Finding an Editor

[blgarver]

So, I really need to have a second set of eyes to help me go through my writing.  Someone who knows grammar and all that stuff better than me, but still has a sense for narrative fiction. 

However, I can't really pay anyone, and I'm a little wary about emailing chapters to someone I've never met.

Anyone have any advice for an unpublished author about how to get a quality, reliable and trustworthy editor?  I've already posted to Craigslist and looked around on myspace and facebook for English majors at the University.  I got a few hits, but nothing solid yet.

Also, when an author finally gets picked up by an agent, does that author get to pick the editor?  Or, say, keep the editor he started with before success came?  Just curious.

[Dom]

I think you're confusing "beta" with "editor".

It sounds like what you're looking for is someone to read your work and give you opinions and try to catch that nit-picky stuff before you start submitting it.  I know you said you don't want to just email stuff to someone online, but truth be told, I would trust the people on this board FAR before I'd trust some random schmoe from Craigslist.  Craigslist is good for a lot of things, I have gotten jobs, and apartments, and sold a car on there, but I would fear anyone who answers an ad for an editor would be out to swindle you somehow.  Whereas here, on this board, or online in general in specific social groups, you can read people's posts for themselves and come to your own conclusion on if they would be a good beta reader.  My main beta is a woman I've never met IRL who lives in the west coast, but used to be a member, and then a moderator, on a message board I run.  She says she went to an Ivy League college; is it true?  I believe her.  Could she be lying?  Yeah, but her knowledge of SF&F is strong and she's a good beta.  My (likely) secondary beta is another woman I've never met in person from Alaska who I met and friended via Livejournal on the sfandfwriters LJ community.  I would trust either of them, literally sight unseen, before I'd trust some wannabe from Craigslist who's probably out for money, because I've spent literally years interacting with them online, and reading their own thoughts on writing and the SF&F genre.  They know their stuff at least as well as I do, and compliment me just fine.

Once you sell your work to a publishing house, as far as I understand it, an actual in-house professional editor will go over your work again, making suggestions and the like.  They're the ones that are the pros, and you won't find them on Craigslist, you'll come across them via your agent, or via the publishing house itself.  I don't believe you get to really "choose" them; it's a working relationship you'll have, although hopefully it will be a good working relationship.  Once you get to this point, you won't need to throw away your test readers/betas that you personally chose yourself, you're free to still run things through them, but the publishing house editor is the one that will work with you on your story for the final publication.  They have the power of Yea and Nay.

(at least this is how I understand the process; full disclosure, I've not sold a novel yet.  Those of you who have, correct me if I'm wrong.)

[Shecky]

I've been a translator, editor and proofreader (the latter two I've done from one language to the other and in either language alone) in some capacity for about twenty years now, and it's clear to me that the most difficult job for a writer of any form (I don't mean simply "any genre" - I mean ANYTHING that involves writing intended for public reading) is finding that balance between an editor who can make your work technically perfect but squeezes all the juice out of it that you put into it and an editor who is perfectly in tune with what you want to make but can't make the jump to making it most palatable for public consumption. I've been doing this for a long time and I STILL hit walls occasionally - it's as much an art as it is a science (which is why software just doesn't cut the mustard).

And so is finding the right editor. If your eventual publishing house assigns you a staff, in-house editor, it could run anywhere between finding your new arch-enemy and discovering your new best friend - it's a crapshoot. Unless you have that truly rare gift of the perfect writing that translates directly into publishing cash, you'll find yourself faced with a hard decision: standing your ground and facing rejection (or, in the unlikely event that your disagreement with the editor somehow wins through, possible utter failure) or giving in and being a puppet machine for the publisher. It's not an either-or; it's a case of figuring out just where it is on the continuum between those two that you're comfortable with.

[meg_evonne]

I've recently taken two excellent classes online.  Instructors were competent professionals with several well received published works.  The students were primarily professional editors who were wondering if they could get that personal draft cranked out and some had been agents prior to moving into the editing field-(I think one was an agent working on something of her own).   

The professional opinion was that the author had better darn well have it already edited as perfectly as possible.  This is especially true on a first work and must be done before you query agents etc. 

They tell me there are "book doctors" etc out there, but I would be cautious...  I've mentioned the class etc and the teachers web sites elsewhere, if you are interested in those addresses.   Best wishes!

[Darla]

Anyone have any advice for an unpublished author about how to get a quality, reliable and trustworthy editor?  I've already posted to Craigslist and looked around on myspace and facebook for English majors at the University.  I got a few hits, but nothing solid yet.

Like Dom said, you're looking for a beta reader.

I don't think you could do better than to follow in Jim's footsteps.  Sure, he knows a couple of his betas in real life, but the rest of them he met online. 

Hang around in a forum (email list, whatever) long enough, and you'll get an idea of who's smart and savvy and has good grammatical skills.  If it's dedicated to the genre you're writing in, so much the better.

And don't be afraid to approach them, rather than asking for volunteers.  Sometimes somebody who's just willing to try will do a better job for you than somebody who thinks they've already got it all figured out.

[blgarver]

Yes, you guys are right.  A beta is what I'm looking for, just confused the word.  I've never had an official beta reader.  I've let some writer friends read a few of my chapters, but never really on a regular basis for the purpose of beta reading.

And I agree that craigslist was sort of a waste of time, now that I've done it.  I got those first really quick responses and now nothing.  I'd definately rather have one of you guys on here anyway, just didn't really think to come here for some reason.

Now I just have to decide who to ask...I know pretty much every one of us that posts here in Author Craft are busy with a big project.

Well, thanks for the advice everyone...I shall go think on this.

BLG

[Shecky]

0.5% of any eventual net and I'm in.

[blgarver]

half a percent?  lol. 

[Suilan]

Great place for receiving critiques: sff dot onlinewritingworkshop dot com.
Membership's 49$ a year, but any other writers' board I've ever tried didn't offer critiques beyond "oh, that's nice." At OWW, you get the real thing. (Brace yourself; sometimes it hurts.) The workshop is not meant to help with an entire novel, but you might "meet" someone there whose critiques are particularly helpful and who would like to continue exchanging reviews with you via email.

Good luck.

[blgarver]

Cool, thanks for the info.  I'll check it out.

[Cathy Clamp]

You can also post up a sample of your work over at AbsoluteWrite http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums. I love it over there (they sucked me into being a Moderator because I wouldn't ever leave!  ) There's pretty much any genre you can imagine and if we haven't already thought of it, let us know and we'll make a new forum for it! Over 17,000 and growing every day. 

[blgarver]

You can also post up a sample of your work over at AbsoluteWrite http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums. I love it over there (they sucked me into being a Moderator because I wouldn't ever leave!  ) There's pretty much any genre you can imagine and if we haven't already thought of it, let us know and we'll make a new forum for it! Over 17,000 and growing every day. 

Sweet, I just signed up.  I'm BL_Garver over there. Thanks for the tip!