The Editing Process

The editing process should always be collaborative, but I think most writers do not understand what this means. It means that yes, I track changes. It also means that yes, you can accept or reject those changes. I also leave comments. Many of these are drawing your attention to something so you can change it when it is your turn--things like "I don't know what this means?" "Can you give me an example?" "Is this connected to that?"But some of my comments are notes "Don't panic--I didn't cut this I just moved it" (okay, so I actually just type "moved," but that doesn't look as cool), or "This is a dangling modifier" (If I have a lot of time I might actually explain what that is, but you won't even get a comment for stuff like this if I am short on time.

On your end, it is important that you address the comments an editor makes. This should come first. Once you have addressed them, feel free to delete them so the document doesn't fill up. If you don't understand why a change was made and you really do not think the new version is correct, you can always ask. An email with "On page 57, in paragraph 2, you changed "was" to "were" but I don't know why?" As long as you are flexible with time, I don't mind answering even grammar and spelling questions--as long as you don't question every single change.

The collaborative process means that some things are flexible. I have been known to occasionally change words out for better synonyms, but if you feel that takes away your voice, then you should reject the change by all means. But other times there are more serious issues that are not really flexible. For example, if I correct a misspelled word or if I divide one paragraph into two paragraphs. Will you get the chance to accept or reject the change--of course. Should you reject these changes? No. These are not flexible and I may or may not catch them the next time I go through it.

Editing also means flexible time. You should never plan to launch your book until it has been edited (and I recommend at least three different editors look at it). I know how long it will take me to edit your book, so when you see my 3 week estimate, you may get excited and want to launch in 4 weeks. But I have no way of predicting how long it will take you to get the book back to me when I send the changes to you for approval. I also, as I have said before, do not know what problems might arise that go beyond what I have planned to do. Now, once you send it for the final edit (the proofread) and formatting then you can plan the launch. Once the book has been formatted, you should not make any more changes to it. It should go straight from formatting to press. This is how it works for traditional publishers, too.