What the hell is copy editor? · 10:38pm Feb 15th, 2020
Let's talk about something less ephemeral and about something a lot less practical, especially so considering where we are: editing.
I do not intend to tell anyone how to do that, after all, we all are editors from the very first day of our life. But editing is still not to be treated lightly.
Commercial editors, especially working for media, are without a single doubt are the most elite, experienced and influential people when their spheres are concerned, but do you know a single famous editor? Well, you can find some in Google, but the point is that they are never in the spotlight despite having as much influence over the works as their respective authors.
When talking about media, editors are the guys who, more or less, get everything working. Journalists, reporters, and anchorpeople all get supervised by editors. Desk editors get the newsroom working and tell journalists how to write their stories, layout editors ensure that photos and pictures are exactly where they are supposed to be, online editors handle the online page and ensure the information presented there is always on point, while executive editors oversee the entire process of creation and publishing (think J. Jonah Jameson), the list goes on.
Basically, wherever you look within any given media you will find an editor.
When our favourite books are concerned, editors are the people who, more or less, get them together. These editors are called "copy editors", they are in charge of making sure the person they are working with will write something worthwhile. That's one hell of a responsibility.
Copy editors proofread, check the facts, handle revisions, generally, they do everything that an author usually might not care to. They also write briefs, headlines, annotations and captions. On top of that, they also advise their author on the writing itself.
And then you also have people of my profession: translators. The copy editors working with translators are even more badass than the regular ones, they have to do all the above but in two languages simultaneously. Translating itself is tough enough, but by these guys, I am honestly awed.
Being a good literary editor takes not only a huge ton of experience with writing and academic study but also a natural instinct. You can never tell objectively what sounds good and what doesn't, you need to kinda feel it. Some editors end up writing just as much of the book as its author without getting the glory. They do get paid one hell of a salary though.
So, whenever you end up editing someone's fic around here, or anywhere else really, keep in mind: you are doing something really-really damn important. Never treat your job lightly.
The jobs that are not usually thought of, the ones that are thankless, are often the most important kinds