Why I Love Editing Children’s Books
Being an 80s baby, I was brought up on old-school fairy tales. I particularly remember my German mother reading the tale of “Frau Holle” to me. Frau Holle was the quintessential old hag who lived deep in the woods. She would make it snow over the local village when she shook the feathers out of her pillows from the top of her tower.
Stories like this fascinated the little girl who had a very active imagination and was always looking for adventure… yes, that was me! I got into quite a bit of trouble going in search of magical creatures in the woods near my house and completely losing track of time. I was convinced that the real Frau Holle was one of our neighbours. My friends and I were terrified of going near her house for fear of being turned into toads!
Enchanted by fairy tales like, “The Little Match Girl” and “The Elves and the Shoemaker”, I was certain that magic was real. I don’t think I appreciated just how much these fairy tales fuelled my imagination until I grew up. I look back on my childhood now feeling with complete conviction that magic truly existed in those woods near my house.
Fast forward to my late teens, studying English Literature at University in the medieval city of Canterbury, I promptly got myself a part-time job at a bookshop. No other job would do! Working in several bookshops during my university years, the children’s books sections were always my favourite - they always stood out as colourful and fun. I would often volunteer to “tidy” the children’s books shelves, whilst secretly flipping through the beautiful picture books on display.
When I became a parent myself, I couldn’t wait to read to my babies. I quickly started to collect all the beautiful picture books I could get my hands on before my son could even sit by himself. I decided that I wanted to instill a love of stories in my children from a very early age.
Now that my children are 13 and 10 years old, I have a son who loves… video games (of course), but my daughter is an avid little bookworm who reads for pleasure! I suppose it depends on the person’s nature as well as a bit of nurture; after all, I never said my son doesn’t love stories, he just doesn’t read for pleasure. My son will always play video games with a storyline and he still sometimes listens to me read him a bedtime story.
Seeing the impact of the wealth of lessons that picture books held for my children awakened a deep passion in me. I wanted to teach children to read and inspire more children to fall in love with stories.
Fast forward again to me becoming a teaching assistant for primary (elementary) school-aged children; I would teach small groups and individual children to read and discuss the lessons within the stories.
I soon learned that all children love books, even in this digital age of video games and YouTube! Children don’t go to the woods by themselves in search of magical creatures anymore - times have changed - but they can still find them within the pages of books.
“Children don’t like books, they LOVE them!” — Clever Crow
Years later, I decided it was time for a change and that I wanted to work for myself, from home. I made the huge decision to leave my job as a teaching assistant and pursue a freelancing career in editing. I got my editing and proofreading diploma - gaining a distinction - and started getting experience editing all kinds of copy. I specifically wanted to edit children’s books (including YA literature) because I felt like my work with children’s books wasn’t quite done. I felt like I had more to give with my wealth of knowledge and experience in working with children. I also wanted the chance to discover new children’s books authors and stories. Having a passion for children’s books that not only teach important life lessons but also teach children to read and build on their vocabulary, I believe that editing offers a service that makes sure that children’s books are of high language quality before publishing.
I love that children have more opportunities to read than ever before! Not only do children have access to physical, beautiful, page-turning books at school and in local libraries. But they can also access them for free in digital form on tablets, e-readers, and computers. Children can even listen to their new favourite books being read to them by the author on platforms such as YouTube. How great is that? I love that I can be a part of this by being allowed into the indie author’s creative process, whichever format their book may be in.
The Rundown
Why I love editing children’s books:
Children’s books fuel the imagination - Nothing fuels the imagination quite like a good book; even for us grown-ups! Children’s books are an essential part of developing a healthy imagination for creativity and good mental health.
Children’s books are fun and colourful - Children’s picture books are just beautiful, and with a wealth of talented indie illustrators on the market right now, the standard of art in children’s books is simply stunning.
Children’s books awaken a love of stories - Stories have always been an important aspect of human interaction; it’s how we make sense of the world. This is especially important for children and young adults.
Children’s books teach important life lessons - This includes young adult literature (YA). From social, emotional, moral, and physical health, children’s books help children and young people make sense of the world around them and their place in it.
Children’s books teach vocabulary - When children learn to read or listen to people read to them, they develop their vocabulary. This is why it is important to make sure you self-edit your work several times and hire a trustworthy, qualified editor to go over your writing before publishing. A good-quality editor can help you deliver a manuscript that has the correct vocabulary for your target age group. It is especially important to ensure that all grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct in children’s books as these are the stepping stones to learning correct language.
I get to discover new authors - As we have established, I love children’s books, and being an editor introduces me to fabulous new children’s authors all the time, whilst also building long-lasting professional relationships.
I get to be part of the creative process - It is such a privilege to be allowed into the very personal creative process of an author. I understand that the work belongs to the author and that they have a unique voice. I take a sensitive, non-judgmental approach to my work, in which I support rather than take over or change anything unnecessarily.
“…books help children and young people make sense of the world around them and their place in it.” — Clever Crow
If you’d like to reach out to me about working together on your next children’s book, please do, I’d love to hear from you! Rest assured that you will be working with a qualified editor, who is experienced in both working with children and editing children’s books. By reaching out to me, you are under no obligation to work with me. In fact, I will encourage you to send me a short sample of your work so that I can do a free sample edit for you long before signing any agreements. The author/editor relationship needs to be the right fit before we start. By reaching out today, we would start with a friendly chat.
Natalie x
