Audiences, on the other hand, have no emotional attachment to books that they have not read yet and are quick to judge any novel that they pick up to read. An editor needs to edit a manuscript while considering both points of view. The manuscript may need changes that will keep the audience pulled in and interested for the length of the novel. However, any changes that are made must feel like the author's authentic voice in order to keep the author happy with the new and improved manuscript.
Editors are responsible for a range of functions in a publishing house and many phases of editing need to take place before a book is ready to be published. While this is true to some extent, a lot more goes into editing a manuscript than just that. Before and after a manuscript is picked for publication, there are many alterations and decisions that need to be made.
These are made by the following types of editors. Developmental Editor When an author has an idea for a book, he or she often seeks out the help of a developmental editor. This type of editor helps an author develop a book from an initial idea, outline, or draft. There is typically much more personal attention given to the author at this stage, and by this type of editor, than during any other editing stage. Developmental editors look at the structure, focus, and content of a potential book.
They look at the most marketable way the content can be presented, and help guide the writing in that direction. Any inconsistencies, such as tone, or target audience, are addressed during this time. The developmental editor will work with the author to meet the requirements of the publisher, sometimes through many drafts. During this stage of editing, the developmental editor focuses on producing a manuscript that can be acceptable enough to progress to the next step.
While content, organization, and presentation are all important factors, honing in on things like character development, getting the setting right, and clarity of plot, are also crucial. Comments are made on style, structure, and flow of information. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are also checked along with URL links, captions, graphics, footnotes, references, photos, tables, quotes, bibliography, and citations.
This type of editing is the most invasive, so the editor works closely with the writer to be sure that he approves changes and the author's original voice is preserved. Substantive Editor A substantive editor can offer help to both fiction and non-fiction writers. These types of editors do not typically work with a writer from the initial stages, but will look at a manuscript after the writer has completed several drafts with the developmental editor.
Small details will be looked at, as well as the overall feel of the manuscript. Any points of weakness will be addressed, and suggested options to improve and strengthen the manuscript will be offered.
Fiction writers can greatly benefit in having this type of editor look at improving the strength of their manuscript with things like: plot, dialogue, story elements, characterization, scene order, setting, voice, point of view, word choice, syntax, pace, and sentence structure.
Non-fiction writers can also benefit by having a substantive editor look at things like: structure, consistency and flow, proper progression of sections, and whether the information presented is substantial enough for the audience. Acquisitions Editor The next editor a manuscript hopefully goes through is the acquisitions editor - writers, as well as agents, will typically submit their manuscripts to the this type of editor.
Acquisitions editors find new authors and decide whether the manuscripts submitted would be profitable choices in the long run for the publishing house they work for. He or she will promote the chosen authors, make a pitch to the house to publish the manuscripts, and facilitate communication between the publisher and the writer.
The acquisition editor also manages all the budgeting, marketing, and contractual decisions. There is typically a lot of competition with other acquisition editors to bring in new authors, therefore it is often a challenge to get an author accepted into the publishing house. Once accepted, the acquisitions editor will often follow a manuscript from that point forward until publication in order to ensure the story is in line with the publisher's vision.
Line Editor The next type of editor is the line editor. This editor will go through a manuscript line by line and find grammatical and spelling errors that may compromise the quality of the material. The line editor will also make sure that word choice contributes to the overall tone of the book. Line editing sometimes overlaps the areas of developmental editing and copy editing, and in some publishing fields the line editor and copy editor positions are combined into one.
However, this type of editing goes beyond just checking for proper grammar. A line editor's main focus is to be deeply in tune with the author's voice and to make it come to life. Paragraph and sentence structure is the main focus of line editing, ensuring ideas are expressed with both strength and clarity. Instead of 'fixing' the author's voice, a good line editor will make the voice stronger and sharper. Copy Editor The copy editor is one of the last people to go over a manuscript before it is ready for print.
He or she will examine the document for inconsistencies in theme, style, and factual information. Permission is checked for copyright material, ensuring there will be no legal conflict. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are also scanned again. I feel that I can see things from different perspectives. Being an editor, do you think that my qualification and creativity allows me to do so….?
Thank You. But if it would be easy for you to return to teaching if you had to, then it might be worth changing fields.
But editing is wonderful. We all do have to pay the bills. Now I know that what I am doing is a type of editing. Yuta, you are indeed one type of editor, one who oversees and directs writers and their articles. Good luck with the website. I hope your writers give you solid and entertaining content. I have been a 5th grade teacher for the past 5 years and in the education field for 14 years.
Do you think I have enough experience? If so, where would be the best place to start looking for employment? Edit a published book that you think could have been written better. Join a writing group that critiques. Read everything you can on writing and editing fiction. Before you start looking for employment in the field, do some editing. See if you like it. There are great groups everywhere. There are many online groups you can join—just Google your genre and see what you can find.
