Someone on a forum asked for advice in finding an editor who can help him get published. My reply, as you can see, went a little beyond his basic question of "Can you recommend an editor who can help me find a publisher for my book?"
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Sure, I can. But, a word of caution. Few book editors have both conventional publishing house connections (rare) and literary representation (even more rare) to go along with their editing skills. Also, not all book editors will tackle all properties. Some of the reasons an editor may pass on a book are these:
- It's fiction, and the editor handles only nonfiction, or vice versa.
- The amount of work required is more than the editor can handle at the time, meaning the book requires more work than he's able to devote to it.
- The author's style doesn't appeal to the editor, and he doesn't believe he can contribute to the project and still remain true to the author's literary voice.
- The work is a Children's/Young Adult book, and the editor handles only Adult titles, or vice versa.
- The genre is one the editor doesn't like (Romance or Mystery, for example) or one with which the editor hasn't any experience or comfort level.
- The remuneration offered is not worth the effort.
- The work is nowhere near ready for editing and preparation for publishing. Read More