Copy Editors - Necessary, or Waste of Money?

rosepetal720 · Sep 20, 2010

In the General Interest>Novels forums, some of us have been discussing wheither or not to use copyeditors. People sound pretty passionate about this. One side argues that agents won't turn a book down because of typos because they're easy for editors to fix, while the other side argues that it's important to look professional and to make a good first impression.

How do agents feel about typos in an otherwise good manuscript?

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191672

Terie · Sep 20, 2010

Why open another topic with the same question, when you can't be bothered to reply to the original topic you started?

CaoPaux · Sep 20, 2010

Mmm, there is that, and the fact this topic has been asked and answered many times already. Do you need assistance with the search function?

rosepetal720 · Sep 20, 2010

Wow, Terie, what's your problem? If I had to ask the question, it's because I don't have an answer, which means I have nothing to contribute to the post. What exactly do you expect me to say?

rosepetal720 · Sep 20, 2010

CaoPaux, if you weren't interested in the post, why the hell did you open it and respond to it? And just so you know, this original post got plenty of responses, so somebody obviously feels the need to talk about this again, and again, and how ever many times we WANT to talk about it. Go read about something interesting, if my questions are so boring for you.

firedrake · Sep 20, 2010

rosepetal720 said:
Wow, Terie, what's your problem? If I had to ask the question, it's because I don't have an answer, which means I have nothing to contribute to the post. What exactly do you expect me to say?

Thanking posters for their contribution to the discussion isn't a bad place to start.

CaoPaux · Sep 20, 2010

rosepetal720 said:
CaoPaux, if you weren't interested in the post, why the hell did you open it and respond to it? And just so you know, this original post got plenty of responses, so somebody obviously feels the need to talk about this again, and again, and how ever many times we WANT to talk about it. Go read about something interesting, if my questions are so boring for you.

I am the Mod for this forum. If you will not 1) respond to the time and effort folks take to answer your questions, 2) seek out what information already exists to educate yourself, then perhaps AW isn't the board or you. I'm giving you three days to think about it.

rosepetal720 · Sep 20, 2010

Firedrake, you're welcome not to join in if you also don't want to contribute. I asked a simple question, and people are complaining. I have good reason to be frustrated.

Maryn · Sep 20, 2010

RosePetal, your question has been and is being discussed at length in the other thread you started. It uses up Mac's limited resources--I do hope you've made a donation--to start another thread on a topic which has been covered many times over, including one current thread you obviously know about, since you started it.

Please, do avail yourself of the Search function.

And kindly remember that we demand members respect their fellow writers. No one was confrontational to you, but merely advised you how best to use AW's features and on appropriate board etiquette, both of which seem necessary to those of us mostly watching and reading.

Maryn, long fuse growing shorter

scarletpeaches · Sep 20, 2010

Jesus H.

And people accuse me of being rude?

Point the first: typos and such do matter. One or two are inevitable. The last time i sent a manuscript back to my editor I said, "I've done my best to catch them all, but one or two always slip through the cracks!" I only said that because we've been in contact for months now. On first contact I'd do my damnedest to get the book squeaky clean.

I'm against hiring a copy editor because I don't see the point of paying someone else to do something I could - and should - learn to do myself. If you present a manuscript that's not as clean as you can make it, you'll look sloppy. Sure, you could hire someone to tidy it up, but why waste money when you can learn a skill that would benefit yourself? A writer who doesn't care about writing makes no sense.

As for not replying in threads you start? Sure, you ask a question to which you don't know the answer. Does that mean you have nothing to add? No; there's acknowledgement and thanks. Dialogue.

And I'm not one for sucking up to the mods, but getting snotty with people who run this forum isn't the smartest idea.

firedrake · Sep 20, 2010

rosepetal720 said:
Firedrake, you're welcome not to join in if you also don't want to contribute. I asked a simple question, and people are complaining. I have good reason to be frustrated.

No, but you have a good reason to apologise to those who took the trouble to answer the question.
Not that I have to justify myself to you, but I found the discussion interesting. It didn't mean I had to answer your question.

brainstorm77 · Sep 20, 2010

rosepetal720 said:
Firedrake, you're welcome not to join in if you also don't want to contribute. I asked a simple question, and people are complaining. I have good reason to be frustrated.

That isn't any excuse to be rude. I suggest when and if you come back, you read the newbie guide.

Copy Editors - Necessary, or Waste of Money?

rosepetal720

Let the wild rumpus start!

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless

rosepetal720

Let the wild rumpus start!

rosepetal720

Let the wild rumpus start!

firedrake

practical experience, FTW

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless

rosepetal720

Let the wild rumpus start!

Maryn

At Sea

scarletpeaches

firedrake

practical experience, FTW

brainstorm77

practical experience, FTW