Do you prefer a book not be published rather than published without proper editing?

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Hitch

[...] I guess my issue is more about the attitude, the cavalier shrugging off of proofing/editing, than the end results being variable. God knows, it's probably quite difficult for even a well-intentioned author to find and pay for a competent editor, in this publishing world as it is now. Every Tom, Dick and Harriet hangs out a shingle, with no education + zero experience, claiming to be a proofreader or editor. I mean, want to entertain yourself? Randomly look around for 10 "editors" and read the purported credentials on their blogs. Know how many list them? Not 2 out of 100. [...]

I do understand the frustration of viewing (or in your case dealing with) the great unwashed masses of text. I suspect the fear is that any suggestion of leniency with regard to editing will be taken as: "Uh-ah! I told you I didn't need an editor." There's not a lot you can do about that.

I haven't sussed out U.S.A., but in Australia there are editor associations where you can find lists of actually qualified editors - though whether they are qualified or available for your sort of writing is left for the writer to research. An editor is someone you have to be comfortable working with, so you want to shop around. I suggest having a stock of short stories to let you try out different editors until you find one you like.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by gmw

I do understand the frustration of viewing (or in your case dealing with) the great unwashed masses of text. I suspect the fear is that any suggestion of leniency with regard to editing will be taken as: "Uh-ah! I told you I didn't need an editor." There's not a lot you can do about that.

I haven't sussed out U.S.A., but in Australia there are editor associations where you can find lists of actually qualified editors - though whether they are qualified or available for your sort of writing is left for the writer to research. An editor is someone you have to be comfortable working with, so you want to shop around. I suggest having a stock of short stories to let you try out different editors until you find one you like.

We have the EFA--the Editorial Freelancer's Association. The part of the equation that isn't part of that is, of course, that the authors are trying to get someone affordable--and that's a horse of a different color. The EFA folks charge what they ought to be getting, versus some of the near-ridiculously low rates you see on Fiverr, etc.

But...that's a different discussion, somewhat.

Hitch

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

A friend of mine used to use this when talking about technical (or other) reading, and I think it can apply to writing as well:

I've always appreciated it.

Going along with that advice, if a writer really can't or won't hire an editor, he or she should at least put the ms. away for several weeks and then reread it with fresh eyes.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I won't argue that you and Diap are right--we, the buyers, are viewing some percentage of the book upfront, and we have an opportunity to at least tell if it's been proofed, by and large. Edited, though--the cutting of fat, the tightening--we likely don't know that until it's too late. {shrug}

An irony is that it's most likely at the ends of the spectrum. The tyro writer and the madly successful, huge fan following, presold author are both prone to this. We've all run across the "too big to edit" syndrome, even to Stephen King and J.K. Rowling and so forth. Nothing's going to hurt their sales and I even suspect that there's a large element in the fan base that thinks that more is always better, i.e., they'd prefer a shapeless 600 page mass to a tightly crafted 400 page book.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Going along with that advice, if a writer really can't or won't hire an editor, he or she should at least put the ms. away for several weeks and then reread it with fresh eyes.

YES, THIS^!! Thanks--I meant to say something about this, and spaced it. But that doesn't tie with instant gratification, either.

Originally Posted by issybird

An irony is that it's most likely at the ends of the spectrum. The tyro writer and the madly successful, huge fan following, presold author are both prone to this. We've all run across the "too big to edit" syndrome, even to Stephen King and J.K. Rowling and so forth. Nothing's going to hurt their sales and I even suspect that there's a large element in the fan base that thinks that more is always better, i.e., they'd prefer a shapeless 600 page mass to a tightly crafted 400 page book.

Yeah, true. Hell, I've been guilty of that myself, a long time ago and far far away, LOL. I remember being young and grabbing a book in a bookstore just because a) it had an intriguing cover in a genre I liked, and b) it was horrifically FAT. I was taking a trip, and wanted a big book! :-)

Hitch