Editing is not just correcting manuscripts. When I was a college professor, I spent eight years grading papers, talking with students about their writing, leading writing workshops, writing my own presentations and manuscripts for publications, and reviewing manuscripts by colleagues. I gained insights into the workings of hiring committees and the process of peer review for journals and presses. All of these experiences have informed my editing in profound ways, but they have not, in themselves, made me into an editor.
Since 2007, when I began working as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader, I have had to compete for most of my contracts and constantly improve, all the while adding layers to my own understanding of what it takes to be an exceptional editor. What I have learned is that excellence in editing means first and foremost understanding the editor’s role as someone who assists writers in giving optimal form to their ideas, their voices, and their manner of presenting their research. Exceptional editors do more than improve the quality of a manuscript by using their insights, knowledge, and experience—they also communicate with authors in a way that is tactful, respectful, professional, and receptive to other points of view.