So, editing's easy, is it? Then why don't you get it right the first time and do away with the big, bad editors who have the gall to expect payment for the work they do?
Yes - I'm angry - In fact, I'm furious. Some people seem to think that all you need is a good story and it doesn't matter if you can't string a coherent sentence together with appropriate spelling, punctuation and grammar because the editor will fix that. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee; story may be king, but if your readers stumble over every sentence you write, they won't bother to read much of your work.
Then there are those who think anyone who has ever read a book can edit one - wrong again. You can't find all the answers by running it through the spelling and grammar checker on your computer. Sometimes, they get it wrong - spectacularly so. In order to edit, you have to have a sound knowledge of grammar and structure and the common sense to know when it's correct to allow idioms. You also need a range of international dictionaries and an understanding of dialect and slang across a number of cultures.
Who am I to be saying all this? Let me present my credentials. I hold a teaching degree in English and Modern Foreign Languages (French and German) and have in excess of 30 years' experience in education. I am a grammarian by trade as well as an author, poet and editor. However, I'm not here to throw a rule book at anyone. I'm the first to admit that sometimes the rule book should be thrown out of the window. I also believe that the best editing is a process of negotiation between author and editor and this should happen before the work is even seen by a publisher.
That brings me to my next point. Would you expect the plumber to come out and fix your toilet without charging a call-out fee? Editing takes time and in today's world, time is money. Writing is an art form and editing is a craft. If I undertake to edit a book at any stage, that is a professional commitment on my part and whilst I am doing that I am not earning my living any other way. So if I'm editing a book for a week, that's a week when I'm not teaching and therefore editing is my only source of income. My bills still have to be paid, I still have to eat. I cannot afford to be a charity.
Recently, I spent a substantial amount of time editing two extremely difficult pieces of work and the publisher who had engaged me reneged on our payment terms, claiming that the work was unsatisfactory but failing to provide evidence in an accessible format. By the time I added up the working days I'd lost and the failure to pay the agreed fee - or even part of it - I was left in dire straits financially. The client then informed me that in future they would only pay 25% of the going rate for my services, and that, only if they approved the work after it had been done. This, after spending six months telling me I was the best thing since sliced bread! (I have the emails to prove it.) Needless to say, we have parted company. I could see where this was going. I would do the work; they would not approve it so I would not be paid. Or, if they did approve it, I would be paid the equivalent of $10 a day or less. They told me I would be easy to replace. Fair enough, but my heart goes out to my successor with this message. I hope your altruism pays off because sooner or later your work won't.
Yes - I'm angry - In fact, I'm furious. Some people seem to think that all you need is a good story and it doesn't matter if you can't string a coherent sentence together with appropriate spelling, punctuation and grammar because the editor will fix that. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee; story may be king, but if your readers stumble over every sentence you write, they won't bother to read much of your work.
Then there are those who think anyone who has ever read a book can edit one - wrong again. You can't find all the answers by running it through the spelling and grammar checker on your computer. Sometimes, they get it wrong - spectacularly so. In order to edit, you have to have a sound knowledge of grammar and structure and the common sense to know when it's correct to allow idioms. You also need a range of international dictionaries and an understanding of dialect and slang across a number of cultures.
Who am I to be saying all this? Let me present my credentials. I hold a teaching degree in English and Modern Foreign Languages (French and German) and have in excess of 30 years' experience in education. I am a grammarian by trade as well as an author, poet and editor. However, I'm not here to throw a rule book at anyone. I'm the first to admit that sometimes the rule book should be thrown out of the window. I also believe that the best editing is a process of negotiation between author and editor and this should happen before the work is even seen by a publisher.
That brings me to my next point. Would you expect the plumber to come out and fix your toilet without charging a call-out fee? Editing takes time and in today's world, time is money. Writing is an art form and editing is a craft. If I undertake to edit a book at any stage, that is a professional commitment on my part and whilst I am doing that I am not earning my living any other way. So if I'm editing a book for a week, that's a week when I'm not teaching and therefore editing is my only source of income. My bills still have to be paid, I still have to eat. I cannot afford to be a charity.
Recently, I spent a substantial amount of time editing two extremely difficult pieces of work and the publisher who had engaged me reneged on our payment terms, claiming that the work was unsatisfactory but failing to provide evidence in an accessible format. By the time I added up the working days I'd lost and the failure to pay the agreed fee - or even part of it - I was left in dire straits financially. The client then informed me that in future they would only pay 25% of the going rate for my services, and that, only if they approved the work after it had been done. This, after spending six months telling me I was the best thing since sliced bread! (I have the emails to prove it.) Needless to say, we have parted company. I could see where this was going. I would do the work; they would not approve it so I would not be paid. Or, if they did approve it, I would be paid the equivalent of $10 a day or less. They told me I would be easy to replace. Fair enough, but my heart goes out to my successor with this message. I hope your altruism pays off because sooner or later your work won't.
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