About editors and editing

(Grins). I've seen that in some of my technical writing jobs, where one set of editorial requests (attached to marketing dept) conflicted with those from actual R&D. I finally had to get both editorial teams into the same room.

For Book 2, I had one editor ask me to add a particular event, so I did it. (It had been in early drafts, but I'd decided the story didn't want it.)

Another editor read it after the change, and said she loathed that event. I mean, really, really hated it. Referenced her displeasure all over in her notes for the rest of the book.

I took it out. Editor 1 never mentioned it again.

I'm glad I tried it, though - my instinct had been that it wouldn't work, and I think that was borne out. But it did make me recognize how subjective a lot of the process is.

lizmonster said:

I took it out. Editor 1 never mentioned it again.

I'm glad I tried it, though - my instinct had been that it wouldn't work, and I think that was borne out. But it did make me recognize how subjective a lot of the process is.

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Yep. This is why one of the indications of a professional editor and publisher is that they will communicate their suggestions to the author, and the author makes the final decision.

AW Admin said:

Yep. This is why one of the indications of a professional editor and publisher is that they will communicate their suggestions to the author, and the author makes the final decision.

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It was strange and rather lovely to have them essentially want such different things from the story. If nothing else, I had them engaged, which was really nice to see.

lizmonster said:

It was strange and rather lovely to have them essentially want such different things from the story. If nothing else, I had them engaged, which was really nice to see.

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Readers are pretty cool in that respect. Same words; different story.

AW Admin said:

Readers are pretty cool in that respect. Same words; different story.

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Yeah, I guess that was my clumsy point: editors are human, and therefore subjective. And ultimately, whether it's fiction or an academic paper, it's your name on the cover.

But always listen to your editor. Unless they're wrong.

lizmonster said:

Yeah, I guess that was my clumsy point: editors are human, and therefore subjective.

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I didn't think it was clumsy in the least, at all, in any way.

I did think it was pretty cool.

I find this is not uncommon when your academic work goes from scientific editing and review to copy-editing. IMHO the correct answer is either just do what they last guy told you, or ask where in their style guide is this addressed? And if it is not please have the senior editor confirm house style on this issue. It is exactly the kind of issue that is halfway between being a content matter and being a style matter.

I have had similar inconsistencies on listing species names for common species, listing the most influential versus the earlier citation for a factual statement, or using US or EU reference values or guidelines.

And, yeah, in academic peer-reviewed literature the authors does not have "final say" in the same way as for fiction. If the journal has a style guide, you follow it. If you throw a fit and withdraw on that basis during final proofing, you will tend to look very bad to your high level peers--not a good strategic choice. I have actually gone so far as to demand a change be reversed or I would withdraw for an academic book chapter. I burned a bridge or two in the process by the change was a crucial point of fact, not just style, so I had a professional obligation not to permit the change.

In my own field, the people providing earlier feedback on a paper (reviewers and so on) are generally scientists who have published in said journal, but don't work for it per se (they are volunteers). The copy editors are the ones who provide the more detailed feedback as per the specific in-house style and formatting. Confusion arises when someone who is supposed to be commenting on the science and general writing style itself delves into the details of how the paper should be formatted.

I suppose something similar can happen with fiction when an editor who is there to deal with issues related to the story--things like pacing, plot holes etc.--provides feedback on how to do something more mechanical and specific to in house style, like whether or not the writer should use serial commas at all times?

With regards to scientific nomenclature for species, I remember being confused in grad school when I subbed a paper to a journal where I was asked to provide the authority for the species name of the lizard I was writing about. I was confused because I'd never heard of "authorities" for scientific names (I was a physiological ecologist, not a taxonomist), and everyone agrees on species names, don't they? In fact, there had never been any other scientific name for this particular lizard, but this isn't always true. So I learned what the authority was was (and learned how to look that up) and included it. But it had to be cited in the text the first time I gave the name (Biard and Giard), and then more fully in the references cited section.

Not all biology journals require this, though, so I can see how a reviewer, or someone involved in the earlier phase of the editorial process, might get confused. I think it was during the copy editing that I was told I needed to include that reference.

This is all very instructive and interesting to me because I work in higher education and professional publishing. What I do is developmental editing, but I will address copy editing issues if I notice them. [I think I might be noted for turning in very clean manuscript that requires lighter copy editing than many manuscripts do.]

I try my best to be internally consistent. I practice three things that I have learned over the years: ask for the house style guide, ask a lot of questions, listen carefully, ask some more questions.

The asking for a house style guide had an interesting twist on my current project. This is the first project for which I am working directly for the author, who hired me, not the publishing company. The manuscript is under contract with the University of Chicago Press. Once I knew I would be seeing the project through to turn over to production, I introduced myself to the staff executive editor and robotically asked for the house style guide. To my embarrassment, I was referred to the Chicago Manual of Style. Doh...