I’ve wanted to ask your thoughts on this for a long time. As an editor, how do you go about finding the fine line between doing what’s best (and accurate) for the work, and upholding an author’s personal style and voice? I often feel like an overbalanced seesaw tipping too far one way or the other, even after all this time. I’d really like your thoughts on it (if I may be so bold as to ask)!

thebibliosphere:

Ha, I was just talking about this the other day with an editor friend, weird.

It depends largely on what kind of relationship I have with the author, and whether this is someone coming to me for in depth editing and consult, or someone who states outright all they want is a final line proof.

Most of my clients at the moment, tend to be people who come to me and go “I don’t know what the heck I’m doing please god help me!”, at which point I explain what kind of services I can provide.

For some of them, the idea that you can have an editor go back with you from scratch is a new concept. Developmental editing is not something they are aware of, and for many it comes as a relief to have someone go “actually upon reviewing this, I can see what you are going for, but if you are open to suggestions, I think you could expand upon [AWESOME FEATURE] by pursuing this”

(Which is why charging a reading fee is paramount to understanding what you are getting into before you agree to a project.) (Also shout out to the people who help me do this with Phangs, because yes, this happens to all of us.)

Which means you still get to give your input, but you’re not just taking away the manuscript from the author and fixing it for them like a frustrated parent taking over the diorama because it’s just easier to do it yourself.

That’s not what your job is.

Your job is to help the author be the best they can be, and sometimes that will involve a little hand holding. And occasionally a bout of tough love when you need to convince the author that while this is a scene/moment they are fond of, it’s hindering their dialogue/plot/character development. Some things belong in the character drafts to better help the author get a feel for the character. That doesn’t mean the reader needs to see all of it. Those moments can be hard to realize on your own.

When I want to suggest this type of editing, I am very open and up front about how much it will cost, but stress that I am willing to work with the author over X amount of weeks/offer discounts/payment plans, to achieve this goal, because I want to see them succeed.

Some people think it’s a money grab on my part, but most recognize it for what it is—a professional offering their experienced opinion and skills for a price, which in theory, the author should recoup from the increased sales their work will garner from being an overall better finished piece.

Those who think it’s a money grab, will usually also be offended by the idea that their work as is, is imperfect and needs that kind of attention. They don’t want you for that, you’re just supposed to fix the spelling, how dare you suggest their baby is flawed etc etc etc. Those are people I don’t want to work with anyway, so I wish them well and decline to work with them. I have other clients who need my time and are happy for my attention to detail in their work.

Others will simply say “no thanks but can you still fix the typos?” in which case, yea sure, I’ll do a basic proof. A gig’s a gig.

It might rankle at my personal sensibilities to let something “imperfect” go out into the world, but *shrug* what you think of as bad might be gold to someone else. I sit and correct the grammar of famous published authors in my head while reading sometimes. That doesn’t mean the book is bad, it just means it’s not my style.

And it’s important to realize when something is bad, vs when something is simply not your cup of tea.

I’m fortunate in that I’m a consummate mimic. It’s something I’ve always been somewhat able to do when it comes to writing and was able to hone it over the years. It made me a valuable asset for when it came to ghostwriting. But it also means you’ll rarely see the seams between where the author begins and the editing ends in a book I’ve worked on. (Sometimes it’s obvious and incredibly jarring, and that is bad editing.)

A lot of bad editors don’t or can’t do this. In their head they are right, right, right and if you deviate from what they deem to be a good style, you’re a Bad Writer. Which is just blatantly not true in a lot of cases.

If you can’t style match, or the style is too jarring for you to work with, then this is not a job for you. Be honest and tell them that, and if you can, maybe suggest someone you think will work well for them.

There will also just be instances where something is a minefield of problems, and it’s up to you whether you want to put the time and energy into unraveling it all.

Learning not to take on work is also a vital part of retaining your professional sanity and energy, particularly in freelance where it sometimes feels like you have to take any and all jobs you can get your hands on just to keep afloat. Trust me, I’ve worked on things I hated just to pay the bills, but I did so, hopefully, with detached and inoffensive professionalism. I’m very fortunate to find myself in a position where I can occasionally decline work if it seems like it’s going to be too much of a struggle just to make something legible.

Anyway, I hope this was helpful!