Quote:
Originally Posted by crossi
So how and where did the editors learn the necessary skills? And couldn't authors learn them also? How many classic novels and plays from Shakespeare on never had an editor? When in the history of publishing did having an editor become common and even required? Surely it wasn't always the case?
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It isn't that writers cannot learn the skills, it is that even with the skills, a writer who edits his/her own work cannot get the necessary distance from the work to the job at the same skill level that an independent professional editor can. It is very difficult to get past seeing what you expect to see because of familiarity with the work.
It is also true that there are a handful of writers who quite capably edit their own work. They are the exception, not the rule.
As for Shakespeare, no one really knows whether he had an editor.
Having an editor became common and required as more authors sought to gain fame and fortune as writers. When only the very cream of writers wrote and tried to sell their work, perhaps editors weren't required (there is no way to know whether they were commonly used, however), but as lesser writers tried to earn a living from their writing, the use of editors became more common and mandatory.
Probably the requirement came about when publishing companies started offering advances. It was a way to help guarantee a return on investment.