What do editors produce?

[NotWise]

I've been reading here for a while with one question in mind and I haven't been able to resolve it.

If I were to provide my copy to an editor, what would I get back in return? I edit frequently in my professional life and in that context we provide either:

1) A document that provides comments and points for discussion that we then follow up on with the goal of moving the final product in the right direction, or

2) A "marked-up" document, with simple changes marked with strike-outs and rewrites and comments inserted either enclosed in square brackets, or using the word processor's comment facility.

The first case is used when the document is far from being up to par and the second is used when the needed revisions are manageable.

There doesn't appear to be any standard document format in use here that would allow the second option to work.

What do the editors actually return to the author?

 

[BreakTheBar]

That totally depends on the editor, and partially on what the writer requests. I've worked with two editors for my Lit writing with two very different styles.

My first, and continuing, editor will make occasional spelling/grammatical catches by marking it in track changes, but this has declined (either because my writing has gotten more consistent or he got tired of doing it, I can't tell). Most of our exchange is commentary, also in track changes, with the occasional thematic/format discussion.

I have also tried out a second editor, who went much more in depth into what basically became a heavy copy edit. It was enlightening in a lot of ways, and I took many of the changes and passed on a few, but I also didn't submit another piece to her because of the length of time it took for review.

Since none of this is paid work - the writing or the editing - it all comes down to what both parties are looking for and being clear about that from the beginning of the relationship. If a writer has a very rough draft, they should be open about that. If an editor is only comfortable doing grammar/spelling/wordsmithing, or only wants to write commentary on the piece as a whole, that should be made clear.

I have found in my year or so writing for the Lit audience (Holy crap I just realized it's been a year) that Google Docs is generally the most accessible way to share my stories with my ongoing editor. I use the anonymous gmail address I have tied to this username and account, and they happen to do the same. GoogleDocs allows for track changes that and commentary that can easily be Accepted/Declined and marked 'Resolved' as you see fit.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[sr71plt]

Yep, no standard of services. That has to worked out between the author and the "editor" on a story-by-story basis. There are several different types of editors, by services rendered--not just here, but anywhere.