Portals to Publishing

Portals to Publishing

Why We Need Editors Series

Net's Notations Tuesdays

Have you heard it? All the buzz lately of self-publishing in e-books and the craze that’s going on, turning publishing on its ear. Ask any writer, any publisher who’s in the know, and they’ll tell you “we don’t know exactly where this headed, but it’s going there fast.” But, what happens to quality control?

Some of the authors opting to self-publish their own e-books are offering well-written works because they bring several years’ worth of writing prowess to the process. But with self-publishing there is no guarantee you’ll get quality, which is why self-publishing has been frowned upon for so long. Then, there are the breakouts who earn tens of thousands of dollars a month in e-book sales.They must be doing something right.

One “safety net” of traditional publishing is that though the process is laborious and requires patience, established editors know what readers will buy. They know the standards required for your name to elicit a positive response in readers’ minds. Do you?

POINTS OF VIEW

On Tuesdays this month, we’ve been talking over the reasons we need editors. Here’s one of them—acquisitions editors have been around a while. They know what works and what doesn’t. They know the latest standards. For example, in fiction, point of view is key right now, specifically purist POV—one character’s head per scene or chapter. One. Not back and forth, which used to be acceptable. And not omniscient (an above-the-rest, birds-eye view of what people are thinking or feeling). If you send in a project that contains head-hopping or omniscient POV, you’re likely to get it rejected.

So, what good does rejection do? It forces you back to the basics, back to making sure you have ALL your ducks in a row when it comes to writing. That’s what rejection has done for me. I go back to the basics. What did the contest judges mention over and over? What did my editor cite? What am I still not getting right? Time to bone up on that skill until I’ve got it.

HOT GENRES

Editors also know what the current market wants. Many of them have access to sales numbers (or the pub boards do) and know which genres are hot and which aren’t. For example, romances are still hot, especially historicals. What else? Amish fiction. That doesn’t mean we have to write those genres. Dawn (a cohost here at SW) will tell you, keep writing your genre and wait for it to come up popular. *smile* But editors can offer advice and assistance should you decide to write what’s hot and can turn it around super fast. (There are pros and cons—by the time you finish, the genre may be lukewarm—remember chick lit? But if you can catch the wave and you’re between projects, why not?)

These are just examples of what editors at houses can offer. But if you do decide to self-publish, I still recommend having a freelancer look at your work. Better that than being embarrassed by things you didn’t catch. Remember, no one’s perfect.

A list of acquisitions editors’ jobs:

We’re here to help you look good, which sometimes means declining on a submission.

We’re here to give readers what they want, which does include stepping outside the box every now and then.

We’re here to keep the standards high to best serve readers.

To sum up, editors are portals to publishing, and we need them.

Content Cops

Content Cops

Why We Need Editors Series
Net's Notations Tuesdays

Going pretty near the speed limit (okay, maybe a touch over *wink*), I peeked in the rearview mirror. Why was the driver behind me riding my tail? And where was a member of law enforcement? There’s security knowing there could be an officer around the next curve ready to cite the driver harassing me.

As writers, we can trust there are editors ready to help apprehend content crooks in our writing. Let me explain.

First of all, it’s not personal. We’re watching for content errors, not opportunities to nitpick. 

As a reader, I can recall feeling dissatisfied with the conclusion of some stories at times because the threads I was closely watching didn’t get resolved. Dissatisfied readers may not pick up your books again. Editors want to keep that from happening.

Crit groups generally see your story over time. In our group, we exchange a chapter per meeting. So, any given novel can take several months to get through. Give any reader a copy of your novel and have them read only one chapter a week—it’s quite possible they’ll miss content snafus.

But editors get a copy of the entire manuscript before them. They can read it in one or two sittings and see it like a reader would. They watch all the threads weave through and make suggestions for bettering the story. As a writer, I’ve been grateful for that. In nonfiction, editors can catch the logic leaps (not that this doesn’t happen in fiction, cuz it does *wink*) or flow issues.

Content cops are on your side! We want you to succeed.

Do you read the acknowledgement page(s) first or last when you read a book? I read them first. I like discovering who helped and how they helped. Do you know what I so often see? “Thank you to my editor whose suggestions helped make the story so much better than its original state.” I’m guessing the writer isn’t speaking of grammar here.

We make the world of books a better place.

Editors are content cops. Please keep in mind, we’re story-minded—like you, but with an editorial bent. When we make suggestions, we’re gearing toward reader satisfaction. If readers enjoy your book, they’ll look for your name again and again. They’ll watch for your next book’s release with great anticipation. That’s what you want. And editors (freelance or publisher employed) can help you get there. Keep in mind you’re building a reputation for your name as an author.

