Expert: Cathy Clamp - 4/29/2009

Question
Howdy there!

First of all, I would like to thank you for filling out your profile so completely and with rare quality. Now for that question:

What exactly does an editor (of a publishing house) do, and how much can he or she edit?

I am aware of the obvious: editors are the ones who correct the spelling of a manuscript. They also look over the use of mechanics.

Yet I have heard horror stories of some editors who slice entire works to pieces and rewrite it their way, and of those who request over thirty rewrites.

Then there are the tales of supportive editors who work with and not against authors (and do not change the story to a completely different color, so to speak}.

What type of changes do they do to "to be books?" How far can these changes go? Can editors make [major] changes in the plot of a story? Does an editor take an author's requests into account as well, or deal with the manuscript their way?

Basically, how do most editors operate and what can be expected when working with an editor?

Answer
Hi, Jade!

Howdy right back at you. :)

These are all good questions and you're smart to ask them. Let me first say that there are two entirely different field of editors, and I see you're mixing them up (which a lot of aspiring authors do, so no big.) We're going to talk about New York large presses and good-quality small presses here. We've experienced a HUGE variance in some of the small presses and ebook publishers, and those are probably some of the horror stories you've heard of. An "editor" shouldn't actually touch the book, except to make SUGGESTIONS. The author rules, except that if the author rules too much, the publisher can refuse to accept, and publish, the book. So, it's wise to at least consider edits, because in 99.9% of the cases, they make the book better. What you, as the author, need to make sure of is what you agree to in a contract. There really are some publishers who write into the contract that you agree to let the editor completely rewrite the book. Then, of course, you AGREED to it, so you're stuck. So I say unto you: "Read the contract!"

But for normal publishers, it's not that way. The first kind of editor is called a "style" or "content" editor. A style editor's job is to look at the book as a whole---plot, characterization, timeline, logic and such. Let's say, for example, that you've done what *I* did in my first published book. I wrote an action packed novel where the hero and heroine were being chased from one big plot to another. It was exciting, it was fast-paced and it was . . . unfortunately, entirely IMPOSSIBLE to do. We hadn't taken into account reality (and it was intended to be set in the real world). The characters didn't sleep, they didn't eat, they never ONCE stopped for gasoline or had a bathroom break. Of course, nobody wants to read about those things, but the reader at least needs to believe they happened. She explained it by making a chart of the events that happened and the expected time it would take to do it. Can you really fill up your car in two minutes. Well, IF you're paying at the pump, and IF there's no line, and IF you didn't have to stop at the light to wait to turn in. You get the picture.

Next was our main character, a former Mafia hitman who was now a werewolf. He varied from (in our editor's words) from James Bond-like suave to My Cousin Vinny-like smarmy. If he's putting on an act to APPEAR one way, when he's really the other, cool. If not, then one or the other has to be changed to make the character realistic.

So, yes---in a way, the editor did ask for truly MAJOR rewrites of the plot and character, but . . . and here's the important part, for the BETTERMENT of the book.

See, that's the whole goal of a (good) editor. They want to make the book WONDERFUL---impossible to put down (and not because it was thrown against a wall in frustration.) It's working for and with the author, because a good editor doesn't actually touch the actual book. They send a letter with "suggestions" about what they see wrong with the way it's written. That's not a bad thing, because they're coming at the book with a fresh set of eyes, trained to spot plot holes you may have missed. A heroine with blue eyes in chapter one, shouldn't have hazel ones in chapter nine. If one version of your edits gives the character a bad facial tic, they shouldn't be tic-free in chapter twelve (just because it's annoying to write it for the whole book, or you forgot you put that in.) Now, if you have a really good reason for what you did, you are free to discuss it with your editor. They're really good about that sort of thing. Sometimes, it only take the addition of a sentence in chapter one to correct a whole book. Sometimes it's the removal of a paragraph.

That sort of thing. When it comes to editing the author has to keep an open mind, but still protect the "concept" of what they were going for.

Now, the next kind of editor is a "copy editor." That's the grammar, composition and spelling gestapo. HOWEVER, a good copy editor knows how to write fiction. They KNOW that characters don't always (and *shouldn't*) speak perfect textbook English. They notice dialects and regional variances in speech patterns. But, if you write "That ain't the way it is," in NARRATIVE, not dialogue, then POOF! Out it will go. Again, however, they just mark on the page and send it to the author to correct. Nobody gets to play with the actual book without your express permission. The best word for an author to learn early is "Stet." This is a notation back to the editor that says, "I refuse to accept this change. Leave it the way it was."

So, at major and small press houses, there are TWO levels of edits---style edits of plot, characterization and such, and copy edits that deal with the grammar and spelling. If you get a sucky copy editor, it can be a pain to correct what they did. We had one that removed every SINGLE italic in the book. Internal thoughts, emphasis of speech and even telepathy. AARGH. But, our main editor said what we did, "Put it back." You get used to it, and it really doesn't bother you all that much once you've done it once or twice. Every editor is a little different and the more of them you work with, the quicker you learn the style of the house. A lot of publishing houses have a "bible" and often it's a book called the "Chicago Manual of Style." A LOT of publishers use this to edit fiction, so it's worth having on your shelf, or at least checking out from the library.

Does that answer your questions? If you need clarification on anything or if it brings up NEW questions, just ask. Good luck!

Cathy