Does the editor of a book actually edit the book or do they just expect it to be correct as is?

Answer 1

It actually depends on what type of editor it is, because at publishing companies there are a lot of editor titles, and not all of them actually do editing. However, in general, the answer is that they actually edit the book. They expect general things like spelling and grammar to be mostly correct when they consider a book for publishing, but when they have already chosen to publish it, then they will get into editing the content. An editor might want the author to cut out a chapter that doesn't seem to drive the plot, but is just a side storyline... or cut out certain characters or lines that don't seem to add to the book. They will do what they can to make the book better, and depending on the agreement that they have with the author, sometimes they can changes things (even the title) without the author's permission. Sometimes this is good, and sometimes it is bad... but they do actually go in and edit things. All material selected for publishing is subject to editing. Different editors may do different kinds of editing. The type of book is also a factor in what kind of editing takes place.

In a work of fiction, the editor would want to improve the book but not interfere with the author's voice or override the author's style.

For a nonfiction book, an author may be chosen for his or her expertise and not necessarily because of great strength and skill in writing. The content must still be strong and be competently presented, but the publisher would expect to subject the book to editorial attention from the overall organization and approach right down to the nitty-gritty level. Many authors hire freelance professional editors to work with them while a book is in progress and before they ever submit it to a publisher.

A fairly high-level developmental edit might take place to guide revision. A substantive edit would delve into content. A copyedit would focus on the line-by-line and word-by-word composition of the text and correct errors of grammar, usage, punctuation, style, and so on. (This is a different sense of "style" from the author's manner of expression. It refers to such things as capitalization, hyphenation, and consistent treatment of elements. Nonfiction publishers have house style sheets that set rules for editors to follow in their line edits.) When book pages or galleys have been made up ready for printing, the final stage is proofreading. SapphireMoon If in doubt about is required, ask the publisher for guidance. For example, some scholarly journals request a 'camera-ready typescript' (plus a disk). Of course, the journal editors check the typescript, but in the first instance it is the author's job to make sure that everything is in apple-pie order and that the typescript conforms to the house style-sheet. Sometimes you will come across books consisting of collections of articles, essays or texts that have been 'edited by Jane Doe'. This is a different kind of editing. In such cases the editor named on the title-page and cover has selected the texts and has have written an introductory section and may have added some notes and so on. This is not same thing as copy editing and relates to the choice of the content, including any illustrations.