The world of publishing runs on editors. They balance storytelling with language to craft all kinds of books from authors of varying skill. Editors are an integral part of the publishing process, and they can be the difference in whether a book gets published or not. Yet, their hard work frequently goes unnoticed.
“If an editor does their job well, readers won’t even know there was a middle man,” Sarah Currin, an editor and publishing professional based in Salem, said.
Editors make sure the final draft of a book is clear, correct and concise, keeping quality standards high in the publishing industry. The main purpose of the editing process is to ensure information is getting across to readers and that the content is being received in the intended way — the ultimate editorial goal.
The first part of the process is a reader’s response — the editor reads the manuscript and gives the author a five to 10 page report on what does and doesn’t work. The manuscript is heavily revised to fix the larger issues, proofing it for the second, more meticulous rounds of edits.
The second part of the process is developmental editing, which is larger scale story editing. An editor reads the whole manuscript, giving feedback similar to the reader’s report, but on a more granular scale. Developmental editing looks at different sections of the manuscript and gives overall feedback about characterization, world building and plot continuity, with specific notes on chapters or sections that could use improvement.
After the developmental edit is line editing, which gets down into the nitty-gritty. Does each paragraph read well? Do the chapters flow? After line edits come the copy edits, which get into the minutiae. Are the commas in the right place? Does this period belong here?
Proofreading is the last editorial stage. The manuscript has already been designed, so the editing happens in a PDF or a printed copy. New edits cost money at this point, so editors aren’t looking for big picture issues anymore. Most edits in the proofreading stage will only be “fatal flaws,” like someone’s name being spelled wrong.
“I’m sure that sounds really boring, but the process of editing is something that I really love,” Currin said. “I’m always thrilled to have the opportunity to be able to take the raw material of a manuscript and be that intermediary who’s facilitating the reader getting the story they need.”
Although most editing jobs are concentrated in a few places (namely, New York City), it’s possible to work in cities further away from this hub. Portland has a great literary scene, and one that provides opportunities for literary editors.
“It’s a smaller city with smaller companies. They do amazing stuff, but they’re not Random House,” Currin said. “They don’t have unlimited budgets, they don’t have unlimited staff, but it’s still a great place to work.”
If an editor doesn’t want to work for a publishing company, there are freelance opportunities as well.
“I really love being able to work in a contract capacity with a lot of these really cool, smaller publishers who may not have been a good fit for me as a full time career choice, but then I still get the fun of working with them,” Currin said.
Learning the details of the editing process may paint editing to be a very solitary profession: the editor, the manuscript and a pen, just toiling away. But most editors agree the best editing is done in conversation with other people.
“It’s a lot of asking questions with each other. What is the overall meaning? What does the author hope the audience is going to take away? Why is this story important right now? What should readers remember over time?” Currin said.
This level of collaboration represents how the publishing industry has remained a traditional one, not quick to change with the development of technology that could make editing a remote profession.
As a cornerstone of the publishing industry, editors play a pivotal yet often overlooked role, on purpose. This part of the publishing industry offers a variety of career paths to contribute to the world of storytelling. Editors shape manuscripts into polished books that resonate with readers across the world, and are behind the process that helps every book come to life.
