Literary Editors

This article has been provided by Lynda Lotman and http://www.scifieditor.com.

I've been working on and off on a novel for what must a year now and it has now, finally, reached the stage where it can be considered near complete. The end needs some work (mainly because I've had to chop the story in two due to its length) and there are one or two bits I'm not 100% happy with. (I never am though..:) But all in all, I have a servicible manuscript.

When I first started writing, 6 or 7 years ago, my next step would have been to make up a query letter, print out a few sample chapters and send it off to every publisher I could find who published work in my genre. NOT a good idea.

A better idea is to find a literary agent (prefferably agents) and submit to them according to their guidlines. The more agents you try, the more likely of finding one you can work with. Literary agents, however, get a lot of submissions, so a first draft isn't all that likely to impress. So, before doing that, a through going over of the manuscript is in order. Unfortunately I hate going over my own work.

That's where the literary editor comes in. And so, earlier this month, I set about hunting for some.

--What does an editor do?--

That was the first question I needed an answer too. My initial idea of an editor: They take your manuscript, fix spelling and grammar errors and send it back. And that is exactly what a basic editor will give you.

A good editor, on the other hand, will offer a much wider range of services.

Proofreading: The most basic option. Spelling, puntuation and formatting correction.

Copyediting: As above but includes grammar correction, full formatting, word usage and a look at the over all tone of the work.

Substansive/Line-by-line: Everything is overhauled with this method. As well as the basic corrections the structure of the work is examined, inconsitances in narravtive voice are fixed and illogical statements weedled out.

Critique: Some editors will also give you a critique of the work. This does not offer any editing as such, rather it focuses on the content of the work and points out plot inconsistances, character flaws and anything else that will cause the manuscript to fail. (critiquing is also a service available seperate from editing entirely)

--Reasons I Rejected Most Editors--

There are a lot of editors out there and before even beginning to look closely at them, you really need to make a shortlist. I did all my research on the internet, so any editor not easily found online was ruled out without my ever having heard of them. Here are the other reasons for rejection. Editors take note! (as if..:)

1) The website. If I go to a website and can't read the text because of an over fussy background or find the page littered with errors I won't even bother seeing what that editor has to offer.

2) Lack of information. Any site that says "I edit stuff, send me your manuscript" isn't going to get my attention. The same goes for any eidtor who has no list of credentials or experience. If an edi tor can't offer you this much, how will you know you can even begin to trust them?

3) No examples. If I cannot see how the editor works, how do I know if the editing they do is worth my time? For all I know the type of editing they do is useless to me. I am extremely fussy about what may and may not be changed with my work. If I don't know what's going to be changed, I'm not going to trust an editor enough to give them any money. At the very least the editor needs to show samples of their work. Better still are sample edits on the writers own work. Free is good, but I WOULD be willing to pay a reasonable fee for such a sample.