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Don’t criticize a book’s editing unless you saw the original manuscript

September 6, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 6 Comments

Few things set my teeth on edge more than seeing reviewers criticize a book’s editing.

I do understand the impulse. It’s a shorthand for saying the book is bloated or sloppy. In a famously conflict averse industry, it seems easier to blame a faceless editor than it is to pin it on the author. It’s a way of seeming savvy about the way the business works.

Here’s the thing: Unless you saw the raw original manuscript and the editors’ edits and editorial letter, you have absolutely no idea how well or poorly a book was edited.

Sometimes manuscripts arrive in total shambles and it takes a herculean effort to get them in even passable shape. You think the final book was rough? “Well,” the editor will likely say, “you should have seen it before I got to it.”

Authors also don’t always take their editors’ good advice, or they implement the suggested changes poorly. Yes, sometimes bestselling authors are lightly edited and their books don’t receive the editorial scrutiny that a more inexperienced author might, but authors are still responsible for what’s in the final manuscript. Including the typos.

So when you write a review saying “This book needed an editor,” just know there is probably a really hardworking editor out there putting a hex on you for not appreciating that the final product is a significant improvement over where it started.

And as someone who is both an editor and author, I can say this with authority: blame me for my books’ shortcomings, not my editors.

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Art: Paint Box by Yuzo Saeki

Filed Under: Publishing Industry

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Neil Larkins says

    September 7, 2022 at 11:07 am

    Excellent point! It is true that the final product is, after all, up to the author. (Unless something super crazy happens after the author submits their final MS, but that’s another topic altogether.)
    Speaking of crazy… that is some sloppy paint box!

    Reply
  2. t.b. says

    September 7, 2022 at 6:41 pm

    Oh, bless you for this.

    Reply
  3. Kit says

    September 8, 2022 at 2:47 am

    So, so true. More readers and reviewers of books need to see this, Nathan.

    Reply
  4. Savy Guthrie says

    September 9, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    It’s honestly never crossed my mind to blame the editor- it’s not their name in the cover!

    Reply
  5. V.M. Sang says

    September 20, 2022 at 8:16 am

    Yes, even after the editor has finished with it, it’s still the author who decides what to publish.

    Reply
  6. Pamela says

    September 22, 2022 at 8:00 am

    If the author even used an editor. There’s that.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

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