Senior Editor Spotlight: Boss, Buddy, or Both?
I’m neither an editor nor talented enough to be one. However, I have worked with a fantastic editor at Packt Publishing. So, if you’re considering writing a technical book on computers or AI, I have a secret to share.
This article describes my collaborative journey with my editor. It does not provide a list of best practices or focus on an editor’s benefits, but if you are thinking about writing a book and assume that you must do it alone, read on.
A published book, your book, is a collaboration between you and your editor. Although the editor may not necessarily make changes to grammar or rewrite paragraphs, their objective is to enhance the readability, provide clarity, and elevate the quality of your writing.
By sharing my experiences, the goal is to inspire you to become a published author for the first time.
Welcome
Welcome new friends and fellow readers to the latest article in the Demystified AI series. In this article, I will share a story that may seem unrelated to the series but will help demystify the editing process. The senior editor, @Sushma Reddy, is a human, not an AI - or at least, I believe so. :-) However, the book is about Data Augmentation with Python and includes chapters about AI, making this a fun and fitting addition to the Demystified AI series.
Fun fact: GenAI’s Leonardo.ai DreamSharper-7 model creates the cover image for this article. What’s impressive is that Leonardo generated with minimal prompt engineering. All I did was provide Leonardo with the title of the article, Senior Editor Spotlight: Boss, Buddy, or Both? I didn’t specify that it has to be a cat or that a cat should be in an office, wearing a suit, with a laptop, plant, and cityscape background. The resulting image surprised me because the AI seemed to understand the meaning behind the words.
This story, like all good stories, has three parts.
Let’s rock and roll with Act I.
Act I, The Beginning
The process started when Packt Publishing contacted me through LinkedIn. After several weeks of discussions with a professional and knowledgeable agent, we finalized the book outline. The agent then presented it to the Packt Editorial Board, and fortunately, they accepted the outline and offered me a contract.
The agent introduced me to the book team, which included the senior editor @Sushma Reddy, the agent, and the PM. Our phone kickoff was successful, as we established the schedule for each chapter delivery and confirmed access to online shareable Microsoft documents and folders.
Here are my initial expectations and impressions of Sushma:
Although she is friendly and professional, she may not be able to understand the technical aspects of my writing due to not being a programmer.
Wrong! Sushma quickly understands and suggests how to improve technical writing. Additionally, she has a team of technical reviewers to double-check Jupyter Notebook coding. For example, when I used the Gaussian randomization function to introduce noise to an image, she correctly pointed out that I had not explained the concept of Gaussian noise before using it.
Cool! I have an editor, so let’s scribble in Pig-Latin or hieroglyphs, throw them over the wall, and let Sushma deal with it.
Wrong! Sushma is an editor with exceptional skills who expects you to take responsibility for your work. As I have a full-time job as an AI Scientist and AI Solution Architect, I wrote the book after work hours and on weekends, similar to how I wrote this article. To refine my writing, I utilized Grammarly.com to edit and revise each chapter multiple times before submitting it to Sushma. Despite this, she has an exceptional ability to identify unclear writing and suggest improvements in a friendly and targeted manner. I mostly concur with her evaluations and edit the chapter once or twice more.
Will she be a boss or a buddy?
Right and wrong! Sushma has to tread that fine line between a boss and a buddy. She is a sympathetic mentor who supported me when I felt stuck or unsure. When the daytime job became overwhelming and took up the evenings, Sushma would send me emails encouraging me to stay focused and make up for lost time. In summary, she provided excellent guidance and was always unseasonally optimistic. However, during my busy period, Sushma reviewed and approved my writing without compromising quality and clarity. Her suggestions on improving the chapter feel more like tasks than friendly comments from a buddy.
Leonardo.ai’s Figure 1 depicts my readiness and enthusiasm as I embark on the writing journey. As we move into Act II, I am curious to see how my portrait will evolve.
Act II, The Struggle
I confidently wrote the code for each chapter on Python Notebook, mastering the content thoroughly, and I know my stuff inside out. Consequently, what to write in the chapter was not a problem for me. I started Chapter 1 a week before the official start date, spending three weeks perfecting it with a zillion editing cycles. Eventually, I was satisfied with the outcome, confident that it was better than slide bread, and submitted it to Sushma.
The following highlights some difficulties encountered in the first and subsequent chapters.
Challenge: Write for the readers.
Sushma, what are you saying to me?
The book is a technical how-to guide, not a mystery novel. Thus, it is crucial to prioritize clarity over clever writing to ensure readers can easily follow along. Sushma requested that we tell the reader what I would write about.
For example, remember in the beginning, I told you there are three Acts in this article: Act I, The Beginning, Act II, The Struggle, and Act III, the Conclusion. It is a preview technique to inform the readers what they will read next.
The same approach is employed at the end of each chapter or section. For example, I wrote Let’s Rock and Roll with Act I. This method informs the reader of the ending of one chapter or topic and the beginning of a new one.
