Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
There's all the difference in the world between between proof-reading and editing. Sure, anyone who's literate can proof-read a book, but that's a completely different kettle of fish to editing it. Different people mean different things by the word "editing", but as a minimum it would generally involve "tightening up" the writing, checking for inconsistencies, and that kind of thing.
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Might I suggest that you look at some of my blog posts that discuss professional editors and editing:
- The Making of a Professional Editor
- Worth Noting: So You Think You Are a Proofreader
- Finding a Professional Editor: The Needle in the Haystack Problem and the articles cited therein, especially Editor, Editor, Everywhere an Editor
I am a professional editor (28+ years experience) of medical texts. I have no experience in fiction (and I am not looking for work doing fiction editing). Every day I see people hang out their shingles and call themselves professional editors who aren't really editors at all. Unfortunately, there are no minimum certification requirements for editing. Finding a true professional editor can be difficult, but it is not impossible. Perhaps the above articles will be of some help.