It seems like the first half of January was go, go, go, then real life set in. For those of us in publishing, it’s a lot of “hurry-up-and-wait” as authors get busy, agents shop projects, and real life like snowstorms, sick kids, and winter vacations slow everyone’s momentum. For me? It’s a great time to tackle big writing projects and seed the garden, or rather, the project list for the spring! And it’s a perfect time to contact colleagues, talk about future projects, and make connections.
In January, I tackled a couple of amazing projects including presenting a 3-hour Continuing Legal Education seminar on publishing contracts and business models for a large law firm! It was a great session – and lots of fun! It’s been on my schedule for months and I was a little nervous. What did I learn? Pursue new experiences, even those that intimidate you. You can do this!
In the meantime, a few thoughts on publishing. Warning: Strong thoughts ahead!
Problem Solving: Each quarter, I plan for two informational interviews with students or others who want to explore freelancing and what editors do. A week or two ago, a graduating senior asked me what I felt was the most important skill she could have to be successful in a publishing role. My answer? Problem solving. Say you’re an in-house editor. An author is late in delivering a manuscript? There’s a problem with content? Delays? Disputes? Your colleagues and boss will expect you have answers which means you need to have (at the very least) talked to the parties involved, gathered relevant information, and come up with a couple of ideas for solutions. No leader wants a team that just dumps problems on his or her desk without solutions or ideas. The same goes for editors and other publishing professionals working out-of-house or directly with authors. Do they proactively identify problems? Is your editor a problem solver?
Cultivating Curiosity: Over on Substack, educator and thinker Amy Willis has a new newsletter called GoodRiches, diving into economics, philosophy, and political thought. Her past few postings have focused on the nature of curiosity. Recently, she wrote about lifelong learning and asked what gives us the desire as adults to pursue education purely for the pleasure of it. She asks “what does it mean to pursue learning for its own sake?” I had dinner with her a week or two ago and crystalized my thoughts in this essay on what fuels learning and the journey it can take us on. So, what do you think drives you to keep learning simply for the sake of it? What does an intellectual life look like to you?
Some Thoughts on AI – From Your Editor: It’s taken me a while to formalize my thoughts on AI, but a few frustrating things have come up to help me be more clear. First, let me say artificial intelligence engines can be an incredibly useful tool for writers and scholars. I’m not one of those “no AI ever” editors. Academic institutions, corporations, and law firms have all licensed LLMs for use, but, as we’re learning, raw output used incorrectly or indiscriminately is a real problem. (Harvard Business Review calls this raw output workslop.)
While AI can certainly play a role in helping explore aspects of content generation, I feel the need to make clear that having a third-party editor or writer who’s tasked with development, development, line editing, or even helping write your manuscript does not give you permission to send that editor AI garbage. No matter how good your queries are, editors can tell. They just can. I get it, AI is a great tool for drafting (I use it when I write, too!) But, just know that if you send workslop, your editor, or you at their direction, is going to have to rewrite, rework, and redraft every word of it. Don’t get me wrong. As a tool, a lot of authors are using AI for its very legitimate ability to analyze text, find plot holes, identify construction issues, and missing points. But, content generated by AI has to be closely reviewed and looked at with an author’s expert eye. Do not simply plug your outline into AI, generate a chapter, then send it to me.
Because of a few cases of workslop in the past year, I have amended my client proposal to say if you send me unedited AI copy as your draft manuscript, it will change our scope of work for your project (i.e. cost you more). If I’m hired as your editor, I will spend more time rewriting, prompting you to rewrite, and reworking this content than I have anticipated for your project and it will add at least one more round of edits back and forth to our process.
A caveat: AI can be great for creating some of your interior illustrations or figures. I wouldn’t recommend it over a real graphic designer, but that said, you should know that your publishing contract with a trade or academic publisher is going to require you to disclose AI created images, photos, and other elements of your book. You cannot use it for your book cover for a host of reasons (including some legal ones). Don’t do it. Call me. I know cover designers.
Are You Ready for the 12-Hour Walk? Have you heard of the 12-Hour Walk? Author, adventurer, and endurance athlete Colin Brady’s book The 12-Hour Walk: Invest One Day, Conquer Your Mind, and Unlock Your Best Life gives you a roadmap to this unique meditative exercise, a 12-hour walk alone with no email or text pings, music, podcasts, social media, or audio books – just you, your journey, and your thoughts. Content creator and leadership coach Timm Chuisano documented his own 12-hour walk and found one of the challenges is confronting your own mind. One lesson? You can walk, but you can’t run away from yourself. Another? The journey is the destination. You can even share your journey via Brady’s website and app
Need a problem solver? I do more than what a book editor does. I’m a fixer. A coach. An editor. A writer. And sometimes I’m a problem-solver. From manuscripts that need to be just a little better to book concepts that need re-inventions to producing and packaging your entire book, I’ve already got some great challenges lined up for 2026! My reminder? It’s never too late new experiences, and when you get nervous, just remember what you know. You know how to do this!
Web: connectorcreator.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneewilmeth/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feedmedrinkme/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/145293696-renee-wilmeth
What I’m Watching: The Day of the Jackal on Peacock from 2024. How did I miss this one the first time around? It’s a fun cat-and-mouse thriller with Eddie Redmayne at his steely best.
What I’ve Been Reading: This month, I’ve been enjoying my first reading group from The Catherine Project on several of Steinbeck’s short novels. Have finished the Red Pony and Cannery Row and am on to The Moon is Down. We’ve had great weekly discussions!
Uplifting! The Winter Olympics have been a treat so far as we’ve all become armchair experts in curling and the biathlon. It’s been the perfect winter viewing break as we cheer on the best in the world!
Connecting. Creating. 
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