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Book Edits and Brown-nosing -- NSBR

scrapsandsass

scrapsandsass

Oh Ricky you're so fine ...
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Feb 11, 2011
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So, this professor (from the MFA program that I finished in August) emails me last week and asks if I'd be interested in proofing a memoir they are going to be publishing through their publishing house. I never had him as a prof, but have tremendous respect for him and his writing. He is amazing. Of course I agreed to help out.

Now I am just dreading it. LOL. He sent it to me this morning, saying that it should be pretty clean because it has already been looked over once and they just needed a second pair of eyes.

OMG. I swear, I feel like I'm being punked or something. It is not good. I'm only on page 25 so far. It is hard to read, it is not very well written, and the person who "edited" it before me did not do a very good job. I think all they did is run spell check and grammar check and leave it at that. I have 209 pages left to go. :dizzy I honestly can't believe they are publishing it. Unless it gets really good as you go farther along, I am seriously wishing I wouldn't have volunteered. Ugh. That'll teach me to be a brown-noser. LOL.
 
Oh no! What a drag, and really, how uncomfortable! What are you going to tell him? Are you just going to proof it and give no opinions or do you feel obligated to say something (good or bad) about it?
 
I hate it when people think they're great writers... and aren't. Can you only edit the most egregious errors and leave some of the awkward-but-okay stuff (like run-on sentences and/or comma splices -- *shudder*) in so you did help to improve the overall book without getting anyone's artistic underpants in a bunch?

If you don't need any recommendations for whatever job or career you're getting into, I'd be tempted to be rather heavyhanded with the editing if it's really that awful. You can't help that it's so terrible. If this prof contacted you for help, it seems like he holds you in a good light, so perhaps after seeing how much work you had to do on this piece, it will prompt him to have the author rewrite it (and have a long hard discussion with the first editor while he's at it).

Good luck! The best and worst thing abt writer-ly types is how sensitive they are abt their writing, so I know how difficult it can be to walk the line between pandering and real critique.
 
Oh my goodness that sounds terrible. I would love to edit books...but that job does not appeal!
 
Ugh. I would hate that. But, in my past editing career I learned that people usually like to be told the truth. I once had to correct the VP of my company repeatedly about some grammatical issues. It freaked me out a little bit. But, I heard through the grapevine later that he was actually impressed with me. It does make me tired thinking about slogging through something that is so poorly written, though. Good luck with it!
 
Maybe this is a test to see if you're a good editor and they are going to offer you a job if you're honest???!?!? :) Let 'em have it! I hate reading something that is poorly written. Good luck!
 
Thanks guys. It has gotten marginally better, but I'm still not finding the magic. Ugh. I am going to be honest with him because I do respect him, and I also don't want to look like an idiot for not changing things that need to be changed. I'd hate ignore it, then have it printed and pointed out later.

ltarbox said:
I once had to correct the VP of my company repeatedly about some grammatical issues. It freaked me out a little bit.
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Yeah, I used to work at a newspaper. I was a temp in the newsroom... an admin to the Exec Editor. He was a bear. We went round and round about some things because the grammar was just wrong. He'd just tell me that it was "journalism" and I guess that meant it was somehow okay that he used poor grammar. LOL I'm fairly relaxed when I'm in forums or other casual writing, but man... if it is something that is going into print, I think it needs to be right.
 
I think you're smart to be honest with him. I think if it were any of us in his shoes, we'd appreciate the honest truth, even if it's hard to hear. That's a hard situation, though... whew! You'll have to let us know an update once you've talked to him. Good luck!
 
Yikes! I hate editing any kind of written document and I cringe when people ask me to proof anything. I end wanting to change the whole thing because it was so poorly written... ugh! Good luck!
 
Karen said:
Maybe this is a test to see if you're a good editor and they are going to offer you a job if you're honest???!?!? :) Let 'em have it! I hate reading something that is poorly written. Good luck!
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I was thinking this exact same thing... like Gordon Ramsey on Hell's Kitchen when he intentionally sets them up to see if they can catch the errors and will be bold enough to say so. All you can do is what you think is right. And keep in mind, in the long run you don't have to have this guy's ongoing good opinion, so I wouldn't be overly concerned with whether or not you upset him.
 
So I finished up the editing of the book and was totally honest with him in my email. It got a little better (less editing) about 75 pages in, but there were still major conflicts and contradictions in logic and timeline. All in all, it really just wasn't that great. I just sent it back to him with my edits and notes (although I left the illogical narrative and the flashbacks in the middle of flashbacks :giggle). I told him what I felt as a reader. I also told him wasn't sure how picky he expected me to be, but if I was a little heavy-handed, it was just because that is how I would want someone to edit my work. Because in the end, it is about trying to put out the best product and make everyone look good, right? :D I also told him, sincerely, that I felt bad ripping apart someone's life story (it was a memoir) because it was a tragic story. Ugh.

We'll see.

And if he doesn't like it, it isn't like I'm out anything anyway. :giggle
 
Oh my goodness, what a situation. Sounds like you did a terrific job. I hope he appreciates your work!
 
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