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Originally Posted by rhadin
Lemurion, I agree with your statement about bad editors but I disagree with your including the nonpayment disclaimer.
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He said he wasn't getting paid by the
author. But since he also said he makes his living editing fiction,
someone is paying him, and it's presumably a publisher.
Quote:
The implication is that if an editor works for free, the editor will be a better editor. I've been a freelance editor for 26 years and very well paid for my efforts. I'm sure that in all those years there are a handful of clients who think my work terrible, but I wouldn't be able to continue a successful paid career as an editor over the course of those years if most of my clients didn't think I was a good to great editor.
Remember that sometimes old sayings are true, especially this one: You get what you pay for. 
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And the costs are part of the problem. Publishers are cutting back on editing tasks like copy editing and proofreading to save a few bucks on the title. Writers who really
should use the services of a book doctor balk at paying. I know some people who
are book doctors among other things. They're former editors at major publishers who are now freelance writers and editors. They have a variable scale of fees depending upon what the client needs. But they provide professional services, charge professional rates, and the implicit assumption on both sides is that the end result will be a book the client will have a better chance at selling to a major publisher. The average self-publisher probably wouldn't spend the money.
Why do your clients use your services?
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Dennis