But also look for a group that meets near you. Check with your local library or just Google writing groups and your town name. Hi, Recently I have discovered as well as remembered things about myself that have encouraged me to look for descriptions about jobs in editing. I believe I would like to experiment with the editor field before graduating to find out whether it truly is what I am looking for. But I am afraid of making a decision without knowing someone that has been where I want to go.
Thank you. Annabella, do you have specific questions I can answer for you? What topics would you like to know about? Everyone should find a career that fulfills and challenges them. Thanks again for replying.
In the past few days I have been reading about the editing profession and I believe it fits me. And now I need to ask, how do I become an editor? What could I do in regards to my school work? And if I am not hired on the first few tries because I lack experience, what could I do to gain experience?
Give yourself an exposure to unusual fields and to a variety of fields. Pick up an extra literature class. Or, if your school offers them, try a writing class or two or three.
And read everything you can about what goes into creating quality writing. Many are available through libraries. You can give yourself a great education by working your way through all the craft books. And do some editing. Look at articles online and edit them. Pull out a book and start editing. Get a book of short stories and edit them.
Maybe a member of a writing group would let you practice with a discarded manuscript—you can always ask. Well, thanks a lot once again. I am a senior in high school and would like to become an Acquisitions editor for fiction I know I need a minimum of a bachelors degree I also know ill need to work my way up but what will that be exactly?
Will I need to be a good writer even though ill be reading manuscripts? As an acquisitions editor you may well need to be able to make suggestions to your authors. Definitely learn some of the ins and outs of writing and fiction. You might want to check out this article on What an Editor Should Study , at least as a starting point. I live in a gated which publishes a monthly newspaper of happenings in our community along with ads for businesses wishing to do business here.
For a number of years our newspaper had a page for reporting religious articles in which there was mentioning God, prayer and scripture verses. The religious page also publishes times for meetings of different faiths within the community.
Is it the responsibility of the editor to allow or disallow such reporting. I live in a gated community which publishes a monthly newspaper of happenings in our community along with ads for businesses wishing to do business here. Hi Beth, Thank you so much for such an informative blog.
If you have a moment, would you mind answering one of my questions? Thank you so much for your time. This past January I was thrown into a long-term substitution position very suddenly for a teacher that was forced to leave due to criminal charges.
So my question is, do you think my background in education would help me get into some sort of career in editing? I was also hoping that you could tell me if I would require additional formal education to pursue a career in this field.
Would you happen to have any tips that could help me decide? Should I try to shadow an editor to see the kind of work they do? Laura, I certainly hope you find the career that fits. Start your own studies. Read all the books on writing and self-editing. Join a writers group. And start editing. Pull out a few published books and edit them. Look for plot weaknesses and problems with characters.
Look for an overbalance of elements. Try to identify problems. Then open some more books and edit those. But you will develop a sense for creating multiple options that are all suitable for the same story.
Make no promises for the edits. And then ask to edit more. And read, read, read. Any and everything. Editing takes practice. And practicing with already published books is a great way to learn. Practicing with short stories would also be helpful since you can easily see how a change in one page affects other story elements. Also, determine if you want to edit or proofread; the two are not the same. See which one appeals more. As for shadowing an editor?
It depends on the kind of editor, I suppose. Let us know how your journey into editing progresses. And best of success to you. Thank you for all the details. So what are the qualifications needed to be an editor? I am used to teaching English and translating documents in English to my mother tongue language and vice versa, but have never been an editor myself. If you work for a publisher, you may actually work on manuscripts, editing them, or you may read manuscripts to decide if any should be pursued by your company.
Or you may find yourself in meetings much of the day, trying to determine which stories your company should pursue and how they should be pursued. You may be deal more with the business of the company than with the writers and their projects. Seldom does any editor only sit with a manuscript all day, giving it her full attention.
But as a writer does much more than solely write, so an editor does much more than solely edit a manuscript. Much of any one of my days may be spent passing e-mails with my clients, answering questions or helping them work out an issue.
I also often point out the reasons behind editing suggestions—explaining the fiction or writing issues that are involved and why one edit option may be better for a scene than another would be. If you want to work with writers and their manuscripts directly, you may want to pursue a freelance career. Thank you for quelling my fears of submitting my book. I am a health and wellness coach and would like to reach a much larger audience. I love reading and writing, and whenever I read I always tend to go over passages more than once and learn from the grammar.
Is there a position in editing where the editor only finds grammatical errors, more so in books? Reditor, you may be thinking of a proofreader or a copy editor rather than a content editor. Yet even people in these positions would do more than check only grammar. Thanks for the enlightenment on editors. My question then is, can the writer of an organizational newsletter be her editor as well? In an organization with a communications unit, where one writes, takes pictures and designs a corporate newsletter without adverts but only hands the ready material to the printer, what is that person called?
