Welcome to Goldenrod Editorial!
Today I’m happy to introduce Goldenrod Editorial and Consulting, LLC, my company that specializes in developmental editing.
I help scholarly and nonfiction authors produce their best writing and thinking. As a developmental editor, I focus on bigger picture issues, including argument, structure, critical analysis, voice, and engagement with sources. Authors send manuscripts to me looking for detailed feedback that helps them revise their work and achieve their publishing goals.To help support my client’s writing, I also offer writing coaching services as well as scholarly writing groups. I also can help with research and writing and consult on a variety of matters, including starting Peace Corps Prep Programs and research in Mauritania and broader West Africa.
How did I get here? I was a tenured professor in anthropology at a small regional liberal arts school. Like so many institutions of its size, it was suffering financially long before COVID, but the pandemic exacerbated these problems. After laying off many staff, the institution announced it would also let go of 25 percent of the faculty regardless of tenure status.
I knew my department (anthropology) and my job were at risk so I started thinking about other careers. Ultimately, I accepted a voluntary separation package and took what for me felt like a big leap out into the world beyond academia.
But as I read books and articles about leaving academia and started exploring other professions, developmental editing quickly rose to the top as something I was excited about. How wonderful to get to engage with scholars and other thinkers about the kind of ideas that can change the world? How exciting to help make already strong texts achieve their full potential? But, most of all, I realized that this pathway would allow me to support other writers and make their lives easier. I love writing, but have found it extremely anxiety producing, especially when deadlines (including deadlines for tenure, promotion, and/or job applications) loom. By taking on this role I help others feel more supported than I often did. And I get to be part of a team, which can be lacking in academia.
Changing paths is hard (I will write about this more in a future blog), but it’s also an opportunity to step back and reexamine your experiences and skills. Beyond my experience publishing my own book and numerous articles in academia, I’d held other positions related to editing. My work as a reporter (for the 175 year old Vineyard Gazette!) as well as a newsletter editor for a nonprofit provided me with lots of experience in writing for broad audiences. Work I’d done for nonprofits also involved writing and editing reports and sharing information with the public. And as a professor I’d taught writing and grant writing and, of course, edited thousands of student papers. My BA in English allowed me to deeply engage with the humanities, as did my anthropology PhD, a discipline that spans the humanities and social sciences. My educational background means that I can edit in a broad range of disciplines, as does that fact that I’ve taught and published in African studies, anthropology, gender studies, global studies, Islamic studies, material culture studies, and other disciplines. I’d thought about becoming an editor right after college graduation, even doing some informational interviews. Full circle, I guess.
So I got more training in developmental editing and worked to learn the intricacies involved in starting a business. I took on early clients and did pro bono work to build up my portfolio. I learned about contracts, budgeting, and marketing. I built a website. I drafted my mission statement and refined how I can best serve my clients.
And today I’m here, bringing Goldenrod Editorial into the world. I look forward to working with some of you on your writing and am happy to talk about making career transitions like this as well. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch!
