If I hear one more author claim they don't need an editor,
I'm going to scream. No, I won't actually scream, but I will put their name on
my 'list' of authors not to buy. Pretentious? Elitist? How about thrifty? Yes,
thrifty. Books cost money, and I, for one, am not willing to download a million
books to find that one author that 'doesn't need an editor'. Not even if the
books are free.
I have an MFA and I don't think that qualifies me to edit my
own work effectively. Sure, I do a great job on other peoples manuscripts, and
a decent job on my own. But decent isn't good enough. I've never read a review
for a New York Times bestseller that
said, "It was decent." And I've never heard a New York Times bestselling author say, "my book would have
been so much better without an editor."
Maybe, however, some authors don't have a desire to be a NYT
bestseller. Maybe an Amazon ranking is enough for them. That's fine for them.
But not for me, and I won't be one of those buying their books to get them that
coveted Amazon award.
Don't get me wrong, I am not demeaning self published
authors. I have several whose work I love and I wait patiently for their next
novel. But I guarantee you those are
authors who understand the value of an editor and don't just slap their name on
a book they wrote last night that their dog and their mother thinks is the
Great American Novel. In fact, most of them will be the first to tell you that
the unedited excrement that is published online is a detriment to the business
of self publishing. And that is what it is: a business.
Maybe Amazon could have a system that tells a reader what
books have been edited? Or maybe a section of 'hobbyist' authors, those that
don't take it seriously as a business? Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Here are some of the reasons I've heard in the past week for
not hiring an editor:
1. It costs too much- So does my landscaper, but I like my
yard to look professionally done.
2. An editor is no more than a co-author and should be
listed as such-If your book requires so much work that the editor becomes a
'co-author' then maybe you should consider listing them.
3. They change your work and it is no longer 'your book'-I
think it's important for an author to have an editor that 'gets' their book.
Editors make your book stronger, saleable and see the entire picture as well as
the fine details. They didn't write it, so they can 'see' it from another
perspective.
4. I have a BA in English. I don't need one-Great. You can
spell and make a complete sentence. It takes more than that, really.
5. I have an MFA and can edit my own work-Getting my MFA was
one of the best things I ever did for myself; as a writer and as a human being.
But edit my own work and call it done? Not a chance.
They Call Me Crazy
went through 10 critical readers, my agent and two editors. Ragtown has been through four mentors,
20 critical readers, my agent and two editors. Every one of these people
brought something of value to my work. Do I consider them done? No. I am
chomping at the bit for an editor from a publishing house to chime in. Are the
two novels still my work? Most definitely, but they are a lot stronger than they
were.
And lastly, why would I spend money, go through all the
readers/mentors/editors, subject myself to the
criticism and the time involved in edits? Because this IS a business to me. And because my goal IS the bestseller
list.
Lofty, I know, but I've never been satisfied with a participant ribbon. I'm in
it to win it.
19 comments:
I couldn't agree more. Indie authors get tarred with the brush of being amateurs. How do you not be an amateur? Work like a professional. That means write well, rewrite well, have it edited by a professional, and have other people read it in beta before you publish. Let's quit giving traditional publishing the ammo it needs to deride us. We ARE better: time to step up and prove it.
So true. We can't always see the forest for the trees. Someone has to look at it with fresh eyes. If no one ever read my stuff before I sent it out, I would never have any idea if the emotional weight was there or not.
Thanks so much for this post, Kelly. No one can edit her or his own work. I'm a freelance editor, also with an MFA. I edit for a living, and I can't edit my own work. As authors, we are all too close to what we've written. We skip over typos, insert words that aren't there, and a whole host of other things, big and small. Fresh eyes are essential for everyone. Kudos to you, Kelly, for not only realizing it but being humble enough to seek and work with editors. I think a lot of resistance to editors are the result of misguided or inflated egos. Each writer has to decide which is more important: her book or her ego. I think the results of each choice are obvious.
Editirs sre a god send no matter how good we think we are, improvements can be made. Dint laugh. Thus id hoe bad we look to an editir. And to discriminstin' readers.
I try to work like a professional in everything I do. Why should writing, something I take so seriously, be any different?
Agreed, Chris. I have written 'brilliant' scenes that 10 people had no reaction to. So much for brilliant.
I've always said the revision process is probably my favorite part of writing (I've been called a weirdo). I love making it shine and editors and readers help me do that.
U mak a geud pont, Fyre. It May luk perfct 2 us, butt 2 uthers...
Amen, sister!
And...by way of a whine... Why are so many non-edited works selling so well???
;)
Although many sell, I would think the repeat business would be slower. I have bought several but I won't buy a second by that author.
It saddens me when a book is good but poorly proofread.
Me, too, Elizabeth. Maybe I'm a little different, but to me, the story is the easy part. I've got a file box full of stories. It's making them good, readable and market ready that takes the work.
Editors and enemas start with the same letter and have much the same purpose.
The ever eloquent Rob Greene, speaking words of wisdom. Beautifully said.
There should be a section for hobbyists. I've had these debates and it goes like this:
Indie Author: I can't afford an editor
Me: It's a business, if you can't sell enough of it to make back what you invest, then it's a BAD business proposition and you shouldn't be doing it.
Indie Author: I don't regard it as a business, I am happy to break even
Me: Then why are you publishing at all?
Indie Author: I want to share my work
Me: then share it for free on your blog, don't expect people to pay for a sub-standard product.
This annoys me so much. I have not self-published for a long time because of the bad reputation indie authors have, and the fact it's so hard to find the good stuff in amongst piles of crap. I'm about to, though - not my novel, I'm keeping that to shop around, but a novella that doesn't have much market elsewhere. It'll go through a half dozen betas and two editors before I hit go.
This is so true. It amazes me that more people don't realise this. We read what we know should be there, not what is there. It's true of any written work. Hell, that Facebook post that goes around with words made out of numbers, or the one where every letter of a word is wrong except the first and last letter, but our brains can still read it, just proves the point doesn't it?
I've had the same conversation, Ciara.
OHGOSH! I need 4 or 5 editors just to keep up with me. My text messages along are enough to cause my editor best friend to have a melt down in the middle of Starbucks. I'm so grammatically illiterate I cause English majors to succumb to sporadic mental fits.
I now out source all important writing just so I don't have to worry about where the comma goes!
My blogs motto is: Good information rarely comes from a spell check grammar proficient source.
LOL
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