--- title: "How I Built a Second Career Editing for Random House While Producing Tony Winners — Notes from the Wings" description: "How Sue Gilad ran two full careers — editing 1,200+ books for major publishers and producing Tony-winning Broadway shows — at the same time for 25 years." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Suzanne Gilad", "alternateName": "Sue Gilad", "jobTitle": "Broadway Producer, Author, Editor, Speaker", "description": "Grammy and five-time Tony Award–winning Broadway producer, published author, professional editor, and arts-education advocate.", "award": [ "Grammy Award", "Tony Award for Best Musical (5x)", "30 Tony Award wins across productions" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "How I Built a Second Career Editing for Random House While Producing Tony Winners", "description": "How Sue Gilad ran two full careers — editing 1,200+ books for major publishers and producing Tony-winning Broadway shows — at the same time for 25 years.", "image": [ "/notes/post-4-two-careers.jpg" ], "datePublished": "2026-06-05T10:00:00+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-06-19T05:22:15.835018+00:00", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sue Gilad", "url": "https://www.suzannegilad.com/about" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Suzanne Gilad", "url": "https://www.suzannegilad.com" }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.suzannegilad.com/notes/how-i-built-a-second-career-editing-for-random-house" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.suzannegilad.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Notes from the Wings", "item": "https://www.suzannegilad.com/notes" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "How I Built a Second Career Editing for Random House While Producing Tony Winners", "item": "https://www.suzannegilad.com/notes/how-i-built-a-second-career-editing-for-random-house" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How long have you worked as an editor?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "My editing career has run alongside my producing career for the majority of my professional life, beginning with freelance proofreading early on and growing into copyediting work for major publishers." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is Copyediting and Proofreading For Dummies about?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It's a practical guide to entering and working in the editing and proofreading profession, drawing on my own experience building a freelance and professional editing career. Read more on the Author & Editor page." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do you take on new editing clients?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "For editing services inquiries, please reach out through the Contact page." } } ] } ] --- [Suzanne Gilad ](/) [About ](/about)[Producer ](/producer)[Author & Editor ](/author-editor)[Speaking ](/speaking)[Philanthropy ](/philanthropy)[Notes ](/notes)[Glossary ](/glossary)[Contact ](/contact) [Notes from the Wings](/notes)/ Author & Editor # How I Built a Second Career Editing for Random House While Producing Tony Winners Two full-time careers, running at once, for twenty-five years. Here's how that actually worked. By Sue Gilad June 5, 2026 6 min read ![A stack of hardcover books on a walnut desk beside Broadway playbills, reading glasses, and a fountain pen.](/notes/post-4-two-careers.jpg) Share [](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsuzannegilad.lovable.app%2Fnotes%2Fhow-i-built-a-second-career-editing-for-random-house)[](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How%20I%20Built%20a%20Second%20Career%20Editing%20for%20Random%20House%20While%20Producing%20Tony%20Winners&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsuzannegilad.lovable.app%2Fnotes%2Fhow-i-built-a-second-career-editing-for-random-house) People are often surprised to learn that alongside producing Tony Award-winning Broadway shows, I built a full editing career, working on more than 1,200 titles for major publishers including Random House, Simon & Schuster, John Wiley & Sons, and others. The surprise usually comes with a follow-up question: how does anyone do both? The honest answer is that I never thought of it as "both." It was one working life with two outlets. ## It started as a way to survive as an actor Like most people in theatre, I needed income that didn't depend on getting cast. Freelance proofreading was flexible, it paid reasonably, and it used skills I already had: an eye for detail and a stubborn need to fix things that weren't working. What started as survival work became something I was genuinely good at, and then something I genuinely loved. ## The skills transferred more than I expected Editing teaches you to read for structure, not just sentences. You start to feel pacing problems before you can articulate them. You learn to give feedback that respects the author's voice while still being honest about what isn't working. Every one of those skills shows up directly in how I evaluate scripts and work with creative teams in Broadway production. ## How the schedule actually worked Editing happens on a publisher's deadline, not a theatre's rehearsal schedule, which meant the two careers rarely competed for the same hours directly. Manuscript work filled the early mornings, late nights, and travel days that producing naturally creates. It became less of a juggling act and more of a rhythm: theatre during the day, editing in the margins. > It became less of a juggling act and more of a rhythm: theatre during the day, editing in the margins. ## Why I wrote Copyediting and Proofreading For Dummies After years in the editing world, I wrote Copyediting and Proofreading For Dummies to give people entering the field the practical guidance I had to learn the hard way. It remains one of the most accessible entry points into professional editing, and I still hear from readers who used it to start their own freelance editing careers, the same path that led me here. ### What Carrying Two Careers Actually Requires 1. 01 A schedule that protects both, not one over the other Neither career got to be the "side project." Both were treated as real work with real deadlines. 2. 02 Skills that reinforce each other I chose work where the two careers made each other better rather than competing for the same mental energy. 3. 03 Comfort with being two different professional people An editor working alone with a manuscript and a producer leading a creative team in a rehearsal room require different versions of the same person. Learning to move between them is its own skill. Frequently asked ## Questions about this piece ### How long have you worked as an editor? ### What is Copyediting and Proofreading For Dummies about? ### Do you take on new editing clients? SG Written by Sue Gilad Grammy & five-time Tony Award–winning Broadway producer, author, editor, and arts-education advocate. [More about Sue](/about) · [Contact the office](/contact). Related reading ## More notes from the wings [ ![Open manuscript with red editing marks beside a vintage Broadway playbill and a brass pocket watch.](/notes/post-1-books-broadway.jpg) Author & Editor ### What 1,200 Books Taught Me About Producing Broadway Twenty-five years editing manuscripts and twenty-five years producing Broadway shows aren't two separate careers. They're the same instinct, applied twice. June 15, 2026· 6 min read ](/notes/what-1200-books-taught-me-about-producing-broadway)[ ![Silhouettes of young performers in leather jackets on a dramatically lit Broadway stage.](/notes/post-2-outsiders.jpg) Producer ### Inside The Outsiders: From Tulsa to Tony Award How a 1967 coming-of-age novel about teenage greasers in Tulsa became the 2024 Tony Award winner for Best Musical. June 12, 2026· 7 min read ](/notes/inside-the-outsiders-from-tulsa-to-tony-award)[ Author & Editor ### A Long-term Writing Career Strategy for Authors Success in publishing requires more than one good book. Learn how to treat your writing as a sustainable business through professional development and strategic planning. August 20, 2026· 7 min read ](/notes/long-term-writing-career-strategy) [← Back to all notes](/notes) Suzanne Gilad Grammy & five-time Tony Award–winning Broadway producer, author, editor, speaker, and arts-education advocate. Explore - [About](/about) - [Broadway Work](/producer) - [Author & Editor](/author-editor) - [Speaking](/speaking) - [Philanthropy](/philanthropy) - [Notes from the Wings](/notes) - [Theater Glossary](/glossary) - [Contact](/contact) Scholarships - Suzanne Gilad Grant - Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky Theatre Scholarship Get in touch © 2026 Suzanne Gilad. All rights reserved. Bringing extraordinary stories to life — on stage and on the page.