The previewing technique does not add extra information to the guide, but it makes the readers feel more comfortable and trusting, like taking a tea and cake break in the late afternoon.
Challenge: First, second, or third person voice?
I found it difficult to determine when to use a particular writing voice. Fortunately, Sushma, who has extensive editing experience, advised that it is acceptable to use the second-person voice. One should not feel obliged to stick to a single voice. It is advisable to use a voice that effectively conveys the idea. This approach would make it easier for readers to understand and connect with the content, thus facilitating the acquisition of new knowledge.
You’re OK with that, right? :-)
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While writing my book, I use the assistance of a digital canine companion named Pluto to simplify intricate concepts and coding. This writing technique makes phrases like pluto.fetch_kaggle_data() self-explanatory. Sushma, my editor, collaborated with me on this writing style and allowed me to avoid using a traditional, impersonal tone when composing a textbook.
Challenge: When the technical experts doubt you.
In the book, there is a chapter that deals with data biases. However, the technical reviewers are vehemently opposed to it. They believe that recognizing biases does not contribute to the process of augmenting data. On the other hand, I strongly disagree with their view because, as a data scientist, it is crucial to ensure that AI is developed with fairness and ethics in mind, hence the need to address data biases.
My editor put in much effort to address this problem. However, she remains neutral and does not favor any particular side. She said the writing needs to illustrate the relationship between data biases and data augmentation effectively. I have edited the biases chapter a zillion-plus-one times, and it was the last chapter to receive approval.
Fast forward to after the book was published, I received more praise for the chapter on Data Biases than any other. The lesson learned was that the editor is your friend and champion.
Challenge: When you doubt yourself.
No matter how confident or skilled you are at writing, there will be times when you ask yourself these questions while writing a book:
and my all times favorite,
These are the times when you can lean on your editor. She has the necessary resources to aid and act as a buddy and a boss. Sushma, for instance, sent me uplifting emails commending my work and even enjoyed a humorous addition I included within my writing or code. At the same time, she reminds me of my obligation to write the book.
These struggles are just a few at the top of the iceberg. Writing is a therapeutic and enjoyable activity for me. I write what I want to read, and it’s “me time.” However, writing doesn’t come naturally. I struggle, fight, obsess, search, cry, and edit [and edit again] every word and sentence. My AI buddy has gracefully illustrated a visual representation of how I look while writing the book, as shown in Figure 2. :-)
We came to the end of Act II and led to the happy conclusion in Act III.
Act III, The Conclusion
After reading Acts I and II, it’s clear that an editor plays both the roles of a boss and a buddy. Fortunately, I worked with a knowledgeable and all-around fantastic @Sushma Reddy, senior editor assigned by Packt Publishing. Her invaluable motivation, expert guidance, and unwavering accountability have consistently improved my writing.
The contribution of Sushma’s meticulous editing cannot be overstated when it comes to the successful completion of the book. With her invaluable efforts, the manuscript was polished and refined to the extent it is today. Her attention to detail and commitment to excellence have undoubtedly elevated the final product’s quality and ensured its publication readiness, the Data Augmentation with Python book.
My reliable, knowledgeable, and talented AI sidekick has given me an honest interpretation of my transformation after the journey in Figure 3. Who says that I wouldn’t look that good in an AI’s eyes? :-)
We write what we like to read and dream what we want to see.
Lastly, I am looking forward to reading your feedback. As always, I apologize for any unintentional errors. The intentional errors are mine and mine alone. :-)
Have a wonderful day, and I hope you enjoy reading this article as much as I enjoy writing it.
Please give it a “thumbs up, like, or heart.” #DataAugmentation, #AI, #Packt, #DucHaba
Book Announcement
Before letting you go, I recently authored a book titled Data Augmentation with Python with Packt Publishing. If you’re interested, you can purchase it on Amazon and share your thoughts on the Amazon book review. It will make me happy as a clam. :-)
On GitHub, you can find the entire collection of Jupyter Notebooks for all nine chapters. You can customize the Notebooks to fit your specific project requirements. Additionally, you can run Python code without installing Python.
Demystify AI Series
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Senior Editor at Packt | Seagull School of Publishing 2023
1yLovely post! Sushma is a meticulous editor beyond a doubt! 😊 Congratulations on the book, Duc! 🙂
Lead Editor at Packt
1yThank you for the shoutout, Duc. I'm not sure if I deserve such high praise, but I will certainly strive to live up to it! Additionally, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight that working with you has been a great learning experience for me. Your writing is engaging due to your qualities of authenticity, a friendly sense of humor, and a genuine passion to contribute to your field of expertise. Despite all your achievements, you do not hesitate to welcome feedback from others. You have always been sincere in carefully reviewing others' points of view and presenting your way of reasoning in order to arrive at the best content decisions. Your book is a testament to all those qualities, and I eagerly await for it to become a bestseller (it is already well on its way to becoming one). All the very best for all your future endeavors!