In my last post, I explained what a proofreader does and why proofreading should not be viewed as a “light edit”.
Today, I’m going to discuss what happens before we get to that stage. This post is all about the role of the editor – and why that person can play a crucial role in the success of your publication.
One name, many faces
What does an editor do? It’s a simple question, but the answer isn’t quite so straightforward.
In the eyes of many people, an editor is simply someone who corrects spelling mistakes and puts commas in the right places, but actually the term covers a variety of different roles. To complicate matters even further, each sector of the publishing industry – or even each company – uses different titles to differentiate one type of editor from another.
In newspaper and magazine publishing, the term “editor” tends to mean the person who has overall responsibility for the content of the publication – although this person might also be called the editor-in-chief. They make decisions about which stories to cover, they decide on the publication’s tone and values, and they’re responsible for managing the editorial team. The detailed work of editing stories line by line tends to be the responsibility of sub-editors.
In book publishing, there’s usually a division between commissioning editors (who are responsible for deciding which books to publish and agreeing contracts with authors) and copy editors or production editors (who work to refine the text once it has been submitted, and turn the final manuscript into a finished book).
You might also come across the terms “developmental editor” and “line editor”. A developmental editor is a person who helps an author to develop their content, or who makes major structural changes to a manuscript after it has been written. A line editor is similar to a copy editor but focuses more on style and word choice than on the mechanics of grammar and spelling.
In practice, there is often some overlap between these roles. The duties of an individual editor, regardless of their job title, will depend on the needs and structure of the company they work for.
With more formats come more responsibilities
My own background is mainly in book publishing, but my responsibilities have extended into the management of content for digital products, such as mobile apps and websites.
When I worked in-house, my role as an editor was quite broad. Once the first draft of a book was handed to me by the commissioning department, I was responsible for managing the whole process up until the final artwork was ready to go to the printer. I was also responsible for updating the content of existing publications so that they reflected the latest laws and regulations, and I was tasked with ensuring consistency across all the different formats we produced. I even tested each version of our digital products and wrote some marketing copy and press releases.
The responsibilities of an editor, then, can be quite varied, depending on where you work and what skills you bring to the business. It’s also true that these responsibilities are changing as the publishing world moves away from printed books and increasingly focuses on digital formats.
Let’s get back to basics
For now, though, let’s look at what an editor typically does when they receive the first draft of a book or report from an author.
The most important thing to understand is that they don’t – or shouldn’t – dive straight in and start making corrections to spelling and grammar.
The editor’s first task is always a high-level assessment of the manuscript: an initial read-through to see whether there are any obvious problems with its structure.
- Does it meet the original brief, if there was one?
- Is the word count too long, too short or about right?
- Does the text cover the topic adequately or are there any gaps?
- Has any obviously unnecessary or irrelevant information been included?
- Is the structure logical, with a clear hierarchy of sections and subsections?
- Does everything make sense or is the meaning of some parts of the text unclear?
- What about the pace and tone of the text, and the level of language used? Are they appropriate for the intended readership?
We want the truth!
A former manager of mine used to refer to this process as “interrogating the text”.
That sounds a little dramatic, but in essence that’s what you have to do as an editor – and it’s why editing is such a different task from proofreading.
You sit the text down under a bright light in a quiet room, away from the outside world, and find out exactly what it has to say for itself. Is its story consistent or are there holes in its account of events? Can it be trusted or do you get the impression that it isn’t telling the whole truth? Has it made any obvious missteps along the way? It’s only after you’ve examined all the details that you can help the author to present everything in the best possible light. (And yes, I know I’m mixing my metaphors here, but you get the point!)
Details, details
Once all of these issues have been considered and addressed, then the editor can start to look more closely at individual sections, paragraphs, sentences and, finally, words. It’s a process of gradually refining your focus to ensure the text is as polished as it can be.
The editor will make sure that the text follows the publisher’s style guidelines, that everything is clear and makes sense, that sentences are grammatically correct and flow well – and, of course, that there aren’t any spelling mistakes. They’ll discuss any queries with the author, obtain approval of the amended text if necessary and prepare a final file for typesetting.
But their job isn’t over yet. Now they have to check the typeset pages, have any mistakes corrected, and send the approved pages to a proofreader and perhaps also an indexer – both of whom they’ll have booked in advance. The editor will also have agreed costs if the proofreader and indexer are external contractors, making sure they stay within the overall budget for the project.
And now, the end is near
Once the proofreader’s comments are back, the editor reviews them and decides which to accept and which to reject, based on their knowledge of the project and the client. They have the changes made by the typesetter, check those changes and have them corrected if necessary, and also go through the same process with the index.
Then it’s time for a final check of the complete document and final sign-off from the client, before files are passed over for printing. And let’s not forget to approve the invoices from the proofreader and indexer before we call it a day.
Phew! If that sounds like a lot of work, I have to be honest with you: it is. The entire editorial process is likely to take a couple of months, depending on the length of the book – and of course all of it is done to a schedule agreed in advance with the production team and the client.
Doing it your way
Now, if you’re a private client using a freelance editor, things will be a lot simpler and quicker than this – because you’ll probably be taking responsibility for most of the publication process yourself. However, a good editor should still carry out the detailed assessment that I discussed earlier, and they may well have queries about your manuscript or suggestions for change that go beyond simple corrections to grammar or spelling.
Try not to see this as criticism. The editor is there to help you produce the best book possible, and because they’re seeing the text for the first time, they’re able to give you an objective opinion of your work. It would be wise to listen to their comments. If you’re the client, though, then obviously the final decision on any changes is yours.
The final curtain
That concludes this overview of the work of editors and proofreaders. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I’ll reply as soon as I can. Or if you’d like to discuss a project that you need to have edited or proofread, feel free to contact me.
I also have a free eBook that will help you get your work in the best possible shape before you send it off. It’s called Supercharge Your Writing: Ten simple steps to a better report, article, letter or book, and you can download a copy by scrolling to the bottom of this page and clicking the “Get it now” button.
