Inspired by explosion on Twitter.
As an editor, my opinion on this goes without saying. I’m talking about actual editing, as in seeking out someone who knows what they are doing before looking to publication. This is also not including self-editing, though self-edits are still better than none. What are all of your opinions on this?
My editor is worth his weight in gold (sorry for the cliche 
) but I self publish. I would absolutely advise anyone who’s self publishing to find a good editor, pay them well, and be happy.
If you’re seeking traditional publication… that’s a little different for me. For that I think, polish it as best you can, swap beta reads and critiques with others, but I wouldn’t (well, Couldn’t 
) pay an editor on a piece that is going to be edited again (hopefully ) if it’s accepted. For someone who feels they really need deep editing assistance it might be different. Like a book doctor
Most publishers (don’t know about furry) will pretty much kick your story to the curb after the third or so typo in a chapter. The worst myth is that “publishers have editors so they will do that part for you”. They expect your absolute best when they get it.
Hi
First time poster!
I don’t see the trouble of getting an edited copy. You either like it’s feedback or you don’t. If so, try a different publisher.
To clarify, is this speaking to those who have issues with people editing their work? If so, totally agree.
This makes me want to bring up other questions such as:
How do can one become a better editor?
At what point should you start charging for editing services?
What would you charge/pay for editing?
What would you charge/pay for editing?
5 coffees and a sub.
OMG, definitely need editing - or, at the outside, a bloody good beta reader. I pride myself on being pretty hot on typos, grammar, characters not changing name halfway through etc, but I still miss stuff; you get blind to your own work because you’ve become so familiar with it. Eds have also suggested additions, deletions, plot twists or just an extra line of dialogue that have made a story I liked OK into one I was really pleased with.
I agree completely. No matter who you are, you can’t spot everything in your work and you need at least one extra pair of eyes looking it over. I’ve had pretty good experience with beta-readers, so if I think if you’ve got a best buddy willing to do it for free, it’s not absolutely necessary to hire someone.
I agree completely. No matter who you are, you can't spot everything in your work and you need at least one extra pair of eyes looking it over. I've had pretty good experience with beta-readers, so if I think if you've got a best buddy willing to do it for free, it's not absolutely necessary to hire someone.
I think the bottom line is do you want to get feedback from a professional?
Buddies are nice and good but a) Are they honest? b) Do you really want to show them this story? c)Are they good at actually writing? d) Is there more to “that’s fantastic” in their vocabulary?
Editors are hired to weed out the bad work and give good writing to publishers.
I like feedback but sometimes I would like a little “more” and I think an editor would do that.
You should start charging for editing as soon as you believe you have the necessary reputation and qualifications to charge. You really don’t want to be giving away free editing services, as people WILL take advantage of that, and/or look down on you as ‘not a real editor’.
As for what to charge, in terms of editing a full novel, well that all depends on how good you think you are. I keep on seeing a minimum figure pop up though: $400 (this is Australian). Any less than this and you get the whole ‘not a real editor’ stigma again. Note that this would be for a full service: line reading, structure edit, etc.
Though it must also be noted that these are more guidelines than actual rules.
I also don’t know how much the Australian market differs from the US, UK, and other markets.
I’ve been told my prices are pretty good from people who actually know that editing costs money. shrugs
As someone who has edited an anthology, and as a writer who needs an editor, editing is extremely important.
I don’t agree with Sean’s comment that publishers will drop a submission after the third spelling mistake. That hasn’t been my experience with any of the publishers I have dealt with both in and outside of the fandom. I will say, however, that if there are a huge amount of errors, it will drastically lower your chance of being accepted into the anthology/being published.
Time and time again on podcasts such as Dead Robots Society, they mention that if you are going to independent or self pub, you need a professional editor, and they are worth every cent. I agree with this, but you also have to make sure the editor you are selecting is good at what they do. Just like any other business, there are those out there that just want to take your money for little to no work, so keep your eyes open.
But yes, all work needs to be edited by someone other than you. Be it during the beta reading phase or by a professional editor, it needs to be done.
As a writer and publisher I have to agree with this. I won’t turn something down because of a few typos or occasional spelling issues, as I know mistakes can be made. It’s more if the technical craft of the novel is lacking that I’m hesitant to accept something.
I’m just not comfortable sending anything in until I’ve had other eyes on it.
I think that it’s essential, less for the small but important grammatical/spelling elements than for continuity, clarity of narrative and emotional response of the reader, things that no program can ever suss out for you.
A grammatically challenged story is a hard sell with an editor sure. But a story that doesn’t tell itself with clarity or that doesn’t connect meaningfully with most readers is a worse symptom of un-refined work and more of a bane to editors.
I really wish I had the cash to pay for professional editing.
I’ve always wanted to take my work to the next level and an editor would be a good start.
Maybe I will someday. I work two jobs so I’m bound to get some cash sooner or later.