Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Lister
Perhaps it is the editor that needs to advertise; or perhaps the publisher need to advertise the editor.
If you read a sloppy work, be it historical, scientific or even political, who do you blame? *Feel free to define sloppy for yourself here.*
You surely blame the author; how can you not?
Shouldn't you also blame the editor? You probably don't know who it is but isn't the editor really at fault?
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You are giving the editor way too much power and credit. I can't tell you the number of times, but it has been many, in my 28+ years as a professional editor that I have received the instruction to only correct misspellings, no other changes or suggestions are to be made to a manuscript per the author.
Similarly, numerous times over the years where suggestions have been made, they have been rejected by the author, often out of hand.
My point is that the final product you read, even if supposedly professionally edited, may not reflect at all the editor's work. Authors always reserve the right to reject editor suggestions and some authors always reject such suggestions.
Can you blame the publisher? I think that is a better bet because it is the publisher that gives the author the power to reject the editor's suggestions out of hand.
But the real responsibility lies with the author.