Charity book
Developmental editing case study
James Brooke Turner is a charity specialist with decades of experience working with or for non-profits in optimizing their approach to finance and in particular their use of investments. James and I were put in touch by the Directory of Social Change (DSC), a respected charity publisher with whom I had been working as a copyeditor for many years. James had written a highly original book on charity investments and had been discussing publishing it with DSC.
James says:
‘For many years I had wanted to write a technical book in order to set out publicly, and with authority, a different way of looking at what had become a stale and unsatisfactory area of public policy and culture. It had been a struggle for me because of the highly technical nature and complexity of the subject covering principles of investing, accounting, law, morality and governance. After I sent the manuscript to a couple of publishers, DSC came back with a set of questions. Although I attempted to address them, I could not adequately distance myself from my technical insights to provide a broader response suitable for the lay readers who would be among the book’s target audience.’
Of this early stage of the process, DSC’s publishing department says:
‘When we saw James’s early draft, we could tell there was a strong and interesting idea behind it; however, issues with the organisation of the text, clarity and flow made it difficult to get through to the actual message. We knew it needed intensive work before we could accept it. James was keen to make it happen and recognised that the text required significant help. We introduced him to Hazel, whom we have trusted for many years, and were confident that she would make James‘s text shine.’
James sent me the manuscript of his book and we had a Zoom call to discuss how we might work together. James had already developed a compelling central idea that would make his book intriguing for a charity readership, and he had a natural flair for conveying complex financial concepts through anecdotes and examples. We agreed that I could particularly contribute by helping to ensure a logical flow and organization, and by developing the referencing of quotes and key documentation (such as the Charity Commission’s guidance documents).
Although I had many years of experience editing publications by and about charities, I was new to the field of investment. However, James and I agreed that this would be an advantage as it would better enable me to advocate from lay readers’ perspective. We agreed an outline budget and then I set to work.
I initially conducted a thorough structural review and sent James a set of questions, which we discussed via email. I then began detailed reviews of each chapter, looking at aspects such as flow, clarity, terminology, referencing, and the use of tables and figures to support the text.
James says:
‘Once we started work, I quickly realised at least three things: the manuscript I thought I had completed would in fact be better described as a 75,000 word sketch; I had given it a workable structure, but with no consistency within chapters as my interest had waxed and waned in different sections; and I knew nothing of how to use Microsoft Word (especially the navigation, style and comments functions). It took some time to get used to that, but Hazel provided clear explanations of what she had done and how to work with the files.’
As the work progressed, it became clear that a fluid timetable would be best. There was no hurry to complete the work, and James preferred to have plenty of time for thought and reflection. Each chapter went through several stages of refinement as we built on each other’s input.
James says of this process:
‘My great fear was that I would lose the idiosyncratic style that is mine and the book would turn into something more arid and academic. While enough of the idiosyncrasies are left for it to be in my style, it is now more orthodox and robust. I think the hardest part has been dealing with the challenges from Hazel about what a given phrase meant and how it was expressed. The patience, diplomacy and general courtesy with which Hazel pursued these questions, often through multiple iterations, is her standout quality for me, alongside her ability to hold a structure in her head and identify where repetitions exist.’
After over a year of meticulous work, James’s book went back to DSC for a review. As a result of the careful refinements James and I had made between us, the manuscript was accepted.
Reflecting on the process and the outcome, DSC’s publishing department says:
‘Hazel took full charge of the project, guiding James through the process. At the same time, she kept us in the loop on the progress and checked in on key decisions in preparation for us taking the book further down the publishing path. The revised text we received had turned from scattered pieces of a jigsaw into a clear picture that we were confident we could take further and eventually present to our readers.’
As Investing for Charities makes its way through the final stages of publication, James says:
‘I’d not written a book before so I could never have known at the outset what it would have involved. As in any sort of creative process, the creator will have something to say, and for me, Hazel is the one who enabled me to say it in a coherent way. However the book is received, it will not be for want of an excellent midwife.’
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