Samantha had a story to tell and felt that she could, and should write a book. After all, she had scrutinized the industry and it wasn’t lost on her the multitude of books written by people of color that permeated the bookshelves. Albeit, these were the very type of books that she herself had read that depicted the stories of her environment – stories of da ‘hood. She tired of hearing countless tales of those that endeavored to write, that was stymied with negative vibes dissuading her from doing it. She wanted a justified means to an end – to have her idea transformed to a book being published for someone’s bookshelf. Moreover, how many times had she talked to authors hawking their finished products on the streets, and even in beauty salons, barber shops and any other place where people are prone to buy books? The subject of publishing and writing a book was too strong to ignore. She wondered briefly whether she should take a few courses in writing to learn the craft, but eschewed the idea because she knew that there were editors trained to catch her mistakes. She even gave up the idea of learning about the publishing business because she took a few courses back in the day on business administration, and felt she had a fair knowledge of marketing and publicity. Her income level she surmised would be enough to get the ball rolling without having to tie money up in establishing an advertising budget. Time is NOW she reasoned, and no matter what anybody said, she felt justified to write her story regardless!
Can anyone identify with the analogy given above? Do you know of anyone having the same scenario relative to the need to belong without first preparing a way for success to at least be a beacon to see much clearer? In my article last month I wrote about the importance of understanding Point of View (POV) in literary lore. Our fellow Blogging in Black columnist Emmanuel challenged me to write an article on ‘What Authors Should Expect When Hiring an Editor’, and I quickly acquiesced! Furthermore, with an added twist, I decided to make it a plausible reasoning to make it reciprocal to what editors expect from authors…because more often than not it’s twofold that expectations are warranted when we exact for results to justify what is expected for any guarantee for success. This then is my personal opinions on what should be expected from both ends of the spectrum.
Inasmuch as authors want and need good editors, we who toil in the industry perfecting copy expecting jobs to be made easier and as fluid as possible find ourselves fraught with angst editing and seeking good grammar to justify articulating the King’s English. Often times though, this is certainly not the case. I’ve heard on many occasions the adage that “rare is the book that doesn’t require some revision, and rare is the author who isn’t sensitive about it.” Writing a novel with assuming page-turning delight expecting at least a modicum of success, both author and editor should enter into a working arrangement with reasonable, clearly defined expectations, and a sense of professionalism in maintaining some semblance of a balanced order. That balance often will spell the need for writers to understand, embrace and endure the editing process of editing. Of course, there are several other elements that will be part of the process writers will want to assess to polish their manuscripts by the fresh ideas and insights that editors will provide that may be overlooked. This is our job. We encourage writers to develop or delete portions of the manuscript for the overall good of the product to ensure readership and viability. Personally, I may expect much more than the next editor, for editors are individuals and are products of their specific editing curve. I’m an academician that teach students the basics of what good sentence structure should entail – it’s about how syntax can be the glue that holds any paragraph together, the excitement that allows hyperbole to be as animated as possible, or for metaphor to be as definitive as it should be to illustrate the finer points of good copy.
What Should Authors Expect
Authors should always expect editors to be credentialed and have had the experience warranted to justify professional acumen. There are entirely too many people professing to be editors without the necessary accouterments for legitimacy. Authors should also expect that editors will expect them to have learned the craft of writing, and how this topsy-turvy industry works. Authors should expect that editors will use the blue pencil with impunity; and will add, change or delete depending on whatever level of editing chosen by the author. Since expertise is governed by experience and academic fortitude, authors should be astute in using discernable options to make their choices coincide with a level of satisfaction. By this, they should do the necessary research to find out what other projects or authors that editors have worked with in the past. Make sure that you demand a professional vitae or any level of resume that would give you the inkling that you are hiring someone respected in the field with enough credits under his/her belt to justify you as a customer.
All authors should want their manuscripts professionally edited. Whether you are looking to self-publish or hoping to land a book deal, it’s incumbent on you to want to present the best work possible. The editorial process depends on the length of the project and usually, editor availability. I’ve always felt that the time it takes to finish a project is indicative of what is being presented and how much alteration will be done. I’ve worked on some projects as brief as two-three weeks, and some as long as 8-10 weeks. The bottom line is centered on accuracy than speed. You should expect that there are no guarantees that your manuscript will be published, but it will be polished so that it meets the requirements of most agents and publishers.
What Should Editors Expect
I can’t speak for other editors, for my policies and procedure may differ. I’m a stickler for protocol and having the author to understand that my best interests are truncated in my ability to allow them to ultimately realize that before their “baby” becomes a book, it will go through a series of editing stages, be it with an independent editor, or if they are fortunate – via the courtesy of a publisher’s in-house editing machinations. I expect authors to be prepared and have studied what it takes to be a successful author. It doesn’t hurt to have already taken courses to learn how to write, or scrutinize the industry for certain habitual norms to be business-savvy. Personally, I can’t even describe the angst I feel when I receive manuscripts that are poorly written, sans grammatical correctness, and point of view skewed. I expect for them to know that there are several types of editors, editing and levels thereof.
How Much Authors Should Expect to Pay Editors
Pay options for any level of editing should depend on the amount of work mandated by the manuscript…and there is certain criterion that governs what should be charged. I feel that authors should research various pay scales and schedules as prices vary base on degree of difficulty and other criteria that editors include that would justify levels of their expertise. I always make it a habit to ask authors if they have adequately budget for projects in reference to how much they expect to pay relative to the ability to pay…and I do this to make sure up front that authors can afford my prices, etc.
