Lee Lowe posed this query in a comment: "And you know, everyone always assumes that the edited and published version of a book is better. What if they're wrong?" Usually I think it is. But I'd be curious to hear from anyone on the topic.
There are so many questions to ask. Fiction/nonfiction? Certain kinds of books? What about literary authors? Poets? It's always interesting to hear personal responses, but how much do these really tell us in general?
What are we editing towards? An ideal reader? A saleable commodity? Literary quality? A set of more-or-less commonly accepted rules which may or may not need rethinking, particularly in terms of cultural change? These are the kinds of questions I like to ask before even attempting an answer.
It would also be interesting to look at the historical development of editorship, in order to understand under what circumstances - to answer which needs - it arose.
Will the internet and epublishing change this?
And I always find it interesting how much diversity of critical opinion there is, say, about a novel like Mitchell's BLACK SWAN GREEN. If experienced literary critics and reviewers can't agree, what about editors?
And Mick, I'm afraid that the use of the word 'product' to refer to a book - or at least its contents - makes my hair stand on end.
Thanks, Mick, for your kind comment. Please keep reading.
Lee, Too many questions I think. We'd never get a book out the door if we answered them. With my editiing I am searching for the maximum number of authentic readers for the book.
3 comments:
There are so many questions to ask. Fiction/nonfiction? Certain kinds of books? What about literary authors? Poets? It's always interesting to hear personal responses, but how much do these really tell us in general?
What are we editing towards? An ideal reader? A saleable commodity? Literary quality? A set of more-or-less commonly accepted rules which may or may not need rethinking, particularly in terms of cultural change? These are the kinds of questions I like to ask before even attempting an answer.
It would also be interesting to look at the historical development of editorship, in order to understand under what circumstances - to answer which needs - it arose.
Will the internet and epublishing change this?
And I always find it interesting how much diversity of critical opinion there is, say, about a novel like Mitchell's BLACK SWAN GREEN. If experienced literary critics and reviewers can't agree, what about editors?
And Mick, I'm afraid that the use of the word 'product' to refer to a book - or at least its contents - makes my hair stand on end.
Thanks, Mick, for your kind comment. Please keep reading.
Lee, Too many questions I think. We'd never get a book out the door if we answered them. With my editiing I am searching for the maximum number of authentic readers for the book.
Mick,
Yeah, I suppose I'm not good very good at detecting sarcasm. Thank you for warning me.
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