An Interview with Proof Editor Jeanne Cadeau

I've been interviewing other authors recently, so i thought it would be a nice switch to get the other side of writing...the editor. Jeanne Cadeau has been proofing my books for a few years now, so I immediately thought of her. 

She was born in Saco, Maine, population 10,000.  She has an Associate degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Southern Maine.  She began “proofreading” while in college by taking notes in the margins of textbooks with the intention of sending all the “corrections” to the textbook publishers. She moved to Arizona in 2000 and currently resides in Hereford with her husband, Will (her “gift from God”), her granddaughter, Alicia, and their menagerie of four dogs, a cat, and about 150 racing pigeons. She is currently seeking manuscripts to edit. Please visit her website for more information about her business.

Here's my interview: 

1. What is the number one mistake you see authors make? Using “than” and “then” incorrectly. 

2. Is there a mistake that is a "pet peeve" of yours? Not really.  If the mistakes weren’t made, I wouldn’t have a need to edit!  Actually, I do have a pet peeve…..sentences that go on and on and on so that the reader gets lost!

3. Some say there are starting to be more errors in even traditionally published work. Do you see the same trend? Yes. Especially in newspaper articles.

Do the errors bother you? Absolutely.  They bother me enough that there are some publications I refuse to read.  It appears that the writer doesn’t read his/her article prior to sending it to the editor.  And then, the editor doesn’t bother to read the article prior to sending it to print.  I find it not only sad, but insulting to their subscribers. 

4. Do you find it hard to be an editor in that you must read all types of genres? Not at all.  I love the challenge of reading all types of genres.  I’ve had new worlds opened up to me, and it’s rather exciting to “go where I’ve never gone before”.  For example, it would never have crossed my mind to read fantasy.  And then… you came along…..

Is there a genre you won't edit? I absolutely will not edit sexually explicit writings. 

5. Sometimes authors and editors are viewed as opposites, almost enemies. Do you feel this when you edit work? Not at all.  All my edits are merely “suggestions” and the authors have the final say.  And, if the author doesn’t agree with my suggestion, I want to know the reason why.

What role do you feel you play in the process?  I believe my role is to help an author produce an excellent quality publication that their readers can enjoy.