Three tips from an editor with the gift of hindsight
The relationship between an author and an editor is intrinsically hard to navigate. Someone has created something, and they’re essentially handing over their creation to be dissected and critiqued by another person. How can we, as editors, make this transition work? The answer is trust.
Trust is arguably the most important aspect of an editor’s job. We know our skills, and we’ve been hired to use them. But the author might be harder to convince. Whether they’ve had experience being edited or not, there are all kinds of divisive issues that may come up, and it’s important that we approach these with the right attitude.
Being friendly and open is undoubtedly important. We want them to be at ease with our opinions, not constantly on the defensive. But recently, halfway through an editing job, I realised something — we need to be friendly, but we also need to be assertive.
Assertiveness is something that requires precision and subtlety. I’m not suggesting that we aggressively force our opinions on the author, regardless of how much we might think the text will benefit from it. That will push the author away, and make them even less likely to agree to changes. Being assertive requires friendliness, but also confidence in your own abilities, and a willingness to convince the author that you know what you’re talking about.
In hindsight, there are some things I would have done differently on my last job, and maybe you can benefit from these tips too.
Number 1: Be very well prepared
I thought I had everything organised for the job at hand. The brief was given to both the author and I together, so I assumed we didn’t need to go over it again. But in reality, everyone understands briefs differently. In some cases, the differences in that initial understanding might be huge. From the very beginning, it’s important to establish exactly what the author is creating, from the style, to the tone, to the content. What story are they telling, and how exactly are they planning on telling it? Who is the audience? What kind of publications can you compare it to, to fully understand what they’re going for? You need to be on the same page so you can give the right critiques. Otherwise there’ll be miscommunication, and the author might lose faith in your editing skills because they won’t think you understand what they’re making.
Number 2: Make a timeline
Leading on from that initial meeting, it’s really important to come up with a timeline for the project. Preferably as early as you can in the proceedings. Human beings aren’t great with deadlines, and creative humans seem to have particular trouble. Editors are usually also writers, so this will no doubt be a familiar area to navigate. It will be better for both editor and author if you tell them exactly when you need work from them and why. Explain to them the jobs you need to do, and how much time you need to do them. Unless they’re also an editor, they probably won’t be familiar with how much work goes into the content after the author’s draft has been submitted. Explain this as best as you can, preferably without being condescending. It’s a fine line, but it’s worth it to ensure you’re both on the same page. Of course, not everything will go to plan. But at least you won’t be left receiving new content the day before everything’s supposed to be proofread.
Number 3: Communication
Sometimes the authors won’t want to talk to you, or will find it hard to open up. One of our main jobs as editors is to make them feel like you get what they’re doing. This is hard, because a lot of it comes down to social skills, and sometimes you just won’t be a good match for each other. But it’s important to make time for real-life conversations. Emails can be easily misread in tone, and messages can get lost. Make sure you check in and see how they’re going, and get them to explain it to you. Let them know you want to be involved in the process, and that you’re there to help them.
These are some of the things I learned from my last editing project. I hope you find them useful. In the end, it’s also really important to trust yourself — most of these things you’ll know instinctively, and putting them into practice is the best way to solidify your skills. Compromises will have to be made, as they would in any collaboration, and that’s fine. The author-editor relationship can be a tough one, but it doesn’t have to be. It can also be fun, and really rewarding when you finally see what you’ve made together.
