I wrote this for Ajoobacats, an influential and popular book reviewer. It was very kind of her to invite me to weigh in. Special thanks to Diane Anderson, who made the piece better in every way through editing. One of the best ways to learn that one needs an editor is to be an editor, write a piece, find oneself stuck, have another editor look at it and see the problems with ridiculous ease, and sigh with relief at the things she caught that I would not have.
Many times, whilst I am reading a book for review, I find the pace varies, the plot stalls, there’s a lack of consistency in the narrative or it is full of little errors and I am left thinking that the book could have been much better if it had been proofread or edited.
However, editing for me is a subject I know little about so I was delighted when freelance writer, editor and proofreader Jonathan at The ‘Lancer generously offered to guest post and explain to me and my readers the technicalities of editing and proofreading in a clear concise and easily understandable manor.
I am honoured and delighted to learn from an experienced and candid literary professional and I hope you will find his thoughts informative too.
An Editor’s Thoughts on Hiring an Editor, by J.K. Kelley
Ajoobacats was so kind as to invite my thoughts on the value…
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The Editorial Maverick 
Telling it like it is – top stuff! Being relatively new to this writing malarkey I had no idea of the joys a great editor can bring to your writing but now I know I’d never be without their input.
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Thanks, Georgia. I believe that the rapport is very important. Some authors are easier to help than others, but in the tend it comes down to this: it is on the editor to convince the author that s/he can make valuable contributions. Usually a sample edit will convey that (or not, in which case the writer should keep looking).
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You’re right, when you mentioned ‘banter’ that sums it up. It comes down to someone who understands your work (when a writer) and who you are willing to trust to tell you whatever you need to hear, and for that there has to be a rapport.
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I have clients who actively troll me by putting in the very usages I have discouraged in their writing. And I have to be able to laugh along with it, because this is the overall response to editorial comments that sound like: “And here the story verges into science fiction, as your protag just warped the fabric of space and time in order to do what you have her doing. Going for a Nebula Award?” Our friends heckle us back, all in good fun. It works as long as, at the end of the day, we are all allies and teammates.
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