5 Myths of Editors
The publishing and freelance editing landscape has changed tremendously over the past few decades—that could explain some of the confusion and contradictory information about what editing even is. What are editors supposed to do and how are they different from spell check? Aren’t they just an expensive way to feel bad about your work?
Let’s clear up some of those myths about editors and find out how editors can help you be successful.
Myth 1: Editors Are Judgmental.
I won’t blame you for thinking this one because there definitely are people out there that think having incorrect grammar is cause for arrest. These are the “grammar police.” Not the same thing as editors. Editors are there to help—if writers knew everything about editing and were completely perfect in all their writing, we wouldn’t have jobs. (Let’s also acknowledge that the “grammar police” are normally wrong . . . just sayin’.)
Writers are coming to editors for one reason: they need help. Every editor I know, myself included, knows this and treats each manuscript with respect because let’s face it—that document is your baby.
It’s true that some people could be rude and disrespectful of your imperfect manuscript, but you don’t need them in your life. That’s not what a great editor is. That’s elitist. You can’t expect everyone to have amazing grammar and writing skills—it’s just not realistic. That’s why the people who are great at grammar help those who aren’t great at it.
A good way to make sure the editor you want to work with isn’t going to be judgmental of your work is to ask for a sample edit. If their comments and corrections are snarky or rude, find someone else who’s willing to help you in an understanding way.
Myth 2: You Have to Do What Editors Say.
I’m not really sure, but I think publishers are a little stricter about this kind of thing. When you work with freelancers though, you can do whatever you want. Really. If you hire an editor and take absolutely zero of their corrections and suggestions, that’s your choice. This is still your manuscript. You are the boss. There’s nothing in any reasonable editing agreement anywhere that says you have to do what we say.
Of course, we make suggestions for a reason, but there’s almost always more than one way to do things. If your editor isn’t up to discuss why they made a change or suggest other options, they are not the right editor for you. (This is another reason you should get a sample edit. You’ll get a feel for their pushiness before you sign a contract.)
An editor’s job is not to argue or convince you we’re right. Our job is to suggest better ways of doing things. Sometimes, yes, a period really needs to go at the end of the sentence . . . but you as the author can say you don’t want a period. There is nothing the editor can do about it. Will your readers be upset about no periods? Probably. Will it be confusing for readers? Probably. But it’s still your choice. That’s why you self-published, right? To have the final say?
That being said, try to understand each suggestion the editor gives you (because they gave it for a reason, and if they don’t understand something, it’s likely your readers won’t either), but you can still do whatever you want! If you hate a suggestion, let’s recast the sentence. Let’s do something else that makes both you and reader happy.
Myth 3: There’s Only One Way to Do Everything.
I can’t tell you how many of my comments on author manuscripts say, “It was correct how it was before, but I made this change to aid flow/comprehension/create drama/etc. Either way is fine. You decide.” Or I give a few suggestions for rewording and then say, “or something like that” to give the author freedom to come up with their own phrasing.
I’m not trying to brag or prove how great I am, I’m just demonstrating that there are so many ways to do the same thing. Keep that in mind when reviewing suggestions from your editor. If you don’t like their rephrasing, try something else. There was probably something problematic with the previous wording, so write it a different way. Nowhere does it say you have to use the phrasing given by the editor.
Writing is an art after all, not a science. That means there are no right ways to write. There are a million ways to say the same thing!
Myth 4: Editors Provide Perfection.
Sorry but no. Editors are human. Yes, it’s true. And that means we make mistakes. We miss things. We can’t catch every little mistake every single time. That’s why we recommend you work with more than one editor (e.g., one editor and one proofreader) to reduce the errors that get through.
Any editor who claims perfection is lying. It’s literally impossible.
Keep that in mind when reviewing your document after an editor worked on it. If you see they missed something, don’t freak out. Ask them about it (if you want) or quietly fix it. It doesn’t mean they failed you if they missed a single typo.
We hope we catch as much as possible, but it’s just not realistic to see everything. If you expect your editor to return a perfect manuscript, lower your expectations.
Myth 5: Editors Are a Glorified Spell Check.
Editors do more than check spelling and punctuation. Depending on the level of editing, they really could just be checking spelling, punctuation, grammar, and simple formatting. Or they could be making sure the mood in this specific scene is right, all plot holes have been filled, and the character development is compelling. Does a computer know how to do this? Nope.
Even when we’re talking about simple punctuation, spell check suggests all kinds of weird things that are outright wrong. Just wrong. Leaving your manuscript in the hands of Microsoft Word or Grammarly is a gamble. You need a human to understand the nuances, pauses, and pacing of a sentence and suggest the best way to punctuate.
Check out these two blog posts (one and two) about tricky punctuation to learn how interchangeable punctuation can be; the only difference is how you want the scene to read. A computer can’t take that into account.
It’s the worst when spell check doesn’t mark a word as wrong because the misspelling actually spells another word correctly. Here are some examples of misspelled words correctly spelling other words: “Eye kneed too eat sum pi.” (I need to eat some pie.) All but “eat” are spelled incorrectly, but they might silently sneak past spell check since they are all correct spellings of other words.
If there are other myths you’ve heard about editing that you want debunked, email me! I’m happy to help you understand how editing can help you and your book.
If you find the right editor for you and your book, it can be magic! Editors can be the key to success . . . if you find the right one. To find out more about finding the right editor for your project, check out this blog post!
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