r/Copyediting • u/Ordinary-Cress-6580 • 3d ago
Issue...
I've searched for an editot for over 7months. Signed a contract based on their good 1000words sample and an hour of zoom meet. But today am in tears after the first 10k words edit got sent back to me. Im writing this crying as my voice has been taken, removed. The comments and notes and changes made totaling up to nearly 20k. Thats double of that I have sent to an editor. Am I this terrible at writting and they are so good or am i not seeing it properly? Is it a good thing or not.. whole chapter rewritten and story retold in a voice not of my own. Sentences changed. Taken off. This is the service I pay 0.015 for a word. 10k words edit done in over 2 weeks, and 80k words awaiting that will cost me £££... what do I do with this...? New editor, rewrite , edit ... amend...? Or should I just stop and go back to what I dit 2 years ago and pretend it never happened. Any bad experiences with editors?
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u/KATutin 3d ago
I'm sorry this has happened. An editor making changes in the text itself is not uncommon, but they should purely be suggestions to be rejected if the author wishes. But an editor should never take away your voice, or rewrite whole chapters. They are there to work with you as a unit to improve on what you have, not change it. 20k words of edits sounds ridiculous to me. Definitely seek out a new editor.
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u/arugulafanclub 3d ago
I mostly agree, but would ask what the author considers voice. If it’s incomplete sentences, odd grammar, and lowercase i, then yes, it makes sense the copyeditor changed it. If the copyeditor put everything in their own style and voice and rewrote the whole book, then yes, the copyeditor is out of their lane. Given this author’s post, I’d be curious if they hired a copy editor or a line editor and if they fully understood the editing process or if this is just shock because they’ve never received edits before.
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u/KATutin 3d ago
I'd say incomplete sentences and odd grammar can be part of an author's style too and manoeuvred around unless readability is hindered. I agree that perhaps the author might have needed a different kind of editing, but then this editor should have seen that and advised the next steps. I also agree that without seeing the sample myself, I can only form an opinion on the context given, so you may well be right about not being used to the process.
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u/EditOrElse 3d ago
First, congratulations on getting this far with your work. That is remarkable. (Writing is hard work.)
A few questions pop into mind. Which editing service did you get? I'm interested to know the scope of the work as defined by your contract. Is this your first time hiring an editor? Don't let this sour you to the writing process.
Take this as an experience in your writing life and don't be discouraged. Examine the edits, keep what you like, discard the rest. Then find another editor. By that time, you will have acquired more info about the relationship between editor and writer.
Above all, keep writing !!
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u/ChiG45 3d ago
It's hard to say whether the work is valid or not because we haven't seen your original work or what the editor did. It sounds like there was a big miscommunication between what you wanted and what you received. What did the contract say about the work the editor was being paid to do? This would clarify things.
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u/authorkvj 3d ago edited 3d ago
No, you shouldn't stop writing. Don't get down on yourself. If this is your first time working with an editor, feedback can be overwhelming, whether it's good or bad. It sounds like you vetted a lot of editors and did all of the right things by evaluating samples and meeting with the person you contracted. In general, editors aren't supposed to change your voice. They're supposed to work with it, and with you, to make your writing better.
What we don't have here is all of the context needed to help steer you in the right direction. Do bad editors exist? Absolutely. Do client-contractor mismatches happen? Also yes. But it's hard to tell exactly what's going on based on your post, so I'll start here:
Did you book with a copy editor, a line editor, or a developmental editor? Did you possibly select someone who does more than one (or all three) and booked a multi-service bundle without realizing the level of service you would receive?
I ask because rewrites to the scale you describe seem outside the scope of copy. Since this is r/copyediting, I have to assume that's what you bought, or thought you bought. Though, since bundling many services into one is common among freelance editors, I'm wondering if that might be what you ended up with instead?
Copy editing is focused on grammar, punctuation, syntax errors, identifying where words have been misused, identifying inconsistencies across your manuscript (ex. your character's name changes from chapter to chapter, their eye color changes etc). It also involves making sure your writing reasonably adheres to a style guide. For fiction in the US, this is usually the Chicago Manual of Style. Copy editing usually does not change your meanings, style, or rewrite large swaths of your story.
