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Book Editing:
5 Reasons To Run From A Book Editor
By Lori Lisi
- They are the only referral from an agent or publisher. Be careful if an agent or publisher tries to send you to only a certain editor or editing service. That service could be very professional and legitimate, but it could also be a questionable association. There have been cases in the past where conflicts of interest became quite apparent when it was discovered that the agent or publisher received kickbacks for the referrals—and these referral fees were the agent’s or publisher’s primary source of income. This doesn’t mean that the practice of getting a referral fee is wrong in and of itself. Certainly not. However, most reputable and competent agents and publishers don’t make their living off of these types of referrals. In instances of agent referrals, you should scrutinize the credibility of the agent in order to reduce the odds of finding yourself inside a scam.
- You received a cold call from an editing service. Some editing services rely on mailing lists purchased from writing magazines or copyright listings to hunt for clients. If you receive one of these calls, they are mostly likely not the most established or credible service, and you probably have much better options elsewhere.
- You just don’t feel comfortable communicating with the editor. Maybe it’s a clash of personalities. Maybe that little voice is just trying to get you to go somewhere else. Either way, editing isn’t a cheap investment and should be, in an ideal world, a team effort. You can’t work effectively with someone you’re not truly comfortable talking to, and nor probably should you.
- The editor’s recommendations are carved in stone. You probably wouldn’t know if the editor had this kind of posturing ahead of time unless he or she provided some sort of sample service, but even if this happens early in the course of the actual project, you may want to seriously reconsider how much longer you want to be in this arrangement. Although the opinion of the editor is probably based upon experience and education, you are the ultimate creative authority on your book, not him or her.
- They’ve received bad reviews online. Of course, with a great deal of text online being so widespread and relatively unregulated, you can’t truly believe everything you read, but you may want to be a little more discerning with potential editors if others have reported negative experiences. One pretty reputable website for such comments, positive and negative, is Preditors and Editors found at: http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/
For more help on how to find the right editor for you, check out information found in our report about this topic:
The Serious Writer's Report #1: How to Find the Right Editor for You.
Direct any requests for reprint rights of this article to the Contact Page.
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