What Does Editing Mean?

When I got interested in becoming a part of the indie movement, and particularly when I got into e-books, I really tried to start reading more indie books because I want to support people.

Some I’ve read have been great–anything by Susan Bischoff or Vicki Keire–others have been absolute stinkers (and I’ll be kind enough to refrain from naming names). One I bought because part of the proceeds were being donated to a charity I believe in and the premise sounded interesting enough.  Plus, it was relatively short, which fits my free time right now.

Well I opened it to read and couldn’t get past the first three pages.

Why?

This book had almost no commas.

Now I’m not talking missing Oxford commas, which some people consider to be optional (I don’t, but I can get past that in a book because it’s a stylistic thing).  I’m talking necessary commas between two independent clauses joined by and, but, or so.

And about every other necessary comma in the world, except for the ones you’d put at the end of dialogue before the tag.

Which meant that there were run-on sentences EVERYWHERE.

The kicker?  This book was small press.  In the credits at the start of the book it lists both an editor AND a line editor.  Clearly neither of these individuals or the author herself actually grasp the concept of proper punctuation.  And dude, if you fancy yourself an actual publisher, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER.

A lot of people would be able to move past this and just enjoy the story.

Not me.

Dude, I am a grammar Nazi.

If it’s not right, it pulls me out of the story.  If I’m reading along and get switched into editor mode 2 lines into your book, this is a major problem.  Because that means if I do actually manage to stick it out, I’m going to tear it apart.

Grammar and punctuation ARE NOT OPTIONAL, people.  If you intend to self publish, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Eats Shoots and Leaves and, at the very least, the latest edition of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style.  While no writer should be the final editor for their own work, YOU as author should know this stuff.  They are the very basic, fundamental components of your craft.

I don’t care if you think it’s hard or that it’s the editor or copy editor’s job to fix.  It’s their job to catch it if you didn’t first.

YOU are the first line of defense.

Because if you put out a book that has been allegedly edited that definitely WASN’T (and you didn’t know any better), you’re going to make yourself a laughingstock and it’s going to reflect badly on the rest of us who strive to put out a professional product.  That’s just sheer laziness and stupidity.

It makes me want to come after you with the SPORK OF DOOM.  FEAR ME!

While the overall quality of self published work has risen since I first got into this gig, there’s still plenty of chaff parading around as wheat.  This is the kind of thing that continues to give validation to people’s arguments about the need for gatekeepers and steers readers more toward New York published stuff.  Yes, they occasionally put out total drek, but at least that drek usually has commas.

Don’t add to the drek!  Take pride in your work, and if you aren’t capable of editing it yourself, make sure you get it in the hands of someone who actually knows what they’re doing.