Why Editors Give Bad Advice

By D.L. Winchester.

I was at a writing group meeting recently, and the author of a piece we were discussing said she was overwhelmed by the volume of writing advice she found that often contradicted what she wanted to do. She referenced advice she’d received from an editor. Looking at the piece, I could see the advice didn’t improve the story.

Being me, I made a smart-assed remark (Rebecca threatened me with painful consequences if I repeat it here), then explained why I thought the advice could be ignored. But it did get me to thinking: why do editors give bad advice?

I don’t think it’s intentional. Most editors are well meaning and trying to help the authors who seek them out. But there are factors that can make editors poor choices for seeking advice:

1. Editors are Specialists
Most editors have genres that they work almost exclusively in. For me, I work mostly in horror, thriller, and western. I’m not terrible at mystery and fantasy, but throw anything else at me, and my ability to make a positive impact on the piece is limited.

It’s kind of like doctors. If you have head trauma, a urologist can probably keep you alive until you get to the hospital, but it’ll take a brain surgeon to make a lasting difference.

Editors are the same. Put a piece of literary fiction in front of me, and I’ll do what I can, but as soon as possible, I’m going to pass it off to Rebecca.

But give me a piece of western horror, and I’ll make it shine.

2. Editors Edit for Themselves
If I look at your piece, my suggestions are going to be biased. I’m going to tell you what I would do to make the piece work for me. You can hand your work to five different editors, and get five different sets of suggestions. Even at Undertaker Books, you can give the same manuscript to Rebecca and me, and come out with different results.

It’s not that either of us is right or wrong (unless Rebecca says I’m wrong, in which case I usually am). We just take different approaches and focus on different things to bring out the best in a story.

3. Editors have Different Strengths
There are different types of editing: Developmental, Line, and Proofreading. Some editors specialize in just one of these, while some do all three. But even among those who can do all three (like Rebecca and me), there’s usually one they are best at. For me, it’s line editing. Rebecca can proofread and quote grammar rules at you like nobody’s business.

If you show a proofreading editor your first draft, they’re going to be out of their comfort zone. But a developmental editor could do it wonders.

4. Editors are not seeing the whole picture
If you get a chance to show an editor your work, they’re usually only going to be looking at a few pages, maybe a chapter. Editing a piece of a story is hard because you lack the bigger picture, and anything you say may affect something you don’t see.

In most cases, editors will avoid the risk by punting, giving you a piece of trite advice and disappearing.

So if you are given the chance to put your work in front of an editor, how can you maximize the opportunity?

1. Know who you’re talking to.
If you’re a romance writer approaching a horror editor, keep that in mind. Or if the editor specializes in developmental editing and you have questions about proofreading. Tailoring your questions to the editor’s strengths maximizes the answers they give you.

2. Ask a specific question.
“What do you think of this?” is not specific. It’s a generic question that will usually generate a generic answer. The more specific you are about what you want to ask, the better an answer you’ll get.

3. Don’t take the advice too seriously because it came from an editor.
Advice is advice, and it’s not always applicable. Just because an editor says something doesn’t make it gospel. Weigh it against what you know, and what makes your story the best it can be.

4. Treat the editors like humans.
We don’t expect bowing and hand kissing. Most of us are book lovers and authors ourselves who enjoy talking shop with other writers. I’m not saying to forget your manners, but don’t put us on a pedestal either.