"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

The Benefits of Editors Taking Responsibility

When editors take responsibility for the relationship, they show authors a willingness to be friends instead of enemies. It is easy to accept the prevailing opinion that the editor/author relationship is regularly characterized by conflict and it is difficult to go against the trend and befriend authors. When authors see editors making the effort to share power and develop friendly relations, they are likely to respond in kind. Friendship can lead to higher levels of collaboration, which should in turn result in better final products. If the editor and author can either agree or agree to disagree, they will both put their best effort into producing excellent writing rather than one-upping each other. As Speck says, the respective authorities of editors and authors are linked. When they both put their authority behind collaborating on the same writing, they increase the power of that writing.

Wieringa goes further than Speck by saying that editors are responsible to authors. While this seems to imply that editors have less power, what it really means is that editors still have power, but they restrain it. Controlled power is more impressive than power that is out of control. When editors control their power, they make those under their care feel secure, and this safe environment, similar to Beck and Gibb’s supportive climate, helps authors trust their editors. Authors are more likely to respond positively to editors who control their power than to those who use it freely. Editors also increase their own prestige by restraining themselves because they gain reputations for quality editing and for getting along with their authors. The benefits work both ways, as content authors are likely to recommend other authors to their favorite editors. The editor/author relationship will never be entirely free of conflict; it simply is not feasible when two egos interact so closely. Editors, however, should still take the responsibility for turning the relationship into a good one for the benefit of the writing, the authors, and the editors themselves.