Giving It To You Straight: Editing

As an agent, I receive many promising manuscripts that are in dire need of professional editing. First-time writers should never send a first draft, either to an agent or directly to a publisher. It is important that the proposed manuscript is the writer’s best effort, something that he has worked through a number of times. Spelling, punctuation and grammar must be checked meticulously. Having inexcusable typos and mistakes is the easiest way to get a manuscript thrown in the trash.

I often reject manuscripts, listing several obvious mistakes found in the first few pages of the writer’s work. I explain that the manuscript is not marketable in its current condition, and advise the writer to have his work professionally edited. Some will argue with my request, stating it is the responsibility of the publisher to edit his manuscript. My response is, “Think again.”

Editors are horribly overworked and under constant stress. They must be able to successfully negotiate author contracts, keeping financial exposure/risk to a minimum. They study sales records, estimate the manufacturing and editorial costs, and prepare budgets for the advertising and promotion of each book. The editor is responsible for presenting projects to the editorial board and tracking deadlines, ensuring that projects are on schedule and stay within budget. They must also have the ability to guide each author through the publishing process, and work closely with members of the marketing department to develop promotional strategies and materials.

It’s not an editor’s job to be fair to writers. An editor’s top priority is to make a profit for the publisher by acquiring saleable books. Writing professionally is a business, and the author is on the selling end in a buyer’s market. A writer who foolishly believes it is acceptable to submit a manuscript with known grammatical errors to an editor because it is “her job” to fix it, is kidding himself. There is an abundance of good work out there, and if a writer doesn’t show an editor respect and instead wastes her time with inferior work, the manuscript will end up where it belongs—in the recycle bin.

Lisa Martin owns Martin-McLean Literary Associates LLC. She represents established authors as well as new writers.