Meet Kaitlin Slowik

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kaitlin Slowik a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kaitlin , so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.

Before working as a book editor for indie authors, I spent many years in a high school classroom teaching English to teenagers. Working with teens who were unsure about their writing or uncomfortable sharing their work taught me that feedback and constructive criticism can always be kind. There’s no reason to tear someone’s writing apart; the only thing that will accomplish is encouraging them to shut down and stop trying to improve.

Teaching helped me learn that communication is not only about what you say, but also how you say it. Kindness and empathy are always possible, no matter the circumstance.

Now, I work with indie authors who may be just as nervous or anxious about letting someone else see their writing. My goal is to alleviate those negative feelings as soon as possible, and that starts from our first interaction. It’s important to me that authors know that, even though I was a teacher, I am not their teacher. I will not be grading them or judging them or assessing them in any way. I am there as a partner offering feedback and revision suggestions that are all grounded in my expertise in my field—and I will always lead with kindness.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m lucky because my job allows me to focus on two of my absolute favorite things: writing and reading! As a book editor for indie authors (mostly in the romance space), I get to work with talented and passionate authors preparing their manuscripts for submission or publication. I work primarily as a copyeditor, which means that I’m the details person. I check for consistency—with timelines, character details, spelling, locations, formatting, and grammar. It’s very meticulous work that takes a lot of brainpower each day, but that’s what I love about it.

I wasn’t always a book editor! I started my career as a teacher, then stayed home with my four kids, and then started a business as a project manager for women-owned online businesses. I was happy in all those roles, but it wasn’t until I started working as a book editor that I really found my passion.

I love seeing books evolve from first drafts to polished, published manuscripts. And I love working with authors throughout the entire process. Being a book editor offers me the opportunity to work creatively, handle details (my favorite thing!), and form personal relationships with authors.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. My curious mind serves me well as a book editor. Many people don’t realize this, but I spend a lot of my day looking things up. Part of a copyeditor’s job is fact-checking, so I’m always finding out interesting things as I confirm details in a story. I don’t know every grammar rule (no one does!), and I often have to look things up as I am editing. I love that I get to learn something new every day. Without my curiosity, this part of my job might feel like a slog, but to me it’s always exciting.

2. Carefulness is paramount in my job! I am going through manuscripts over and over again looking for any error that I, or the author, may have missed. I take my job seriously, and carefulness is a large part of that. Yes, some errors may slip through (even books published traditionally have errors!), but it’s my job to catch as many as I can so authors can publish a book that keeps readers engaged in the story.

3. Offering feedback that empowers authors is one of my biggest strengths. I believe there is always a way to say something with kindness. I pride myself on my ability to work with empathy as a creative partner with all my clients.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed I do two things: make a list, and get outside.
Making a list of everything I need to do calms my brain down. It allows me to organize all the tasks and thoughts swirling around in my head and pick a starting place. I also find it helpful to add everything I can think of to my list—yes, even the silly things like “eat lunch” or “put groceries away.” Being able to quickly cross off a number of items gives me the opportunity to have some easy wins and take some of the pressure off myself.

After I’ve made my list, I get outside and go for a walk. I don’t listen to anything while I’m walking; I just take the time to soak in the outdoors, take deep breaths, and let my brain relax before diving back into work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaitlinslowik.com
• Instagram: @kaitlin.slowik.editing

Image Credits

Mary Kate Krause Photography