Go Set an Editor
- Jul
- 15
- 2015
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Editing
In February, I noted how announcements regarding Harper Lee’s novel Go Set a Watchman provided a glimpse of an editor’s role in creating To Kill a Mockingbird. Now that Watchman has been released, Lee’s editor is getting even more attention.
I have not read Watchman yet, but multiple reviewers have noted that it is nowhere near the masterpiece Lee created in Mockingbird. “Comparing Mockingbird—the result of two years of arduous revisions—with Watchman demonstrates clearly just how important a good editor can be,” wrote Heller McAlpin in a book review posted on the SFGate website.
The New York Times published an article about Lee’s editor, who first read the manuscript for Watchman and worked with the author to reconsider and reshape and rewrite until Mockingbird took the shape so familiar to so many millions of people today.
That editor, according to the Times story, was Therese von Hohoff Torrey—known professionally as Tay Hohoff—at the now-defunct J. B. Lippincott Company. Times writer Jonathan Mahler said, “this week’s publication of Go Set a Watchman offers a rare glimpse at the before and after of a book widely regarded as a masterpiece.”
And no matter what you think about Watchman or Mockingbird, that glimpse can be a revelation about the work—and worth—of a good editor. I know a lot of Mockingbird fans who don’t plan to read Watchman, but I’m looking at it as professional research. Where else can I get such an insider’s view at what can happen when a talented writer teams up with a talented editor?
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I can’t believe my good fortune to have found Tammy to edit my nonfiction book. I had narrowed down my editor search to ten; then I took advantage of their free sample offers. Nine of the editors were okay. Tammy’s edit, however, really showed her strength for detail and content development. I was absolutely wowed. She suggested, for example, how to improve the Introduction’s hook, added sentences that clarified a paragraph’s thought better, and deleted unnecessary words. She also mentio… Read more
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I had a book manuscript that had a thorough edit by a copy editor, but there were many changes made and I wanted another set of eyes to look at it carefully. So I hired Tammy Ditmore to do a “final” proofread and flag anything that she found awkward, confusing or ill-fitting. That is a difficult job—to look both for errors and to comment, but that is what I needed. Tammy took it on and did a great job. Tammy also understands a schedule and finished the work on time—even ahead of time. Thank … Read more
Tammy Ditmore was the consummate professional. She was very humble in dealing with me and tailored her editing style to fit my specific needs. She was prompt and punctual with deadlines and was very open to communicating with me. I would hire her again in a heartbeat.”
Tammy is just amazing. Before my book made it over to Tammy, I had used two editors — one a well-known author in NYC. I was unhappy with the editing, and basically Tammy was my last try before I just set my book to the side. Not only did she totally understand my “voice,” but she reconstructed, added, and melded in ways I would have never considered. Use her, trust her. She’s the best!
I appreciate Tammy’s willingness to ask questions when appropriate, flex on deadlines, offer sound advice, and rewrite sentences or sections as needed. Her command of substantive and copy editing make Tammy an asset to any project.
Tammy Ditmore edited my book, The Quest for Distinction: Pepperdine University in the 20th Century. It was a huge assignment, requiring skills that set her apart from most professional editors. She recognized the key themes of the manuscript immediately and proceeded to examine each paragraph, actually each word, in light of those themes. The result was a briefer, more coherent manuscript that will be read with greater interest and understanding.
Tammy’s approach to editing was like telling a story to someone who listens very well and offers suggestions only when something is confusing or grammatically incorrect (or embarrassing).