Hiring Book Editors

We are hiring book editors this week, a frustrating task. It isn't that we lack applications. It is just that there are people out there who think they are qualified, who have no idea what they are doing.

We had one applicant say that they average about 300 hours per manuscript? If each session was five hours of their work, and then the ms went back to the author, it would take about 2 years to finish the project.

We had another applicant who charged $2000 - but all they did was a line edit. So, their poor clients were paying $2000 for a proofreader, or they were paying about $6 a page for what should only cost them $1.50 - $2.50 a page.

Then there are the dozens of applicants who listed that they could edit more than 10 genres - but when asked what genres they read, the answer was 0 - 2. How in the world can you edit a genre if you do not read it?

I don't think we found a single editor who swore they were qualified to edit thrillers who actually took the time to map a thriller and create a story arc. So, if you do not have a story arc, how in the world do you know if the climax is in the right place, there are the right number of breathers, the conflicts work together. Not to mention training yourself to find plot holes, pacing problems, or loose ends.

And - don't get me started on character development.

It explains why so many writers languish in the slush pile. If the editors do not have a clue of what they are doing - who is teaching the writers how to create a good novel.

So, the quest for editors continues. We have about five people willing to train, who we will turn into great editors.