And if you step out of line, we editors will discreetly cite you and then send you on your way with suggestions. *smile* We’re all in this together. The writer in me likes the inherent security in that truth. The editor in me knows it’s a high calling, chockfull of responsibility. Together we make a formidable team, don’t you think?

Grammar Gurus

Hello readers, Annette here. Today’s post in our Why We Need Editors series is more about the mechanics of writing.

Grammar Gurus
Why We Need Editors Series
Net's Notations Tuesdays

What is that word I’m thinking of? Ever notice how some words just sound alike: like anecdote and antidote? or unanimous and anonymous? or ancillary and auxiliary? Or spelled similarly, but do not sound alike: prophecy and prophesy. When a writer sits down to write, they may mistakenly choose the wrong word, based more on having heard it than seeing it. Homonyms only add to the possible confusion: days/daze/dais, faze/phase, conceited/conceded, teem/team, etc. Editors make it their business to know these, or find a resource to track them down.

CLICHES AND COLLOQUIALISMS

What about clichés? First off, we writers should avoid them (except in dialog and even then, tread carefully). What if the phrase you’re thinking of doesn’t look how you think? Like when you’re talking about getting control of an unruly group of toddlers, you’d say “reign them in,” right? As in, take charge like a king. Nope. The right word is rein. (as in a horse’s reins) Or when you’re adding up a group of numbers to demonstrate a point, you’d say “all tolled, they added up to a real need.” Nope. All told is correct for that phrase. What about saying something is "teaming with life?" Teeming is the correct word.

FUN WITH WORDS

Editors love words and believe it or not, grammar too. Well, to some extent. *wink* We analyze words and phrases, tracking back colloquialisms until we know how they’re really meant to be written. Please look these up for yourself, but if you’re in doubt, the editor’s got your back.

PUNCTUATION

It’s one thing to know what you want to say, it’s another to know how to present it. Phrases within phrases—which is part of our discussion on grammar—can be difficult to know how to punctuate. See that? I just demonstrated what I meant. Editors develop a sort of filter. We know how punctuation should appear in dialog, for example, and our gaze snags on a section that is incorrect. I know one person who can catch an extra space at the beginning of a paragraph. Did you catch it here?

IMPERFECT

No one is perfect. No human. No editor. Any editor who tells you they’re perfect is in denial. *grin* We’ll give you our best and hope for grace. Maybe just like you do when you give editors your work.

So, editors and writers are meant to be a great team. Editors are there to help you make the best possible impression with your words and themes. They’re there to give your work the polish it needs to be professional and impactful. They’re there to be your grammar guru.

An Objective Perspective

Hey everyone, Annette here. This week we're beginning a series on why writers need editors. Join me as we talk about perspective.

Objective Perspective
Net's Notations Tuesdays
Why We Need Editors Series

Editors, who needs them?

Ever read your own work and not seen there’s a word missing until someone else points it out? I have. I hear the dialog clearly in my head. And my mind fills in the word that’s missing, which means I miss that it’s missing, even on a reread. *wink* That’s easy to do with our own work. We need an objective perspective.

As the writer, you know what you’re trying to say and how you mean your scene to play out in people’s minds, but an objective reader may not see the visuals at all how you intended. In our critique group, one of our members is especially animated about trying actions out. She’ll stand up, pose, attempt to enact what she’s reading on the page. This behavior has led to some great laughter and some great catches. “Well, I knew what I meant!” *grin*

Editors catch those places where our work is unclear. They’ll most likely be able to discern what you meant and help you get there. Sometimes it’s just an issue of nuance. “This word implies something you probably didn’t intend; try this word.”

Critique groups will help prepare you for an editor, but there’s no replacement for editors. Whether they work for a house or work freelance, writers need them, even if we self-publish. Editors see what we don’t or can’t, and they have the skills to help us rewrite or rework until we have the product we intended all along. (ideally *smile*)

Even multi-published authors need editors. Raise your hand if when you learned to type, the teacher said to put two spaces after each period, as well as a after a colon… Yup, just what I thought. Most of us were taught that. I’ve read many blog posts, articles, and newsletters written by authors who left two spaces in. An editor will catch and delete those. The new standard is one space and readers expect one space. You’re used to it now, right? It’s pretty jarring when there are two spaces.

What about formatting? Raise your hand if you’ve ever used tabs to place the beginning of paragraphs… Me too, years ago. Then someone taught me the trick of the trade for automatically formatting paragraphs as you go. Wow, what a difference. Or how about page breaks at chapter breaks? Once again, an editor can help with this, especially if we forget. Later this month, we’ll discuss the way editors help with grammar and content. Next month, we'll tackle working with your editors.

So, to answer the question of who needs editors? We do.