The Editors’ Edits
You’re working with an editor, turning in a first draft, then second draft, then third draft, according to her specifications. Then, the very nice editor shows you what the publication is going to run with, so you can see the changes they’ve made. However, it’s not exactly what you had envisioned. Do you give the editor your two cents, hoping she’ll find your advice helpful? Or do you take a more constructive route, asking why the changes were made? Or do you keep your mouth shut? I asked a few editor/writers that I know:
“Unless something is blatently wrong, I wouldn’t say anything, as a writer,” says one of my sources. “As an editor, I wouldn’t mind if someone really politely asked about a change, but I also wouldn’t
want them to argue too much about it; there’s always a reason.”
That reason being, another editor says, is that you don’t know how many editors the piece has been with. “You can ask why, certainly, and that will help you in the future with your direction. But a big thing to remember is that the editor is concerned with the voice of the magazine, and will alter the voice of the writer if need be to get that fit. Also, at many magazines there are so many editors going over a manuscript and everyone wants to put their two cents in. It drives me crazy as an editor, but I can’t tell my EIC not to change something, even if I suspect she’s just doing it to make her mark. Mag writing is a job–for art, write your novel or your blog.
For more on this topic and what other editors and writers say, visit the bulletin boards.
Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online 
