Many years ago, I had a discussion on this very issue with my good friend and wonderful writer Sharyn McCrumb. She told me she got so mad at one copy editor that she had two rubber stamps made. One read: "STET"
That's probably more like it! If I had a dime for every time I heard a workshop critique that could be summarized "Write it like I would have written it," I'd be a rich woman today.
This was not self-published, it was a Terrace Press book, the trade arm of UWP. Great press, terrific production values and marketing. I complained to the publisher and the copy editor was dutifully over ruled.
They can really get your hackles up, like that editor's note in the margin of one of my books: "our intern suggests that you remove the side plot in Florida". I had 2 reasons to blow a fuse. 1. our "intern"????? Really, are you kidding? 2. The side plot is half the book and dovetails into the main story, including being the main reason why the my main character isn't arrested for murder ... of all the moronic editing comments. I fumed, then simply wrote: NO, in red and bold!
You are far more patient than I am! I returned the copyedited manuscript of my sixth novel with a note to please hire another copy editor, who clearly didn't understand first-person narration, and got several facts wrong. such as insisting 2nd Street in Santa Monica was actually Second Street. I felt really bad for them and hope they later found a career better suited for their talents.
Thanks, Robert. I had a book tour in Germany mis-managed by someone at Parthas Verlag who was no longer working for them by the end of the tour, thanks to my "notes."
I wasn't patient at all. I told the copy editor to back off. He didn't. So when I complained to the publisher about what this dude was doing, it stopped.
Rhetorical question: Why would anyone think that the voice of a *memoir* should be heavily revised?
Thanks. I was there at the (almost) origin, as reflected in that Ngram included with the link. The terms "copyeditor" and "copyediting" were widely (relatively speaking) popularized by Karen Judd (a battle-ax I worked for when I was young) in her book "Copyediting." Sometimes I used to wish I had gone into financialediting or foodediting or technicalediting or someotherkindofediting. Ugh.
This was not an editor, it was a copy editor--very different species. When I went to the top and complained to the publisher, they agreed with me.
I've never had an editor behave the way the copy editor did. I've been working with editors since the 80s via magazines, newspapers, anthologies, then books, then lit mags and have not had anyone as ham-fisted as this dude.
Many years ago, I had a discussion on this very issue with my good friend and wonderful writer Sharyn McCrumb. She told me she got so mad at one copy editor that she had two rubber stamps made. One read: "STET"
And the other read: "STET, DAMMIT!"
I would have added one that read WTF. 😂
What a shame. It sounds as though the copyeditor didn't know what he was doing.
Or wanted to write his own book over mine. :-)
That's probably more like it! If I had a dime for every time I heard a workshop critique that could be summarized "Write it like I would have written it," I'd be a rich woman today.
So frustrating. Were you able to fire him?
This was not self-published, it was a Terrace Press book, the trade arm of UWP. Great press, terrific production values and marketing. I complained to the publisher and the copy editor was dutifully over ruled.
They can really get your hackles up, like that editor's note in the margin of one of my books: "our intern suggests that you remove the side plot in Florida". I had 2 reasons to blow a fuse. 1. our "intern"????? Really, are you kidding? 2. The side plot is half the book and dovetails into the main story, including being the main reason why the my main character isn't arrested for murder ... of all the moronic editing comments. I fumed, then simply wrote: NO, in red and bold!
That is such a bizarre communication. Why would the editor privilege an intern's suggestion?
Why would she even mention it, you mean.... no idea.
C'est dingue!
You are far more patient than I am! I returned the copyedited manuscript of my sixth novel with a note to please hire another copy editor, who clearly didn't understand first-person narration, and got several facts wrong. such as insisting 2nd Street in Santa Monica was actually Second Street. I felt really bad for them and hope they later found a career better suited for their talents.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, terrific essay!
Thanks, Robert. I had a book tour in Germany mis-managed by someone at Parthas Verlag who was no longer working for them by the end of the tour, thanks to my "notes."
I wasn't patient at all. I told the copy editor to back off. He didn't. So when I complained to the publisher about what this dude was doing, it stopped.
Rhetorical question: Why would anyone think that the voice of a *memoir* should be heavily revised?
Yikes. The worst! And thank you for not saying “copyeditor.”
You're welcome. It's not only AP style, it's apparently the wave of the future. For an interesting survey of the choices:
https://www.debbie-emmitt.com/copy-editor-copyeditor-or-copy-editor-which-are-you/
Thanks. I was there at the (almost) origin, as reflected in that Ngram included with the link. The terms "copyeditor" and "copyediting" were widely (relatively speaking) popularized by Karen Judd (a battle-ax I worked for when I was young) in her book "Copyediting." Sometimes I used to wish I had gone into financialediting or foodediting or technicalediting or someotherkindofediting. Ugh.
This was not an editor, it was a copy editor--very different species. When I went to the top and complained to the publisher, they agreed with me.
I've never had an editor behave the way the copy editor did. I've been working with editors since the 80s via magazines, newspapers, anthologies, then books, then lit mags and have not had anyone as ham-fisted as this dude.