We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Allowski recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
For a while I did freelance editing on the side through a website that took a percentage of the earnings. Most of those jobs were quick, anonymous, and disconnected from the writer, and it didn’t feel like I was working toward anything meaningful.
At a certain point, I decided to create an editing business and tailor it to my own strengths and experiences. Succeeding felt like a long shot, but I didn’t have much to lose career-wise at that point despite having a master’s degree and fifteen years of work experience. So I took copyediting courses through the Editorial Freelancers Association, invested more in my editing career, and designed my website. Cozy Cottage Editing has allowed me to apply the best parts of my academic, teaching, writing, and editing experiences and provide a service I find meaningful. I get to help introvert writers elevate and polish their writing for self-publication or querying, all while growing, learning, and connecting one-on-one.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My business, Cozy Cottage Editing, offers sensitive introvert writers a space to receive compassionate yet thorough feedback and editing for their writing. These writers are quite protective of their work and may be anxious about the editing process. Their sensitivity and rich inner world is part of what makes them fantastic writers and storytellers, but handing over their writing to an editor is a vulnerable act and requires trust and an initial leap of faith.
I’m lucky to have clients who are kind, highly self-aware, and easy to work with, and whose manuscripts are entirely aligned with my interests. The editing itself is immersive and requires research, adaptability, and creative problem-solving. That means I am always learning and developing as an editor, writer, and person. I love the work and autonomy.
I now offer manuscript assessments, line editing, copyediting, and proofreading. Multiple rounds of editing allow the writer to have a say in the editing process and course-correct me before the final draft. I edit some nonfiction, but most is fiction–namely women’s fiction, romance, fantasy, and historical fiction.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Reading a lot won’t automatically prepare someone to be an editor, but it is essential for building the skills involved and keeping up with genre they specialize in. I was a bookworm from early on like most people in this profession, and my English degrees and teaching experiences later strengthened my analytical skills for exploring writing as a craft. Reading as a reader, writer, and editor are completely different modes, but they’re all important to my development as an editor.
Flexibility has also been integral to my editing process. The more I learn about language and editing, the more I see how the prevailing writing “rules” are at best a conventional choice to meet expectations and at worst a tool of oppression. Even the rules and conventions vary greatly, depending on context and the style guide you’re using. Of course I have my own preferences and aim for clarity and consistency as a copyeditor, but being strictly consistent isn’t always the wisest editorial decision. Adapting to the situation, respecting the writer’s autonomy, and anticipating the reader’s experience are my main priorities when I’m editing.
Related to that, keeping my ego in check is an essential ongoing process for me. As editors we are providing a service to benefit the writer and their readers, and when all is said and done, our edits are suggestions for the creator to accept or decline. Editors have the knowledge and skills to improve a manuscript and provide valuable support, but they can make mistakes too. They can also make reasonable suggestions that the writer has their own reasons for rejecting. It’s a collaborative process, not a proving-myself process.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I admire people who are well rounded and multidisciplinary in their approach, and I don’t think anyone should only stick to one niche if they prefer not to. But right now, leaning into my strengths and interests is more important to me than trying to cover everything. I’d rather delve deeply into my “thing” and if someone needs something outside of that, I’ll refer them to a person who knows more about it. For instance, if a writer wanted me to edit work that is highly technical, I would direct them to an editor who specializes in that type of writing. Even though I have edited medical, engineering, financial, and legal materials in the past, it’s not the direction I want my business to go, and there are so many editors who know more about those fields than I do. We only have so much time and energy, and I don’t want to risk spreading myself too thin. And it’s funny–when I do focus on my specific “thing,” new opportunities seem to come more naturally and better complement my other skills and specialties. So I still get to grow and learn, but in ways that feel more cohesive and intentional.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cozycottageediting.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cozycottageediting/
