Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
When you read the changes your editor has made on your manuscript, some of the adjustments can be a real surprise.
Maybe you thought it was imperative for certain information to be included in your nonfiction project, but your editor deleted it. Or you considered the protagonist in your novel to be imminently likable, but your editor didn’t care for her. What’s your editor’s problem–did he just have a bad day, or does he have a valid point?
To Work with an Editor, be a Team Player
Β I’d suggest you start with the assumption that the editor is on your team and is not the enemy. Honestly, sometimes it’s hard to remember that when you’re looking at your edited manuscript. Since your editor is your advocate at the publishing house (and might well have been the person who convinced the publishing committee to buy your project), he’s most likely seeing flaws in your manuscript that you’re too close to recognize. I’d suggest you start out with the assumption that your editor is trustworthy.
To Work with an Editor, Know When to Ask Questions
Sometimes an editor does overstep her bounds. I recall a time one of my clients, who was writing a series, received the edited text for her third book in that series. The editor thought the protagonist’s style of dressing and personality weren’t to her liking so she just changed the manuscript. Since the protagonist’s personality and sense of style were clearly established in the first two books, the editor was, no doubt, overstepping her boundaries.
As the author’s agent, I asked the editor for more details on the motivation to rewrite fundamental details about the protagonist. Turns out the editor thought the author wasn’t as strong a writer as the editor, who aspired to write her own series in that genre. So she simply took over my client’s manuscript.
Wild, huh? She forgot that her job was to make the author look good. An editor and author should think of the editing process like singing a duet. Voices blend, minds meld, and the result is a singular sound.
Obviously that editor is an extreme example of swerving outside the boundaries of what is appropriate feedback or editing–in essence, taking over the song. Often the concerns an author has about the editing are much more subtle–wrong notes, bad timing, misplaced words.
I would suggest you (or your agent) ask for the reasoning behind changes that don’t make sense to you. Try to weigh the responses objectively.
And don’t ask questions about the editing in a challenging way, but in an information-gathering way. Such as:
“I’ve given considerable thought to this change you’ve made, and I’m still puzzled about it. Could you explain to me why you made that adjustment?”
To Work with an Editor, Expect the Editor to Dialog with You
When I was an editor, I invited dialog. I understood the manuscript was the author’s work and the author’s name would appear onΒ the cover.
If I spied problems, I was supposed to figure out a fix. Sometimes my fix was acceptable to the author; other times the author, after we had talked over the problem, would dig in and find a better solution than I had.
We brainstormed options, and at times came up with a new route neither of us had thought of before. That’s when you know the editor-author relationship is working like it’s supposed to.
Generally editing is a collaborative process between the editor and the author. But it takes both of them being willing to work as a duet–no solos allowed.
What do you rely on an editor to do on your manuscript(s)?
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This is one question that is looming larger as I draw closer and closer to finishing my first novel manuscript. I want it to be as tight as possible before pitching it to an agent, but don’t know if I need to employ the services of an editor for that – which I am completely open to doing. However, I also know that it will be deeply edited if/when it is accepted by a publishing house.
Is it typical for fiction writers to hire an editor before pitching the manuscript?
Speaking for myself and the other Books & Such agents, we prefer to see an unedited manuscript–except with the possible exception a copy editor, who corrects your grammar and punctuation. The reason we want to see the manuscript in the “raw” is that we want to know how well you write, not whether you can find a good editor. Once you have a contract, the in-house editor will expect your next manuscript to be just as clean as and well-constructed as the first.
I’m sighing a huge relief reading this reply, Janet. Thank you. π
Oh my goodness, I’m sighing in relief, too. Thank you!
I have learned that when a committee is making a decision, sometimes the best answer is actually everybody’s second choice. Might be true of editing, too.
Once the editor has uncovered a problem, often the editor and author will brainstorm possible solutions. I think that kind of work results in a much improved manuscript.
Great, informative, and thought-provoking post, Janet. One to bookmark.
* As you say, the editor is the author’s best advocate at the house, and has better insight into the market, as well as a far better understanding of the house’s internal culture. To treat these advantages without the greatest respect seems foolhardy.
* And yes, a writer can be too close to the work, and to his or her internal ‘culture’. When I write I measure my work against those authors who have influenced me, and am running a comparison to how Bach, Shute, or Wouk might have said something – and hew my work to fall into line. The editor will probably not see this, and her vision will be fresh – and can actually make my voice more individual and less derivative.
