We were lucky to catch up with Alexandra Dusablon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alexandra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Quality control is a challenge almost every entrepreneur has had to focus on when growing – any advice, stories or insight around how to best ensure quality is maintained as your business scales?

My clients put a lot of trust in me when they let me in on the one thing they’ve been pouring all their creative and emotional energy into. As a professional copyeditor and proofreader, I partner with authors to make sure their manuscripts are clean, correct, and ready for print. I take my role seriously because I understand how wonderful it feels to see one’s words turn into a beautiful, professional book. As I’ve grown my business—bringing on more clients, taking on design-heavy book projects, and streamlining my editing process—I’ve kept quality front and center. I have to. Ensuring quality is essentially my job description! I’ve learned that quality is all about understanding clients’ needs. Before starting in on a new project, editors take time to get a sense of the writer’s voice, identify the parts of the manuscript, understand the story and audience, and set up a style sheet. Similarly, when I onboard a new client, I focus on understanding their goals as a writer, their target audience, their writing style and quirks, their own favorite authors, and more. I ask them what challenges they’ve faced so far with the manuscript and how I can jump in as the best partner and supporter possible. Then, it’s time to dive into the fun part (the editing!) with all the confidence that I’m ready to deliver a quality service customized for my client.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Alexandra DuSablon, and I am a mission-driven copyeditor and proofreader. I work with indie authors, publishing companies, organizations, and entrepreneurs. I help writers craft stories that connect with readers by correcting issues with consistency, clarity, style, grammar, and flow. I’ve also just begun offering proofing services for indie authors producing their own audiobooks, as this becomes more and more popular (and accessible) in the world of self-publishing. My wordsmithing expertise is grounded in my editing certificate and linguistics degree from the University of Washington. I launched my business just over a year ago, after a decade of working in public service. I am a board member with the Northwest Editors Guild and a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association. I absolutely love books—reading them, discussing them, editing them, and advocating against book bans that restrict access to the very stories and perspectives that enrich our lives. So it goes without saying that I love my job.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I call myself a mission-driven editor because I’m all about uplifting diverse and impactful stories. After all, one of the ways we can exercise our empathy muscle is by reading about the perspectives and lived experiences of others. I think there is an incredible opportunity for the growing self-publishing and indie publishing industries to allow more people to get their stories out there. I’m called to work with writers who want to share unique stories with readers—whether through a memoir charting a remarkable life, a novel imagining a better future, or a cookbook weaving culture and food together. It’s important for us to build strong networks of support in the indie publishing community, too. I’m involved in organizations like the Women in Publishing Summit that share resources for authors, and I’ve been on book award judging panels for indie authors. It’s all about uplifting writers and establishing supportive creative communities!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the hardest things I had to unlearn as an editor is working quickly. I know that sounds strange, but let me explain! Editors read the texts we’re editing so slowly. I consider myself a pretty quick reader when I’m reading for pleasure. But when a client trusts me to find all the errors in their book manuscript, I’m not rushing past a single sentence where a tricky mistake could be hiding. The average speed for a professional book copyeditor, for fiction at least, is five to ten pages per hour. This is why we have to learn how to work efficiently and maintain sharp, steady focus. When I started my editing business, I was coming from work environments where I had to juggle multiple tasks at once and move quickly to get everything done. My brain may not have been primed for the unwavering focus that editing requires, but I settled into my new routine right away. Now I believe this is one of the most valuable things I offer my clients. I don’t rush through projects; I work diligently, I work smart, and I work efficiently.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dusablonediting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dusablonediting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandradusablon