4 ms·
I second that. The editor (and translators, if your book is translated later) are the first - and sometimes the only - people who will read your book carefully
by hdjjhhvvhga 5y ago
I second that. The editor (and translators, if your book is translated later) are the first - and sometimes the only - people who will read your book carefully from the beginning until the end trying to understand each sentence precisely. A reader may be forgiving, thinking that maybe it's their fault they don't understand; the editor will not. I can't imagine publishing a book without an editor - and having it thoroughly reviewed by at least two specialist in the field, even if you self-publish. But since it's expensive, I believe many people dispense with that.
- ChrisMarshallNY 5y agoThe example that I use for the importance of an editor, is Stephen King. He is well-known for disliking editors, and, as his fame grew, he didn't need to use them. Back in the 1970s ('75 or '76, I believe), a friend told me about this awesome book, called 'Salem's Lot. I got it, and read it. It wasn't too long, and was fine for an addlebrained teenager. It was the first book that I ever read, that made me look under the bed before I went to sleep. After that, I couldn't get enough of Stephen King. Nowadays, his books are these monster tomes that make excellent doorstops, but I can't bear to read them, anymore. I think the last book that I read, cover-to-cover, of his, was It. While reading that book, I accidentally put my bookmark in the wrong place, and skipped over 100 pages. I didn't realize that I had done that, until, near the end, something was referenced from those pages. It was then, that I decided that maybe I finally had had enough of Stephen King.
- WalterBright 5y agoKing's books started sounding the same to me, so I stopped reading them.