* Finally, a publisher sees a book as a commodity, as hard as that may be for the Great Artiste in me to swallow. My ringing turns of phrase may strike a sour note within my genre, and my deftly implied shadings of character may be puzzling and sort of irrelevant to the reader. It’s incumbent upon me to let go of my creative pride, and to accept the dictates of the marketplace.
* I am, however, quite free to rend my tunic, make faces at the moon, and shout “She doesn’t UNDERSTAND!” so that none but the dogs, and the cows that call my mesa home, can hear.
Andrew, I appreciate the points you bring up. Things we see as unique about our manuscripts may be a distraction or a weakness by an editor. It’s good to keep an open mind, and to be willing to change things, remembering the editor is (or should be) working to make our projects shine. And, I’m picturing you making faces at the moon . . . π
Such a great post, Janet. It sounds like a large part of a successful author-editor relationship hinges on the mindset each has of the other. When an author trusts an editor to make his/her book the best it can possibly be, the author will be more able to accept the changes and revisions the editor makes. When an editor works with the mindset of making the author’s work shine, I imagine that’s when the relationship is working at its best.
*I know some of my weaknesses as a writer, and my hope is that an editor can help me strengthen those areas in my books.
I hired a content editor for my first that just listed at Amazon. She didn’t change much, but the suggestions she made were very useful. I took most of them. Having professional input also gave me some confidence that it was ready for prime time. Worth every penny! I’m definitely going to work with her on my next one.
On this side of the fence, working with an editor is a dream … though I’m sure the change is hard. π But you all have prepared us in so many ways. I’ve heard amazing writers say that their manuscripts still come back to them completely marked up and that the changes have always been for the best … sometimes they didn’t see it at first, but as time went by, they began to understand. It must take huge trust … but what a blessing to be in that situation.
Shelli, reading over the changes and suggestions an editor has made and then letting all that simmer for a day or two brings clarity of thought to the writer. At first all the changes can sting, but given time, they begin to look like pure genius.
Janet, I love, love, love my editors and their work. They take my document and so begins a peer dialogue about the story I’m trying to share. They see my work through fresh eyes, and inevitably improve it. I get EXCITED when I receive an edit back from them, and anxiously await opening the document to see what they found therein. They unearth the story I’m trying to tell.
My editors are vital contributors to this journey, and it’s an honor to entrust my work to them, knowing that they will do nothing but improve it.
Calling to mind a short story shortlisted for an anthology.
A paragraph had the protagonist thinking as he ran to rescue a drowning friend, discarding the fact that he couldn’t swim as well. The style applied in conveying the message was patterned after an author I compare my works with and learn from.
The editor hired for the anthology didn’t agree with it and crossed it out in the manuscript.
The anthology organizer preferred it and, playing the agent’s role, suggested I leave it.
It stayed, and the story comes out next month.
The scenario didn’t play out with another paragraph. The editor wanted it out. The organizer wanted it out. A volunteer reader wanted it in. It was cut.
The world of writing and publishing, an exciting, transforming melee.
Michael, your experience brings up another aspect of working with an editor–he or she isn’t always right. Reasonable editors will listen carefully to why a writer doesn’t want to make a suggested change. And really good editors are able to see your point and to concede, if warranted.
Janet, your post is both enlightening and encouraging. I hope to have an editor who is thorough and tactful while pointing out the dross as well as the flecks of gold in my writing.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
Wendy, I love the way you phrased what the editing process is.
Thank you so much for posting this, Janet. The timing couldn’t be more perfect as I just signed my first contract with a traditional publisher for the first book in a series of character-driven inductive Bible studies. I expect the editing process to be both painful and beneficial (like surgery π I am going to save this post to re-read when I get back the first revisions π Thank you!
Shadia, congratulations on your upcoming published books! Yes, reading this blog post over when you receive your revisions might well be helpful.
Wonderful, Advice, Janet. I remember the first time I got a story back from an editor. It had started as a blog post and told a funny real life story and then afterwards my reaction to the events that was almost part devotional. It was a shock to realize that the editor just wanted my funny story and not the rest of it. But it worked her way and I’m so glad I listened as it was my first writing credit and was so wonderful to see in print.
Your experience is a clear example of differing expectations, isn’t it?
First novel at 65, I hired an editor who was wonderful, using the edits as a teaching experience for me. My book improved in part due to their edits, and in part by making me a better writer. Agent contacted me yesterday after reading the manuscript and has expressed an interest in representing me. My editor got me here probably two years sooner than I would have on my own.
Congratulations, Bradley. And thanks for sharing what a difference an editor made for you.