Disclaimer: This entry is not anti-small press. I will soon be published by two small presses. I’ve been finding lackluster editing in small press books as of late, but I am also sure that it can occur in medium and larger houses as well. I’m also not sure how much control you have over getting an editor. However, it does seem a cause for concern.
Last night, I looked at yet another small press book that I was disappointed in. All I could think of was that the editor had let the author down. There was nothing in this book to make it particularly shiny or original, and the editing allowed the book to be lackluster in its execution, sloppy and wordy.
***
I get it. I know I’m a snob when it comes to reading. It might have something to do with having too many English degrees and some love of literature. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like artifice for its own sake. That too can be an incredible turn off. An editor can’t save a book of the same old either. That said, an editor and an agent OWE a writer once they’ve decided they’re in on the project. If you pick up a writer, or a book, you need to (and I paraphrase from many letters) “love the project enough” to give it the effort it deserves.
The writer WRITES the book. You then give the writer the benefit of your experience. It’s a gift! You sharpen. You push. You don’t let the author put something out there lesser than your standards. It’s what my major professors did for me in graduate school, and it’s what you should do for your writers.
Writers, you DO NOT want an editor who is going to let you get away with sloppy execution. You just don’t. Publishing is not enough. And you DO NOT want an agent who doesn’t have your best interest at heart. Because YOUR name goes on this stuff. Readers like me will look at it. We know the difference between a book well rendered and edited that isn’t our thing versus a sloppy first draft like book. The former was aided by an editor. I can put it down and respect it. The latter makes me think of you as a bad writer, and it might not solely be your fault.
I’ve seen several books lately that are not the product of team effort, and I am sad. As a writer, do I want someone to help me change my book to make it better, more readable, sharper, and accessible? Yes, yes I do. As a writer, I may well be my own worst enemy. I’m so steeped in my work, I can no longer step back and tell you what’s good or not. I may need an editor or an agent to do that.
Look hard at your agents and editors. Don’t settle if you can help it. They are VERY important to your career. Publishing really isn’t enough if it means you compromise the quality of your work.
Catherine
