The Six Editors

THE SIX EDITORS By now you’ve probably heard completely different titles for different editors, heard of various sorts of edits, and you could even know what the difference is between all of those people and edits. Most doubtless you don’t For causes unknown, this appears to be some type of mystical secret throughout the publishing world, but no extra! And in fact I’m hardly the primary one to “out” this. In reality, I suggest a quick click over to the web site of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild, a company I happen to belong to. They match up freelance editors with those in need of an edit, and as an aid to all concerned have done a terrific job describing what every edit really is, so an writer can discover the assistance she or he wants. But after all there’s all the time some gray area. In many cases these are job titles and anyone who’s ever worked in Corporate America is aware of that job titles are far from standardized and even inside one company can be a bit fluid and o pen to interpretation. In case you’re questioning, anybody with Senior in his or her title (like Senior Editor) really does sub in for “oldest.” Anyway, it’s the one who’s been there longest and the group can’t give that individual the subsequent increase without some sort of title to justify it, so even when the job description is strictly the identical, voila, you’re senior managing editor! So with all those caveats, let’s work our way down the corporate ladder, starting with: Executive Editor This job title doesn’t present up in every publishing house. There was no government editor at Wizards of the Coast, as an exampleâ€"at least not while I was working there. This is a real title in that this person tends to have obligations in excess of simply being probably the most senior of the senior editors, though that tends to be how you get the job within the first placeâ€"a couple of finest sellers in your pocket doesn’t hurt both. The executive editor is the boss of the editorial staff, and tends to work instantly with the imprint’s greatest authors (again, which is how that particular person obtained that title within the first place) and tends to have a extra heavily-weighted vote in any acquisitions choice. An executive editor ought to count on to be a part of the management staff generally, with some hand within the total operations of the imprint. If you're a new writer with no sales monitor report, you could be introduced to an govt editor in passing, and consider it or not that’s not snobbery but is actually fine. If that govt editor is busy with Stephen King’s new book, how a lot bandwidth can we count on to get? Just sayin’. Acquisitions Editor This is the job everyone desires. You don’t essentially have to be anybody’s boss (which sucks, by the best way, until you’re an influence hungry demagogue) nevertheless it’s your job to find nice books by great authors and make the offers necessary to publish them. You get t o make the best cellphone name of all time, one I endured 1000's of rejections and crappy manuscripts to be able to do only some dozen times: “Hi, I want to publish your first novel.” Want to be an author’s finest good friend for life? Make that decision. Story/Line/Developmental Editor These are usually different names for a similar thing, and your job title is likely simply editor, with some tag like associate or assistant to indicate you’re the brand new man or senior to point you’re the old man. In many but not all cases, the acquisitions editor will discover your guide, make the deal, then hand you off to a line editor who will then work with you to make that book fantastic. In most cases, that line editor is there that can assist you write the best e-book you possibly can, but in the end it’s your e-book along with your name on the cover, not the editor’s, so an excellent line editor will work with you within the spirit of informed consentâ€"and there’s a whole publish on that coming quickly. The line editor will work with you on bigger picture stuff: Is this subplot working? Could the ending be stronger? That kind of factor. Managing Editor Though my role at Wizards of the Coast was known as managing editor it included an terrible lot of stuff that would fall beneath the manager editor title in most other publishing houses, normally the managing editor is the keeper of the editorial and manufacturing schedules. The managing editor will rent freelancers, be sure that galleys are approved on time, act as a go-between with the artwork division and different components of the corporate, and work to shepherd the guide from edited manuscript to finished book. Copy Editor Once you and your line editor are glad with the story and the writing, off it goes to the managing editor to ship to a duplicate editor. These are often freelancers and it’s the copy editor’s job to behave as a fresh set of eyes on the manuscript. As managing editor I alwa ys told freelance copy editors: When in doubt, mark it. I’d much rather need to STET (ignore) a number of dozen corrections that I didn’t agree with than see a manuscript come again with a scattered few obvious typos marked and surprise what was missed. Copy editors see the manuscript still at a reasonably early stage. The story is locked in, but the writing itself in all probability still wants assist. The copy editor will be on the lookout for consistency in grammar and utilization, as well as type points specific to that guide. Are all the characters’ names spelled consistently? Place names? Do you wish to spell gray with an a or an e? This requires a good, steady eye, a calm, detailed disposition, and real palms-on experience. It ain’t straightforward. Proofreader This ultimate stage of the editing course of should come as soon as the book is typeset since typesetting also can introduce some issues like dropped folios (headers and footers), dangerous word breaks, widows and orphans, and so on. There can generally be a fantastic line between a duplicate edit and a proofread, but the better the copy editor does, the much less nice that line. Proofreaders, like copy editors, should be encouraged to mark something that appears fishy somewhat than assume we wish it that means. I’d quite be requested than allowed to make a mistake. And all this is where the indie self-publisher can actually get caught up. Are you doing all these items? You are your personal govt editor and acquisitions editorâ€"simple enough when you like your book and you’re prepared to publish it. But are you able to be your personal managing editor? Do you understand what actually needs to be done and have the connections and cash to get them done? You can attempt to be your individual line editor, but I wouldn’t suggest it. Everybody wants a great, good, skilled, collaborative, and positive editor to help you see issues you'll be able to now not see, discover mistakes you didnâ €™t think were errors, and provide suggestions that very well might change (for the better) everything you do as an author. If your book hasn’t been copy edited it will nearly instantly be spotted, and even the indie e-book audience is getting much less and less forgiving of bad presentation. You want that person too. A proofread, if your copy edit is fantastic and you’re careful with the way you format your e-guide, maybe you can skip, but again, I really, really, really wouldn’t suggest it. If you’re self-publishing meaning you’ve made the decision not solely to put in writing, however to be a writer, even if your publishing home only ever publishes that one guide. Are you correctly staffed up? â€"Philip Athans About Philip Athans Friend for life? Yes. I love you, Phil Athans. You are superior! Very helpful. It does seem like that is “insider info” or particular information…or it's just assumed that everyone understands the differences.