3 Reasons Why The Right Editor Matters

An author isn’t just peddling wares, or a service. Their written voice is a craft, an art, and should be respected as such. Here’s three reasons why it’s so important to find the right editor for you.

The editor should be professionally invested in your work.

Why would you hire a cook who doesn’t like the food they cook, or an artist who would rather paint with a completely different medium? The same goes for an editor. They’re not emotionally invested; but they should be professionally interested in watching you and your projects succeed.

2. Their voice should compliment and boost yours, the author’s.

If the edits are going too far, and you don’t recognize your own voice anymore, it’s time to use your right as the creator of the work to protect what you have built. Yes, there’s always plenty of grammatical reasons why the edits must be made, but the goal isn’t to replace your voice with a generic one. The edits should polish, not stifle.

3. Do they treat you like a human being?

The editor and you (the author) don’t need to be friends; on the contrary, it can be extremely helpful to have a strictly professional rapport. However, there’s an intimacy involved with the editor and the written work; and it’s vitally important that they are able to understand you, the author, and how you think. This ties into reason 2, because half the game of an editor bringing constructive criticism to the table is their ability to restructure and correct in a way that is still conducive to the writing style of the author. Preservation, not replacement, is the key.

These are only a few details to look out for when hiring an editor, and of course it varies person to person, but as an editor myself I’d argue these are the most important.

Of course, everyone has their own priorities when looking to hire a professional for a project (as they should). The details that catch an individual’s eye can be as inexplicable as having a shared colleague, a coincidental meeting that happened because of something unrelated to the actual project, or even a mutual appreciation for pop culture topics. This is partially why I believe that while it is important to remain professional and occasionally impartial, we are not robots, and having passion for the project is so important—especially when dealing with a form of expression. And what is writing, if not a form of expression?

That is why readers will search out their favorite authors, and prefer one author’s tone or style of speech. There’s a connection that the reader finds in that specific written voice. When that voice is eradicated in search of the perfect grammar, the most perfect paragraph, or the most upright and proper speech, the connection is lost. This is, of course, excluding the exception of an author who chooses to write in this style. Whether the work is written in APA or MLA, or any other style guide, the voice of the author must be allowed to shine through for authenticity.

Allow me to remain on this soap box for another moment. I’ve been a voracious reader since I was a child, first falling in love with books like Dr. Seuss, the Harry Potter series, then Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series, jumping around between fantasy, science fiction, and romance. Today, I have a top list of authors I favor as a reader; and the excitement I feel when finding a new publication of theirs is massive in comparison to an author I do not recognize (though might love after finishing the book). The one thing that connects all the books I have loved over the years is the clarity of the author’s voice in each case. We all recognize the Dr. Seuss books. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull is unique and I’d recognize the author’s voice anywhere. Authors I read today, like Ali Hazelwood or Emily Henry (I’ve become a romance reader!) are amongst my favorites because their voicing is familiarly good. It’s not just the characters, or the plot; the realm building, or the storyline’s progression speed. The stories are told in a voice that connects.

In the famous words of Lady Whistledown, allow me to address you:

Dear reader, what makes the book you last read memorable? What was it about the writing that drew you in? Would you recognize the author’s voice in another publication?

Let’s bring back author fandoms for the author.

Your friendly editor,

Zoe P.