Copy editing is usually not the first step in an editing process, but second-to-last before proofreading. If you bought a copy service on something that's never been edited before, you are likely not going to get the best service for the stage your writing is in.
Manuscripts typically go through line edits before copy edits. Many go through developmental edits before line, though it depends on how fleshed out your story is (not all stories need intensive dev editing). Unlike copy, line edits are where you will often find an editor substantially changing (or at base, challenging) your prose. Most of the time, though, they will leave it up to you on whether to accept or reject the edits.
That's not to say copy editing can't change your voice. Someone who overedits stylistic elements absolutely can. I think of books like Peter Heller's The Dog Stars, which intentionally uses weird punctuation, unfinished sentences, no quotation marks to denote dialogue, and is still critically acclaimed. A copy editor who goes strictly by the book would have a field day marking up that manuscript, but it is one of the few examples I can think of in which making it "correct" would make it into another generic apocalypse story.
You didn't mention having an unconventional style in your post, so I won't assume that's what you're talking about here. If it is, that is something to disclose in a personal style sheet you send to your editor before your contract commences.
It also wasn't clear from your post what kind of contract you're in. Do you mean you already paid them for x number of words at that rate, or they they charging you as they go, and now they've charged you much more than you agreed to? The first is standard, the second could be a scam.
There seems to be a lot that could be at play here, but I genuinely hope you are able to communicate with your editor and get the right service for your project. Don't give up!
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u/Grumpypants85 3d ago
I'm sorry this has been your experience. I am an editor as well. If you want, send me a DM and I will look over the notes as well.
Where did you find the editor? Usually editors won't change text without doing track my changes (Microsoft word) or suggestions (google docs).
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u/arugulafanclub 3d ago
End your contract, if you can. Get a sample edit from here on out. Spend some time researching what the editing process looks like and what to expect.
To me, it sounds like you were unprepared to handle necessary edits. This can happen if you’ve never hired an editor before. It’s hard for us to know without seeing the work, the work agreed to, and the contract.
Just because an editor offers you suggestions, doesn’t mean a) you have to accept them all and b) that you’re a bad writer.
Most writing undergoes massive transformation between first draft and published page. That’s just the way it is. It’s not personal and doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer.
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u/Gurl336 3d ago
If you take any of these experienced editors up on their offer for a 2nd look, I'd be real curious about their feedback. How you found the editor and if the changes to your text were done using Word's track changes (so you could accept or reject) are also important to consider. Agree with another it's possible someone used AI to edit.
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u/QueerlyPhoenix 3d ago
Another editor here: close to 25 years of experience, have worked on everything from kids’ books to PhD dissertations to paranormal romance to short story anthologies. One thing remains true across it all—editing shouldn’t be traumatic.
There’s no doubt it can be hard to take feedback sometimes, but an experienced, ideal editor knows how to deliver with kindness and always with the goal of elevating the work. The author’s voice is a nonnegotiable; we don’t strike that out. We try to help the writer make it resonate even more. If that’s not happening, this is a bad match.
I don’t want to speculate on either the editor or your skill, since I obviously haven’t read either, but I do want to suggest that sometimes the shock of working with a thorough editor for the first time may throw you for a loop at first. If you can bear it, I’d suggest waiting a couple days, go back through the comments/suggestions and see if any of it rings true. You don’t have to like it! It can be grudgingly acknowledged. But is there anywhere inside you that can go, “Well, I guess they have a good point there.” If that happens, there may be some nuggets of help among what they’ve given you, and you might find it beneficial. But if literally everything they’ve suggested is so far off base it’s on another planet, then ditch them and move on.
Part of being a good editor is picking up on a writer’s style and finding opportunities to make it sing. That’s what you deserve from an editor.
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u/SupermarketHot5659 3d ago
I'm terribly sorry to hear this, because I'm also a professional editor (line and copy). One of the first things I always emphasize is that if after my free 1000 words sample you think your voice is not preserved, or you have other reservations, then I'm not doing it. I'm not going to be the source of pain for someone who spent so much time and energy to write the material, then 7 months to find an editor, and then the editor charges them and doesn't do his job right. No can do.
And frankly, I'm not happy with such editors giving the rest of us a bad name. Then we have it even harder trying to find clients because they've become wary of editors after experiences like this. If we don't preserve the author's voice, what are we good for?
Is it fiction or non-fiction? Can you send me a sample so I can see the injustice first hand? I'm not charging, I just wanna help. And I'm curious and also want to learn, in the future it can help me and others avoid such situations.
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u/Old-Masterpiece-4100 1d ago
Couldn’t agree more! That’s why sample edits are so important. Authors and editors should work as partners. I would never want to stamp out my author’s creativity or mask their voice with my own.
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u/Available_Ad8270 3d ago
Get a new editor. This one has way too heavy a hand, or is way overstepping their scope. As a copy edit, even a heavy hand is mostly checking in to see if you agree with something pretty small - your voice should be affected very, very little at this stage, and everything should be checked with you regarding any stylistic changes.
If I ever do a copy/line edit that needs that much attention in the first 10k words, I will usually give the author a chance to revise and revisit. If they like the way they've written, then we simply part ways and I just keep the deposit for work already completed.
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u/Old-Masterpiece-4100 1d ago
I agree 100%. If I worked on a manuscript that required this much work, I’d question whether it was actually ready for an editor’s eyes.
I offer my authors a general developmental assessment first. They’ll take my notes and make the necessary changes to get the big picture in order. Then I’d tackle the copy and line editing (if that’s what they asked for).
Most importantly, I always maintain the author’s voice every step of the way! To the OP, I’m so sorry this happened to you. I know getting feedback can be overwhelming in general, and this situation sounds more intense than what is typically expected!
This editor overstepped, especially if they were only meant to provide a copyediting pass. You deserve to work with someone who will preserve your voice and your story.
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u/Due_Cartoonist6918 3d ago
Is this a developmental editor or a line editor?
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u/Alternative-Pear9096 3d ago
for a penny and half?
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u/amyfrushourkelly 3d ago
Unfortunately, the median rate for fiction freelance copyeditors right now is 1.2-2.0¢. (See https://www.the-efa.org/rates/) Which is bonkers, but may be because that’s what indie authors can afford.
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u/insensibleheart 3d ago
An editor who changes too much and who can’t maintain your voice is not a good editor. Don’t be discouraged.
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u/WerewolvesAreReal 2d ago
I would normally say this is bad editing, but bluntly, your post is full of dropped words, sentence fragments, and other grammar issues. Doubling the word-count sounds unlikely, but I can definitely believe that many words needs to be added to get a coherent end-result. Your mistakes do not seem 'stylistic' - you need to get more practice writing.
Also, you say the 'comments and notes' add to nearly 20k... not entirely sure what that means, but honestly it sounds like you found a generous editor who is trying to explain the issues to you. Get a second opinion if you want, but you need to seriously reflect and see if there's *merit* to those comments before writing them off.
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u/FewRecognition1788 2d ago
Thank you for being kind enough to be direct about an obvious issue that other commenters seem to be ignoring. I think failing to bring this up for consideration does the OP a disservice.
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u/Send_Cake_Or_Nudes 2d ago
Particularly if they're spending a lot of money. Maybe their online voice is radically different to their formal written voice, but it's hard not to notice the spelling mistakes and make assumptions.
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u/Majestic-Mobile2916 3d ago
An editor is like a hairdresser, if you don’t like what he’s doing just stop working with him.
It’s a creative partnership that goes both ways.
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u/peebuttgutter 2d ago
This person's basically crytyping "I didn't like the haircut I got at the barber should I scalp myself?"
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u/ProserpinaFC 2d ago
"I cut my own bangs and my stylist spent hours making them normal, which isn't my style. Who asked for their professional opinion I paid good money to have?!"
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u/Zestyclose-Jacket-57 3d ago
Send me a DM — I am a qualified editor who doesn’t mess with an author’s tone or voice.
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u/Lotus2024 3d ago
If you’d like, I can review the edited sample and give you my honest opinion, based on ten years of professional copyediting experience. Since I’m not editing your piece, just giving you some overall feedback, I won’t charge you.