Quote:
Originally Posted by latepaul
I've just read a self-pubbed book which was really badly written and all the way through kept thinking how much it needed an editor, only to find when checking the title page again that an editor was credited. Well clearly it had been proof-read but there were other things that I'd expect an editor to spot, inconsistent use of character names, confusing plot structure, plodding language, uneven tone. But if you're a free-lance editor maybe it's easy to point out a few spelling errors and tidy up a few grammatical problems and not risk upsetting the person who's paying you by pointing out the bigger problems?
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There are those who call themselves editors and there are professional editors, that is, those whose only job is as an editor (among other criteria). The entry bar for editing is quite low; really, it is as low as hanging out a shingle and proclaiming oneself to be an editor. Many self-publishing authors do not hire an editor at all. Of those who do hire an editor, many, if not most, have no idea how to locate a professional editor or how to distinguish a professional editor from a nonprofessional editor.
As a professional editor myself (I
do not work on fiction at all), I recognize the difficulty. But I would say that it should be pretty obvious that hiring the next-door neighbor who works as an "editor" occasionally and who will edit your 100,000-word novel for $200 (or less) is not hiring a professional editor and that you will get the job that you hired.