Copy Editors of Doom (And Why You Should Treasure Them)

Okies, I know I promised this post yesterday, and that I promised pictures, but we had company and I didn't get a chance to blog or take photos. (Sorry!) I'll get the words out now so I don't feel quite so bad, and get the pictures up later. I'd do it now, but I have no clue how to work my hubby's digital camera. (He's a photography buff so it's a LOT more than a normal point and click kind)

So...

I got a package Friday from my editor with more copy edits for The Shifter. We've already done one round, and there wasn't that much, so I assume this next round would be similar.

Oh, was I wrong. I think the first set was a test. I'm almost positive it went something like this:

COPYEDITOR-OF-DOOM: Send out the trial edits. If she doesn't curl into a ball and cry, we'll send her the real edits later. Bwahahah.

MINION-OF-DOOM: But Master, what if she can't handle the trial edits? Your power is greater than even you can comprehend.

COPYEDITOR-OF-DOOM: She must be tested! If we break her, we'll send a Grief Editor.

Well, I must have passed, because I got -- without warning or a grief editor -- the new copy edits.

Words do not do it justice. (Which is kinda ironic, really) Its corners are bent, there are Post-it notes all over it. Marks in blue pencil (courtesy of Renee, the Master), notes on pink Post-its (from the freelance minions), green and pencil notes from my editor. There's might be five whole pages without a comment on them. I burst out laughing when I saw it. I really did. It looks like it's been through a war. Sans blood.

It is truly a sight to behold.


And a side view...


Now, let's open it up...

Now, I've poked a little (well, maybe a lot) of fun here, but in all honesty, I'm awed by these folks. Besides the punctuation and grammar catches, they spotted continuity errors and even spots where my protag's voice sounded off. (And they were right). They not only noticed inconsistencies, but they referenced which pages things were also mentioned on so you could easily see the difference. They explained when they wanted to change something and why (which shows a goal to educate as well as edit). They found where words were used one way here, and another way there.

I'm just floored. The attention to detail is amazing. A dozen people at least have read through this manuscript multiple times and no one else caught this stuff. And while some of it is house style edits, (the way this publishing house likes to do certain things), a lot of it is story related. Like the fact that when my protag meets another major character, she never introduces herself, yet six pages later he uses her name. No one caught that in almost two years of critiques and edits!

These people are amazing. Seriously.

Granted, I've never done this before, and this might be perfectly normal for all copy editors. My opinions here might be biased because they're my copy editors so naturally they have to be the best evah, right?

(But I still think they're totally awesome)

I can see why some authors hate this stage of the process. You work hard on a book and then tons of people stick their fingers in it and tell you what to do with your words. Seeing almost every page of your book with comments can be disheartening. But I've found it fascinating, and it's a great opportunity to learn. (Who knew I was using the word scoff wrong all these years?) I'm taking it as a personal challenge to have fewer Post-its for Book Two. It'll be my own little mini-game.

Bottom line, these folks are here to help make my book the best it can be. They're on my side, so how can I get upset that they're taking the job so seriously.

I feel a lot like the Verizon guy. I turn around, and there's all these talented folks standing behind me, backing me up.

And I'm grateful for every last one of them.