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I have wrestled with this for a long time now and am interested in hearing how other editors cope.
Many times I have gotten in editing jobs from indie writers where the writing flat out stinks. After reading the first few pages (I do a sample edit as a job interview) I turn those down and recommend the writer work on their craft and find beta readers. They're just not ready to hire an editor. Many of them thank me for my honesty, so that's something. I always direct them here to AW for help.
A few times though, the sample pages were good enough that I'd accept the job, then find the rest of the book to be a howling hot mess of OMG-are-you-kidding barf cookies.
In one case I managed to do a hundred pages before reaching my gagging point. I charged the writer for the work I'd done, refunded the balance with a sincere apology, and made some suggestions on how to improve a deeply flawed story. Never heard from him again, which was understandable.
In another case I accepted the job and hung on to the extremely grim end of a book that made me physically ill every time I opened the file. If you've read slush, you know how bad it can get. The opening pages were not too bad, which was why I accepted, but it got steadily worse. The book was twice as long going back to the client due to the countless corrections and editorial comments on every page.
All I could do was lie back, cringe, and think of the rent.
For all that, he wanted me to edit his next three in his series. After I finished screaming in horror from a fetal position under the bed, I let him know I was fully booked and not available. I don't think I'm too sensitive, but it took weeks to get some of that crap out of my brain, it was so bad. I called it Post Traumatic Editing Syndrome.
My latest job -- months ago! -- was a dismal mash of a fantasy killfest that made my eyes bleed. Somehow I powered through, still thinking of the rent. The writer was pleased with my work, if surprised that it needed anything more than simple proofing since he thought it was perfect as is, and thanked me for the extra effort.
So other editors, I gotta ask:
When you get in the dregs from the crap barrel, do you put on your game face and power through?
Do you politely turn such jobs down?
Do you get in well written books and are able to edit with a clear conscience?
Or have I got some kind of weird invisible beacon that only attracts the worst? It is a matter of conscience for me to not accept money on something that's unreadable, but it seems that's all I get.
I read of editors who are swamped with work and wonder if they're powering through the crap regardless or getting good writers who make the work fun.
PS, If you are not comfortable posting in public, feel free to PM me. I won't tell!
Many times I have gotten in editing jobs from indie writers where the writing flat out stinks. After reading the first few pages (I do a sample edit as a job interview) I turn those down and recommend the writer work on their craft and find beta readers. They're just not ready to hire an editor. Many of them thank me for my honesty, so that's something. I always direct them here to AW for help.
A few times though, the sample pages were good enough that I'd accept the job, then find the rest of the book to be a howling hot mess of OMG-are-you-kidding barf cookies.
In one case I managed to do a hundred pages before reaching my gagging point. I charged the writer for the work I'd done, refunded the balance with a sincere apology, and made some suggestions on how to improve a deeply flawed story. Never heard from him again, which was understandable.
In another case I accepted the job and hung on to the extremely grim end of a book that made me physically ill every time I opened the file. If you've read slush, you know how bad it can get. The opening pages were not too bad, which was why I accepted, but it got steadily worse. The book was twice as long going back to the client due to the countless corrections and editorial comments on every page.
All I could do was lie back, cringe, and think of the rent.
For all that, he wanted me to edit his next three in his series. After I finished screaming in horror from a fetal position under the bed, I let him know I was fully booked and not available. I don't think I'm too sensitive, but it took weeks to get some of that crap out of my brain, it was so bad. I called it Post Traumatic Editing Syndrome.
My latest job -- months ago! -- was a dismal mash of a fantasy killfest that made my eyes bleed. Somehow I powered through, still thinking of the rent. The writer was pleased with my work, if surprised that it needed anything more than simple proofing since he thought it was perfect as is, and thanked me for the extra effort.
So other editors, I gotta ask:
When you get in the dregs from the crap barrel, do you put on your game face and power through?
Do you politely turn such jobs down?
Do you get in well written books and are able to edit with a clear conscience?
Or have I got some kind of weird invisible beacon that only attracts the worst? It is a matter of conscience for me to not accept money on something that's unreadable, but it seems that's all I get.
I read of editors who are swamped with work and wonder if they're powering through the crap regardless or getting good writers who make the work fun.
PS, If you are not comfortable posting in public, feel free to PM me. I won't tell!
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