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Originally Posted by mr ploppy
Are you not describing a proof reader there? I do all that stuff, but I don't call myself an editor. Editors to me are the people who cut out all the unnecesary self indulgent crap and/or rearrange chapters/plot points to make them flow better
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Your description of an editor is what we call, in the U.S., a developmental editor. The DE is less concerned with grammar and punctuation except incidentally. The copyeditor focuses on spelling grammar, punctuation and the like, but does not rearrange chapters or delete paragraphs, which is the job of the developmental editor.
A proofreader makes sure that in the composition stage new errors haven't been introduced and acts as a final check for consistency and spelling. Although a proofreader may catch some grammar errors, that is not the focus of their job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mr ploppy
Finding mistakes and punctuation abuse is an entirely different skillset, something that is severely lacking in both indie and professionally published books.
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This is a copyeditor's job and the reason it is lacking is because no one wants to pay for the service, or if they do hire a copyeditor, the demands are such that it is impossible for the copyeditor to do a good job (e.g., I was recently asked to copyedit a technical book of 2,500 manuscript pages in 4 weeks. A job of that size requires at least 12 weeks to do well).
The other problem is that copyeditors are often hired based on price, not on skill level.