Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward M. Grant
Most books* need copy editing; if a writer is going to pay for one thing on their book then that's probably what they should spend the money on because it requires a mindset that most writers don't have. Despite that, I still find typos, duplicate words and misused words in most trade-published novels I read.
But a competent writer really shouldn't need much story editing beyond finding a few people to read the story and tell them whether it makes sense and works as a story.
* - I'm trying to imagine what Finnegan's Wake would look like if the publisher had forced Joyce to have it copy edited.
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Keyword being COMPETENT. What makes you think that the vast army of self-professed writers is competent?
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Finnegan's Wake: What makes you think a copyeditor is incapable of following an author's quirks and foibles and idiosyncrasies? Do you really think a copyeditor just slavishly imposes rules of grammar and squeezes the creativity and originality out of every sentence?