"The Relationship between Editors and Authors: A Lit Review"

About the Author

Kelly Shackelford was home educated. She graduated with highest honors from Cedarville University, Cedarville Ohio, in 2010 with a degree in Technical Writing and Editing. While tutoring in the campus writing center, she became interested in the relationship between editors and authors and how they resolve power struggles. She now works for the Air Force and hopes to improve communication between the government and contractors.

Contents

Introduction

Literature Review

Editorial Techniques

Editorial Techniques (continued)

The Responsibility of Editors

Scenarios

 The Benefits of Editors Taking Responsibility

Conclusion

Works Cited

Introduction

The stereotypical relationship between editors and authors is one of antagonism. Editing seems to naturally produce conflict between editors and authors as they vie for authority over each piece of writing. Often, editors feel unappreciated and believe that authors are over-sensitive to changes, while authors feel threatened and believe that editors are taking away ownership of their writing. No one is surprised when the two sides disagree, and their conflicts have become a source of humor.

Editor/author conflict raises the question of how exactly editors should respond to problems with authors. How far should editors go to appease authorial feelings when authors seem to assume that editorial improvements trample on their intellectual rights? The tensions between editors and authors have forced the former to develop many coping strategies to help them achieve and maintain harmony with authors.

Research indicates that the often antagonistic relationship between editors and authors arises from their differing expectations of the editing process and their different levels of power within their organizations. The editors intend to comprehensively edit the authors’ work, whereas authors merely want the editors to make them look competent. And in the tug-of-war between who gets the final say, do the editors win as those hired with an eye for detail, or the authors as the originators of the writing?  From a "power" standpoint, it would appear that a powerful editor makes for a weak author, and vice versa.

Research also describes the different techniques editors have developed for dealing with authors so that both sides are happy with the process and can work together peacefully. Strategies range from focusing on relationships and collaboration to actual actions editors take to ensure that authors retain control of their writing and trust the actions of editors.

In this article, I examine the reasons for editor/author conflict, mainly in the scientific and technical worlds, and the coping mechanisms editors have developed to improve the process. After researching work conducted by editors and authors among other editors and authors, I describe two issues between the opposing sides and then five editorial strategies for developing harmony. After reviewing the literature relating to the relationship between editors and authors, I suggest that contrary to stereotype, the editor/author relationship should be collaborative instead of antagonistic, and also that editors are responsible for developing and maintaining good relationships with authors.