The Role of an Editor
What is the Role of an Editor?
Since I’ve started Writing Help KC, I’ve discovered that most people aren’t familiar with the complex role of an editor. I’ve heard people say the following in various iterations: “Editors handle grammar and punctuation to clean up a document.”
While that’s true, editing as a concept can be divided into various levels. All of this culminates in a transformation of a manuscript. Such a transformation requires not only deep linguistic knowledge, but also empathy.
For me, the role of an editor is to offer outside perspective and clean up an author’s work so that it communicates an effective message that resonates with their audience.
This is very much a collaborative process. Engaging with the author and teaching them some tips for the craft of writing are two aspects that I love about my role as an editor.
What I’m sharing in this article comes through the lens of my own editing experience. I primarily work with nonfiction authors, many of whom self-publish. My clients are rock stars in their niches or subject areas, or they have inspiring stories to tell. To facilitate a transformation of their work, I typically do two rounds of editing for them:
developmental editing
copy editing
At least, that’s how I define the editing services that I provide (more details can be found here). Strangely enough, each editor defines their levels differently. The lack of industry-standard definitions for levels of editing may seem troubling. I’ll put this in context as I explain more about my process for working with nonfiction authors.
My Editing Process
First, I perform a round of editing focused on developmental aspects and the manuscript’s content. Some editors may call this substantive editing, or they divide developmental and content editing into two levels.
Regardless of the nomenclature, the idea behind this round of editing for me is to examine the big picture of a manuscript. This includes the manuscript’s organization, flow, voice, and alignment with the target audience. That’s where the empathy proves helpful!
Before starting a new project, I ask my clients who they are writing for and their purpose for writing the book. This puts me in the readers’ shoes where I can analyze the work from that perspective. Getting stuck or confused is usually an indication that something isn’t working. I’ll flag that, explaining my concerns and offering suggestions for how the authors can best communicate with the target readers.
A manuscript’s organization should help the reader navigate the author’s intended learning experience or storytelling. So this is the round to suggest holistic changes—moving, deleting, or expanding of sections.
During this round, I also create an editorial report to provide insight on the areas that need improvement and common issues that I observe throughout the manuscript. For more technical works, I might also be working on endnotes or footnotes to ensure proper citation of sources.
I then return the manuscript and my editorial report to the author. That’s their time to work on their revisions. Much of what I’ve suggested or queried requires their authorial input. I ask that the author reviews the report and comments in the manuscript before making their revisions.
Many authors find it helpful to meet via phone or Zoom after my first editing round. It’s an opportunity to connect and discuss revision strategies, answer questions, and make plans. While this is typically included in my editing packages, some authors feel fine doing revisions on their own.
Next, the author returns the draft to me for copy editing. My copy editing incorporates line editing as well because I find them hard to do separately. But I frame this round of editing as the line-by-line review to ensure consistency and sentence clarity while I also clean up the grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
While copy editing, I’m also finalizing a style sheet. This is a document that includes standard grammar rules that I followed while editing as well as specific stylistic choices that I made given the author’s preferences and goals for the manuscript. There is also a word/name list to help with consistency of spelling, capitalization, etc. It’s a tool used by the formatter and proofreader later on in the publishing process.
Then I return the manuscript with my edits and the style sheet to the author. They accept or reject the final suggestions, and email me any questions or concerns. After the author finalizes the manuscript, they send it to the formatting specialist to professionally design the book interior.
There are always exceptions to my editing process, and I meet authors where they are. But that’s my two-round approach in a nutshell! You’ll notice I don’t mention proofreading because that’s something that technically should happen after formatting. For authors who want the last professional polish, I recommend proofreading specialists (because it’s a whole other skill set).
How Does an Editor Help Authors?
I’m not sharing this to gloat, or to overwhelm authors. Instead, I’m offering insight on the layered process that is editing a manuscript. Authors should understand the basics, so they can find an editor who can articulate their editing role within the author’s publishing process. That helps the author and the editor to ensure they’re a good fit for each other.
Each editor offers varying editing services, and some specialize in genres. For example, I only edit nonfiction. But I enjoy working with authors on their how-to books/guides, memoirs, business books, and self-help books.
At the end of the day, what I do as an editor is to facilitate a collaborative transformation of a manuscript. I support an author to take their work from good to great.
My background as an educator also shows up through encouragement and empowerment of the author. I educate them on self-publishing trends and the critical skills that hone their craft and articulate an effective message. The ultimate goal is for them to be successful in their publishing endeavor.
So yes, I am a grammar nerd. That’s a necessity as an editor. But I’m also an empathetic communicator, helping authors feel confident in their final product and its potential to reach the target audience. Just remember that this process can take time, but it’ll be worth it.
If you’re ready for a collaborative transformation of your manuscript, contact me here.