This person might well be called managing editor or just plain editor. For periodicals, they, instead of an editor or with the editor, may be the ones to choose content or decide on themes for different issues.
They currently have 18 journalists on their board. The L. Times currently has 10 members on their board. What a great site. Your enthusiasm is contagious. My question is, would it be tacky to offer to do the job for free after having bid on it? On the other, I wonder if it would hurt my credibility. Any thoughts you might have would be very much appreciated.
My first thought is to just leave it as is. You made your decision, and she probably already made hers. Going after her may make you seem desperate. Instead of following after her, just accept that you might have made a mistake. But why would you do it for free? Your time and skills are worth payment. But if you need to jump in and actually do some editing, get involved with a writing or critique group. At the same time, offer special edit prices for group members or for seniors.
Be consistent in how you offer discounts. This way you at least get some editing in. Do you have a web presence? If so, give away a free edit of the first 30 or 50 pages for one lucky visitor to your blog or website.
Promote this wherever you have connections and get people to come to your website. Visit other blogs and leave comments. And draw people to you. Connect with writing resource centers at local colleges or high schools—that kind of help you can give away for free.
You may make connections that lead to paying jobs. Teach a workshop or present a program at your library or for other writing groups in your area. Make yourself available and get your name out there. I was going to say that she might come back to you, asking questions, and if so, that would be the time to tell her you wanted to do something special for her in terms of price.
But every time I think of suggesting this, it seems wrong. And what do you say? Neither option seems like a good idea. I have to admit that while helping someone out is a good impulse, the ways this could possibly play out, and not to your favor, have me suggesting that you just leave the whole thing as is.
If she comes back, then you have a client. I recognize that I have to do things differently and your feedback helps a lot in that respect. The idea occurred to me when I read your suggestion to someone else here who was just starting out, which I likened to my trying to freshen up a career that has been inactive for a couple of years. In fact, think volunteer editing—for which there is ample opportunity—might be another way. Thanks so much for your wonderful and timely feedback and for pointing me in the right direction.
Definitely get a web presence going. If you plan to edit for writers outside of your small town, you need to make yourself known. Give writers a way to find you. I hope you find great success and satisfaction as you get back into editing.
Hi Beth, Thank you so much for the world of information on your pages. You have an amazing knowledge of what needs to be done…and how.
I self published my first true crime book about my life as a female bailbondsman…not the pap you see on tv. The real stuff. In its third printing, but not much money so far. My fault…too busy pursuing my 30 year occupation, profession, love affair with the craziness of it all…being a private investigator.
Slowing down now and have first draft of a page true crime story invoking many of my real life adventures.
Also heavily involved in a sequel to Bail Bonds Babylon and having a lotof fun with it. Met a great editor from LA and we are working out details of her total edit of the second book. What an inspiration you are to new writers, would-be editors and all of us out there dallying with the written word.
Thank you again Laura. I hope you have a marvelous long-term relationship with your editor. Hi, Thanks for such a comprehensive article. I am new into the field of copyediting. Before entering this profession, I have been an English language teacher. Also, I have done some freelance writing and editing. How can I enhance my copyediting skills to excel in my profession? Could you also suggest some authentic yet affordable courses in copyediting. Looking forward to your response. Thank you!
Thanks for this article. Got to know about new things that can make my posts better.. I am new to blogging and this information will really help me.. Very useful article it is. I just found your blog and it has interested me in many ways. This was very informative and I found it to be quite helpful compared to other websites. I just have a quick question: I would love to edit books! But are there different types of editors for a book, like a primary editor and a proof reader, etc..?
I am still in high school and I think I would enjoy this occupation but I am trying to decide which type I would enjoy the most. Thanks for the information. It is very helpful. Your article are very useful for editing services. I have just written a first novel.
A mystery thriller of pages linking Tudor times to today. I employed an editor who was recommended to me and having taken my script I heard nothing from her until she returned it with entire chapters struck out or transposed along with whole paragraphs while replacing many words with almost identical one of her own choice and effectively superimposing a boring tone in which her own views on life came very apparent. The changes were so great it was almost impossible to compare to my own book.
I have subsequently made only a few changes and published on Google as my experience tells me that my editor had a pre-formed view of how a book should be written and was not prepared to go along with any change from the norm, especially if it is controversial as my book The Royal Secret is.
Getting a sense of the kinds of suggestions and comments an editor will make is helpful for a writer. The next time you engage an editor, ask for a sample edit.
And if the editors you approach are like me, you also might receive suggestions for rewriting before the editor takes on the work. Some manuscripts are simply not ready for an edit, and a reputable editor will inform the writer of that fact.
I wish you success with your writing career. And I hope you find an editor and other resources to help you advance that career. Most are simply trying to put out a good product, one they recognize through experience and knowledge of the marketplace. Publishers like controversial books—they bring attention, readers, and money.
