How Authors and Editors Can Work Better Together

How Authors and Editors Can Work Better Together How Authors and Editors Can Work Better Together Reedsy was created with the purpose of allowing independent authors to work with some of the best editorial and design talent out there, and build long-lasting, fruitful collaborations. In this guest post, editor and novelist Andrew Lowe explains how self-publishing has transformed the author-editor connection into a powerful creative partnership.Have a look at this sentence:â€Å"Jim dropped the amulet into the bag and hooked it through his belt.†You could argue that there is a confusion over the object here. Is Jim hooking the amulet, or the bag, through his belt? The ‘correct’ form would be something like:â€Å"Jim dropped the amulet into the bag, which he hooked through his belt.†The object confusion has gone; it’s clear that the bag, not the amulet, is being hooked through Jim’s belt. It’s technically correct, but dead on the page. We’ve fine-tuned the mechanism of the sentence, but murdered it as a piece of flowing prose.A good editor – particularly in the case of fiction – understands that the work is a delicate balance of art and science and that sometimes one has to be sacrificed in favor of the other.In this example, I would keep the original sentence, arguing that the technical imperfection is secondary to the feel of the prose.Other editors might reach for our favorite mantra: never confuse the reader. But it would be fussy to argue that a reader, immersed in the wider narrative, would stop to ponder the amulet/bag question as presented here.It’s a subjective judgment call which, for me, taps into the most important quality that authors should expect from your editor: a passion for collaboration. A "passion for collaboration" is the most important quality authors should expect from their editor @ReedsyHQ When you hire an editor, you are not giving over your precious darling to be defaced and remoulded. You’re paying for a professional eye; a sympathetic assistant who will work to a set of consistent criteria and help you to make your book as good as it possibly can be.* * *So, let’s define terms.Actually, let’s not. If you Google something like ‘book editing copy line structural’ (and you really shouldn’t) then you’ll soon be sucked into a swirl of fuzzy definitions and conflicting concepts.Like most creative disciplines in the digital age, the different types of book editing are ever-changing, mostly because of the connected and collaborative nature of online tools.I was a consumer journalist – mostly at editor level – for fifteen years, and I understand the need for specific publications to adhere to established rules. They face numerous copy-streams flowing in from hundreds of writers to be worked on by a multitude of s ub-editors. A unified house style ensures that the task isn’t tethered to a single individual.Traditional book publishing has generally followed this model, for similar reasons. It is an industry and must operate at industrial scale, with hundreds of titles taking their place on a trusted and cost-effective production line. The editing process is often just another cog in this corporate machine.But the rise of self-publishing has presented an opportunity for the process to be more collaborative; to strengthen the relationship between author and editor.Because self-publishing does not mean ‘do it all yourself’.I believe that all the very best creatives – even those with a reputation as stand-alone auteurs – rely on some form of collaboration to realise their vision. The ‘self’ in self-publishing is more about self-empowerment. You make the decisions – including which editor is right for you. But an editor can now care about the wo rk almost as much as the author. "The ‘self’ in self-publishing is more about self-empowerment. You make the decisions." - @andylowe99