How long should I wait for the VE to edit the story?

[Nezhul]

So, it's been over a month since the Editor accepted and took on my story. It's a lengthy one, 23000 words, but I can read through it myself over a few hours. How long should I wait? How long does editing of such a story takes?

 

[Gorza]

Email the editor and ask them how it's going. Most of us have other things to do as well.

A lot depends on the state of the draft and what you've asked the editor to do. I often offer a fine-tooth comb of editing that involves checking every punctuation mark, as well as offering thoughtful suggestions for changes both major and minor. This makes editing far more time consuming than simply reading the draft through. In the past, I've edited poor writers, and the task was a heavy burden. Yet, even with good writers, I like to take my time to give as much feedback on the draft as possible. However, if you have asked the editor to be a beta reader and to respond with some thoughts, then it might take a lot less time.

 

[sr71plt]

Suggest next time you discuss time frames up front. A month is too long.

 

[Tigersman]

At the most the editor should not take more than two weeks. The only time it should take longer if you have 100,000 words or more.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

Learn to edit.

 

[Gorza]

Learn to edit.

Learning to edit is always a good skill to have. You can and should edit your own work to an extent, but all writers miss stuff in their own work. It's often that writers know what they meant when they wrote something, and don't realise that their readers will be confused. An editor comes with perspective, and can tell the writer what the reader experience is like. Editing should be a conversation; if you're not getting any, then it sounds like it's not working.

 

[_Lynn_]

Learning to edit is always a good skill to have. You can and should edit your own work to an extent, but all writers miss stuff in their own work. It's often that writers know what they meant when they wrote something, and don't realise that their readers will be confused. An editor comes with perspective, and can tell the writer what the reader experience is like. Editing should be a conversation; if you're not getting any, then it sounds like it's not working.

Using a reader is a great option.

 

[sr71plt]

Editing yourself is a misterm. You can review your own work; you can't really edit it. Editing requires a fresh pair of eyes. You aren't going to correct a good many of your writing mistakes because you can't see them. Your mind knows what it meant to write, but that's not what your hand punched out--and your mind will continue to believe you wrote that even when you reread it. Beyond that, a good many of your mistakes are going to remain because if you knew how it was supposed to be, you wouldn't have written it that way to begin with. You can correct a lot of things by self-review. You aren't editing, though.

Back to the OP, if you have sent two "what's the status?" e-mails to an editor and received no reply, you don't have an editor. Just move on.

 

[LadyVer]

So, it's been over a month since the Editor accepted and took on my story. It's a lengthy one, 23000 words, but I can read through it myself over a few hours. How long should I wait? How long does editing of such a story takes?

It depends on what kind of shape the story is in, and what the editor's schedule is. A 23,000-word story with minimal editing needs shouldn't take more than two weeks. But other variables, such as the editor deciding the story isn't what he/she thought it would be as far as themes and categories, and maybe the story has turned out to be more work than the editor initially thought it would be.

Good luck.

 

[sr71plt]

None of which is an acceptable excuse for the editor not to maintain communications.

 

[LadyVer]

Because of course this is Harper's and all the writers and editors are getting paid, along with having nothing else going on their lives.

 

[sr71plt]

There is no excuse (short of incapacitating stroke or unexpected death) for someone to take on a responsibility and just to drop it without maintaining contact. It has nothing to do with whether they are paid or not. Are you saying that you have done this or would do this with an author who you accepted a manuscript from for editing--just abandoned them and left them hanging without telling them you weren't going to carry through with the project you accepted?

 

[LadyVer]

There is no excuse (short of incapacitating stroke or unexpected death) for someone to take on a responsibility and just to drop it without maintaining contact. It has nothing to do with whether they are paid or not. Are you saying that you have done this or would do this with an author who you accepted a manuscript from for editing--just abandoned them and left them hanging without telling them you weren't going to carry through with the project you accepted?

I've never done this, although I've been extremely tempted. Even after reading a story through once, issues come up with content or mechanics that weren't noticed in the first reading. This is one reason why I've become more discriminating about using my valuable time for editing for free. I understand why volunteer editors back out of projects. I would guess the major reasons are not wanting to edit a story they thought was going to be different or better. I'm not sure if an editor not wanting to be upfront about this is better or if being honest is any better. And a lot of the time, authors go MIA. Lit is a jumping off place for anonymous writers and readers. To hold Lit writers and editors to the standards of Harpers is kind of ridiculous.

 

[lovecraft68]

I would say if its been a month and you've heard nothing, move on. Maybe something happened in their personal lives or maybe they were a fly by night who has lost interest, either way seems you're not going to hear back.

 

[sr71plt]

To hold Lit writers and editors to the standards of Harpers is kind of ridiculous.

This isn't holding anyone to the standards of Harpers. It's holding them to common decency and what should be expected in any business.

And most VE's drop out because they had no business claiming they had any editorial skills to begin with.

You're always defending the indefensible when it comes to the VE system.

The bottom line on threads like this is to settle time expectations up front and to move on soon after they aren't met. Failure to maintain contact is a sure sign of an amateur who has no business offering these services to begin with.

 

[LadyVer]

This isn't holding anyone to the standards of Harpers. It's holding them to common decency and what should be expected in any business.

And most VE's drop out because they had no business claiming they had any editorial skills to begin with.

You're always defending the indefensible when it comes to the VE system.

The bottom line on threads like this is to settle time expectations up front and to move on soon after they aren't met. Failure to maintain contact is a sure sign of an amateur who has no business offering these services to begin with.

You can think whatever you want. I am not defending anyone. I just don't believe it's worth the time to whine about an issue that is based on doing unpaid work for an anonymous erotica site where both writers and editors go MIA.

 

[sr71plt]

I'm sure you'll continue to be defensive you regardless of how ridiculous and author-hurtful the situation is.

 

[LadyVer]

I'm sure you'll continue to be defensive you regardless of how ridiculous and author-hurtful the situation is.

Get a life.