But a controversial book still must be well written and must do all those things that great books do in order to keep readers turning pages. A good book must entertain and touch reader emotions. It must make readers care about characters and what happens to them. It must keep the reader wondering and curious. And it must do all of these things clearly, in ways easily understood by the multitude of readers. The truth is that writers need that extra eye to help them see the weaknesses—and the strengths—of their own stories.
And whether a writer hires an editor or takes advantage of a great critique partner, every writer could use an outside eye to read and then report back on the strengths and weaknesses of a story. Hi, I have always thought I wanted to be a teacher, even going so far as to attend a high school for teaching, but now I have realized I want to work in editing.
I always wanted to be involved in English, but I always thought it was going to be by teaching it. I am now in my senior year in high school, and I have realized that I want to be an editor.
I have always loved grammar and proof reading. I analyze books all the time and am an avid reader. I live in Las Vegas, and I want to work for a publishing firm for non-fiction books. How should I go about this? What should I major in and what classes should I take? Should I move somewhere with more publishing companies, like New York?
Do I need to intern? Also, what are some colleges you would recommend, and how did u get into the editing field? Is it hard to find a job in the field after getting a degree? Sorry to bombard you with questions; any help answering any of them would be greatly appreciated. KKNikki, I wish you success as you start out. Editing is wonderfully enjoyable. Sometimes tedious, sometimes challenging, sometimes flat-out delightful, but always something different and engaging. Your article really helps me to clarify many things.
I started to search universities outside my country. I really want to know if studying abroad will be a good idea. What do you think? Is it a good idea? Maria, studying anywhere and anything is useful for a great many purposes. Travel when you can and enjoy it.
Trizah, it sounds as if you have a talent for writing and or editing. Why not see what you can do with your talent, maybe take some classes and add some new skills to those you already have. I am a professionally trained proofreader and an experienced copy-editor.
I have a real passion for the written word. I keep my prices low, because of my firm belief that no book should go to the publisher unedited. I hope your passion for editing makes you very successful and that you continue to edit for many years. I read your article and felt editing could be something for me. Somehow I became class editor, which was the first of my editing experience and people would queue to have their compositions edited by me.
I have a severe lack of self-confidence due to a childhood incident and mental abuse by my mother and bullying. I came across your blog because a friend told me my critical dissection of her story was better than the workshop she attended. I feel like words can tell a lot about a person, and the characters and their mental state. Your post on Nanowrimo and Jack of all trades got me thinking. My interest in writing faded due to flames and cyber bullying for the second time, but I thought back to all those unfinished works.
I write fanfiction, so 50 words is not much to me, but I always seem to lose interest in my own work. I have more interest in the writing of others than my own, and I seem to have the skill of reading people which facilitated my interest in psychology from my years of social exclusion, so it just seemed editing could be a job for me.
I always wanted to be a psychologist, but when I learnt it would take 10 years to be one, it just seemed like too much time. But I wanted to be a psychologist because I spent most of my life helping people, and it seemed like the perfect job. I wanted to have something worthwhile for not being able to enjoy my teenage years helping people after I was being bullied like everyone else and my childhood.
You mentioned editing is helping the writer. I prefer to be in the background and help someone else shine than shine myself, so perhaps editing could be for me. Because when I read the part about being a fiction editor, it was what I did for that editing request, without knowing until now. I have finished writing a book in Microsoft Office it has 95 pages and 5, words. I also have applied for copyright and purchased ISBN.
Is 95 pages considered a small book? This is my first book and I wrote it because I have a story to tell. It is not an autobiography, it is a love story of an older retired couple.
There are so many stories about the young, but, older love exists looking at the millennium living today, they have stories too. I have done several proof reading and made many correction, but, I still need to have it edited. Do you feel that finding an editor at this point is the next step before publishing?
Then go back and read it. Also consider joining a writing or a critique group so other writers can give you an idea of what areas may need some work. After this, it may be time to contact an editor. Your article was helpful in gaining a better understanding of who does what in publishing today.
Thanks for sharing your nuggets of wisdom. Your email address will not be published. Submit Comment. I am looking forward to working with the team on getting my new novel out into the world. Day s. Hour s. Minute s. Second s. Deadline: Friday, December 31st. Managing Submissions And Acquiring Writing Although the role of an editor will vary from one publisher to another, most editors are charged with sifting through manuscripts to find work that meets publication specifications. Editing and Revising At an independent press such as those affiliated with colleges and universities that publish literary journals , a high-level editor will often make suggestions to improve the poem or short story prior to publication.
The Changing Roles Of Editors There is some speculation among publishing industry insiders about the roles of editors in the future. Angela on May 28, at pm. Maureen on March 24, at pm. Louis James on June 24, at am. Thanks for educating me on the whole business of editing. Your article was very helpful. Submit a Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.
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