Key Qualities Of A Developmental Editor

By Edward Reynolds


The kind of support given in writing where corrections, revisions, and kind of modifications done before a book can undergo production is known as editing. The person running this show referred to as a developmental editor. They usually are self-contracted, but in some cases, offer their services through an intermediary such as an editing firm. They handle a myriad of genres, depending in their specialization areas.

The editor performs a myriad of tasks so that the success of a book or manuscript is a success. One of the main responsibilities is giving relevant suggestions. It is part of their job to ensure that they offer not only suggestions, but also tangible ones at that. Such ideas may be improvement of the style, language or even character development. They however are not responsible for correcting spelling or grammatical errors. Theirs is just to highlight and let the writer carry out the necessary corrections.

There are a number of qualities that good editors should possess. For one they have to be capable of making clear edits. This means that they should clearly highlight whatever they feel needs altering. The highlights should be written in such a way that they are visible. This way, the writer will be able to see clearly, understand and thus make all the required changes.

They should also solve problems and not add to them. Giving solutions to problems identified is part of their job. They have to offer advice as well as give suggestions as to what needs to be done so that a way forward is clearly mapped out and the issue at hand gets to be addressed.

Every person in the writing world is required to have one more thing and that is creativity. Having the ability of seeing things in a different perspective and imagining the imaginable is important. This is because, one will be able to realize new creative ideas that may be included in the original story; thus, making it more captivating for readers.

Another great quality that they need to possess is respect. They ought to be able to recognize and accept that the author has total control over what goes in and out of a book. They have to also consider the preferences in addition to respecting the views and decisions made by the author.

They need to also possess the capability of giving good instructions. They may for instance instruct a writer to make certain changes or correct certain mistakes made. Their purpose is to help the writer become a better one and avoid making the same mistakes. They are also required to know what the readers want so that they can provide a market outlook of the book. This way they help the authors to know what they should expect.

In order to ensure the success of a book, then both the writer and the publishing supervisor need to chip in equal efforts. They ought to both try and work together by for instance being open-minded, respecting each other in addition to promoting good communication between them.




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