We recently had the chance to connect with Jennifer Silva Redmond and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I was just searching for something in my Substack archives the other day, and I saw a chart of my growth from 2023 to now and it made me really proud. Not only am I almost to 500 subscribers, but the reach of my posts has tripled—some of my posts are getting 600 views. That means people are sharing them, since no post gets opened by everyone that subscribes to you. I am trying to make my posts useful and practical, whether that means book reviews or tips for authors from an editor.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a book editor, but not a copy editor. I am not specifically looking for errors when I am reading, I am reading for the story. So mostly I am reading a manuscript to see if the story in a novel or memoir is complete and satisfying, and also whether all the necessary elements are there, especially in nonfiction or genre books. I also teach writing and do talks about marketing for groups of writers.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Teachers have been very important mentors in my life, starting early. One of my first mentors was my seventh grade English teacher who told me my stories were well written and interesting. In high school, another English teacher told me I should publish my work, and that really gave me a boost as far as believing in myself as a story teller. It took me a few years after that to publish my first articles and short stories, but I was writing all along. What I learned from those teachers was how to encourage and uplift people by focusing on what they do well before trying to point out any issues in their work.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
It would be “Everything is going to work out fine.” Though I always loved storytelling, I had started out acting in plays as a kid and went to Los Angeles and then New York to try and break into theater. I never wanted to be “a star” I just wanted to be part of sharing heartfelt emotional stories. So when I stopped acting, it made all the sense in the world to me to go back to writing. But I never would have imagined how fulfilling it would be to not only be a writer, but an editor and teacher. I love working with other writers to inspire them to go for their own dreams.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I don’t really have a public persona and then a separate persons that I am in private. I am an outgoing and enthusiastic person who loves talking to people, especially aspiring writers and people who love reading and writing. It sounds a bit over the top but I love meeting people and finding out where they are from, what they do, what they want to do, and even what they dream of doing. And of course, I love reading, and talking walks and spending time alone or with my husband, but anyone who sees me on social media would see that right away!
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I am working on a new nonfiction book about editing, aimed at an audience of writers and also maybe aspiring editors. I hope it won’t take me 7 years to finish writing my second book, but my first took me over 20 years to get it out there in published form, so who knows? I am so busy with my editing work on other people’s books, that I write very slowly, it could well be 10.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.jennyredbug.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsilvaredmond/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-silva-redmond-1334777/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jsilvaredmond
- Other: Substack
https://editoronboard.substack.com/
Image Credits
Russel Redmond
