic interest and support for writers and writing, and her wide knowledge of many genres, Erika always brings special insight to your project. She has a keen eye for sentence structure, word efficiency, and rhythm, and is reliable and easy to work with. |
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Other fun things about me...
I’m a morning person.
I grew up in Aylmer, Quebec, Canada, and later moved to Toronto. After 6 years in that fast-paced city, I moved to Kitchener, Ontario—and the slower pace of life here seriously suits me!
Now, I’m woken up by birdsong instead of traffic. And even though I get to choose my own hours as a freelance editor, I live my best life as a morning person who gets to her desk at 5 a.m.
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My living room turns into a gym every day at 9 a.m.
I grew up doing competitive gymnastics! Currently, my fave activities include resistance training (especially with kettlebells), my yoga/meditation practice, and long walks and bike rides.
I love the arts, from abstract painting, to reading horror novels, to dabbling in art journaling.
I secretly always wanted to be an abstract painter! And as of 2021, I actually started trying it out. I love dabbling across art forms. Currently, I’m focusing on art journaling and collage (I’ve also kept a journal of some kind since I was 12). And I do it all at my art desk. It's on the opposite side of the attic from my editing work station.
I also have a Bachelor’s degree in humanities (because I can never choose one thing) and a Master’s degree in philosophy. My thesis was a phenomenological inquiry into the embodiment of yoga and ballet.
If you resonated with any of this, let me know! I'd love to help you bring your book to life!
More about my editing journey
Other places to find me
House of Zolo Publishing
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Commonplace Blog
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