Editors Are Friends, Not Food

I recently posted a bit of flash fiction. I wrote that story for Lightspeed Magazine’s “Women Destroy Science Fiction” issue, due out this summer. They decided they weren’t interested, so I was free to publish it here. That is often the case with self-publishing: stories are rejected (for myriad reasons that don’t always involve the quality of the writing) but authors decide they really want their work to be read. I’m a huge proponent of self-publishing. I’m a bigger supporter, though, of self-publishing authors using editors.

I learned the hard way that no matter how many pairs of eyes read through your manuscript, mistakes slip through. This happens to all published works. Yes, mistakes happen even to the big boys. The goal with editors, though, is to limit the number of mistakes and improve the reading experience. When you sign a book deal with a major publisher, part of their cut of your royalties goes to pay for editors and proofreaders. When you are self-publishing, you need to spend this money up-front in order to realize the full potential of your book. Because, again, no matter how wonderful a writer you are, mistakes happen.

Just as self-publishers and small publishing houses have sprouted like mushrooms across a Seattle lawn, so too have small “mom and pop” businesses catering to these authors. Editors, proofreaders, cover artists, e-book formatters, even reviewers, offer their services to the mass of writers. I’ve been fortunate to meet many of these fine folk since my book launched in March of 2012. The editing group I’m writing about today, though, is headed by two people I’ve known for years. In this business, like in so many others, who you know is just as important as what you know.

I met Ed and Natalie Warneke through on-line gaming. After Dremiks was published, Ed came to me with several errors he’d found. I was properly mortified but also impressed by his thoroughness and professional demeanor. When Natalie approached me months later asking if I knew of anyone who’d be interested in paying for editing services, my answer was a resounding “YES”! After consulting current industry price points for both editing and proofreading (yes, there is a difference), crafting a website, and spending many hours networking on-line, the Warnekes launched Warneke Reading.

I could spend the next several paragraphs summarizing their website. However, as any good editor will tell you, it is better to show than to tell. Here, then, is an example of the edits made to my flash-fiction entitled “NBRUs”.






The Warnekes do more than just check for proper comma placement and count the number of spaces between sentences. They offer stylistic changes and are brutally honest when a passage makes absolutely no sense. Further down in the manuscript ( not pictured) they make this comment:

This sentence is confusing. In the beginning you make it sound as if none of the crew know the captain has been injured. If so, then how would this first officer know about the repair bot? Maybe you mean after the fact? Like the first officer might tear it apart after he found out it injured the captain? If so, this hasn’t happened yet.

Any writer will tell you that there are times when a sentence makes perfect sense in his or her head, but sounds like alien gibberish when written down. The Warnekes, and all good editors, catch those instances and bring them to your attention.

Another example of stylistic advice:

I know you don’t have the word space to explain this, but how come the first batch of bots had to be removed via syringe but the second just degrade?

While I absolutely fixed every single punctuation error that they caught, I picked which stylistic changes worked for the mood and purpose of my piece. This was a (very) short story that did not require much effort or consultation—but I know from experience that the Warnekes are willing to trade emails late into the night to explain their edits and suggestions. This was a professional editing job offered at a price well within a self-published author’s budget. Self-published authors absolutely must consult an editor, but there are financial limitations involved with that relationship. I’m happy to report that authors can find thorough, polite, informative, and knowledgeable editors at a price that won’t require a Kickstarter to cover fees.

We authors are very protective of our work. Our characters are our life-long friends and our plot points are absolutely, 100%, always necessary. Except… they aren’t. We don’t need editors governed by the price to print each word and thus ruthlessly chewing-up our prose with their red pens. On the flip side, we don’t need to be predators willing to maul anyone who dares to make a suggestion. This professional relationship only works when there is mutual acceptance of our roles. We cannot be sharks and clown fish and expect to produce a masterpiece. (That only works for Pixar.)

You can read more about the Warneke’s services on their website and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.


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