Sometimes writers will ask me if, as a literary agent, I edit manuscripts before submitting them to publishers. I choose not to touch a manuscript for several reasons:
(1) I love your writing, so I don’t think you need my edits.
(2) I worked for many years as a professional writer but not as a professional editor.
(3) Since I have worked as a professional writer, I understand the emotions behind editing. A writer can (and sometimes should) get miffed at the finest editor. Even if a writer loves every comma I add, the writer/editor relationship is naturally different from the writer/agent relationship. Because of how I’m wired, I work better keeping relationships clear. To wit: my husband is responsible for the outside of the house, and I’m responsible for the inside. To give proper credit, he does perform many thankless tasks, such as anything involving a step ladder and annihilating the errant wasp that might fly inside. As an experienced author and agent, I can find exceptions to agreements.
(4) The editor at the publishing house cuts not only words, but is also responsible for advance and royalty checks. So I don’t feel I have the proper authority to perform deep edits. I want both of us to please the publisher. Once the contract is signed, the writer doesn’t need to please me.
Whether you wish for no editing or lots of editing, may you find the right people to guide you to your most successful career.
Think of all the things you say
but don’t, as sheath-ed swords,
and doing so, you’ll find a way
to kindness in your words.
It sounds, I know, just too polite
to edit what should be free speech,
but there is phrasing that will blight
a life, put healing out of reach
and set in someone’s heart a stone
marked with your trusted name
a thing for which you can’t atone
try as you may to deflect blame,
so don’t get in another’s face;
edit words instead, to offer grace.
Oooooh, Andrew! This is NICE.
Pam, thank you so much!
These are all great points, Tamela! Thank you!
Helpful Insight, Tamela. Thank you!
Thank you for this article, I liked everything you said.
This is an excellent article. Thank you! I like your professionalism and boundaries. How does one find a quality editor for their genre?
Thanks for asking! You are literally at the right place. You’ll see that we offer several resources through CWI.
I love seeing the editor’s work in my manuscript, and typically accept most of their updates. If I can step back emotionally and ponder why the editor made the changes they did, I find that it usually has solid reasoning behind it, adds clarity to what I was attempting (but struggling) to convey, and improves the flow of the sentence or paragraph.
I am anything but objective when it comes to editing my own work.
I appreciate your insights. My manuscript needs a lot of vision, shaping, slashing, and rewriting. It is fairly close to romantic suspense but could be women’s fiction. I will take your advice seriously.
Some very good insights for writers who have never gone through the process. Thank you.
Hi Tamela,
I’ve often wondered about the editing process for agents…whether they see fit to make necessary edits, whether they might ask for a plot change before they accept the partnership, or whether they choose to leave the manuscript as is. Thanks for sharing – this is insightful! I am curious…do you ever address a hole in the plot or a plot twist that just won’t work in the current market before you partner with an author?
Tiffany, that’s a great question. My degree of commentary will depend on the story itself and where the author and I are in our working relationship.
Thanks, Tamera. We writers do love our words, even though we realize some may need to change along the way! I appreciate your explaining your process and reasoning so clearly.
All the best, Carol
Goodness, Tamela, I spelled your name wrong. My apologies! I need an edit here. Can I blame it on vacation brain?
No worries! I respond to almost any iteration of my name!