Aarrgh! [rant]

[Michelle Lyons]

I'm an editor. I write too, but editing is easier and faster money, and I'm good at it. It's how I got started in the RPG industry. I like what I do, and I'm happy to find people to work with who realize the value editors have.

BUT.

Editors are some of the most unloved people on the face of the planet. A book comes out, and everyone else gets praised but you if you did a good job. If you missed something, Satan himself rises from the earth to pillory you personally and the angels weep (when not snickering behind your back). Would it be so hard to have a review say, "Layout was nice, art was okay, and editing was really good!" Would it? Huh?

Whew.

Having said that, I know that it's the editor's job to be invisible. We are the ninjas of publishing, ideally coming and going without a trace (only we only sometimes wear black and very rarely wear tabi), assassinating grammatical and content errors with our mighty... well, that's going a bit overboard, but you get the idea. Basically, if you see our tracks, we did a lousy job. And I can live with that. But occassionally I feel the need to rant and attract a little attention, so here you go.

To all the editors that have ever worked on my stuff, THANK YOU. You guys are talented, wonderful, and you made me look better than I could have on my own.

And now I feel better, and shall go back to work with a renewed spirit and a fresh red pen. Thanks.

[MetalMan]

You gotta be kidding me. I almost worship the paper that my editor bloodies up! They're the ones who keep me from looking completely incompetent (although nobody is perfect *grin*).

I'd like to thank both Mark Bruno and Samantha Downing for making my sorry excuse for text look like it was written by someone other than a monkey :)

[chriss2d]

You said it yourself...editors are the ninjas of publishing.

I think you guys get credit, but in an indirect way. I've read reviews where the reviewer commented on a lack of errors. Grammatical or otherwise. I suppose this is the reward you get. Pretty lousy, but it's something. It's unfortunate, but the editors are often viewed as the necessary evil of publishing.

Editors are as essential to a product as the content within it, but it's their job to be annoying. As editors, you may not want to be annoying, but it truly is your job to be so. Your'e all in a bad position because if you do a good job, your'e going to irritate everyone and get no thanks in return.

Freelancers don't have it much better really. I can only speak for myself, but I've turned in many jobs where I worked my ass off for a month and never heard from the AD again. No "good job" and no "thank you". I feel you. There's been times where the Ad has called or e-mailed me to tell me they loved the job I did and it really made me feel good about my work.

Your'e not hated or unpopular. Your'e just like the rest of us Under payed, under appreciated and under Eisenhower...or something like that.

I'm shutting up:)

Chris

[Caduceus]

The reason is because of the nature of the job itself.

A good editor will convince a writer to remove something stupid from his book. If he follows that advice, the reader will never even know something had been done but he will appreciate the work more for it.

Just be smug. Without you, the writer would look like a total boob.

[Tenacious B]

I'm just going to answer all subpoints in one message :)

<< I'd like to thank both Mark Bruno and Samantha Downing for making my sorry excuse for text look like it was written by someone other than a monkey. >>

Puh-leeze, MM, your work hardly resembles that of being written by a monkey :) Trust me, I've seen stuff that would make Guttenburg cringe. :) You're a pleasure to work with and know your stuff!

<< I think you guys get credit, but in an indirect way. I've read reviews where the reviewer commented on a lack of errors. Grammatical or otherwise. I suppose this is the reward you get. >>

I write reviews occassionally, so as a professional editor, too, I always try to give kudos to a piece where good editing is evident, especially with regards to copy-editing. It's very important to the overall appearance and organization of a product and speaks volumes about the company when it's done right.

<< Editors are some of the most unloved people on the face of the planet. >>

Heh...I can attest to that. I work for a not-for-profit association that publishes a member travel magazine and an internal employee newspaper. I can't tell you how many times people get pissed when material they've submitted to the employee magazine gets edited. You have to go into all sorts of explanations like:

"It's not AP style."

"This was a run-on sentence."

"This is what a run-on sentence is."

"We had to cut for space..."

I can go on, but I digress...

I love what I do, though, so I just learn to take everything in stride, and that includes the bitching and anonymity :)

Mark Bruno
Three-Sixty Publishing
www.threesixtypublishing.com
Mean Streets: The RPG of Classic Film Noir

[Ereshkigal]

Maybe I should start a new thread about this, but its a thread about editing, so I will add it here. Hope no one minds......

So how does one get started in RPG editing?

The few times I have tried I have been told that they want people with experience.

Now, I have experience outside of the RPG industry in editing, but evidently that didn't count. Thats really what I want to do...yet I keep being told I have to write RPGs before I will be considered for editing them.

What if I am not as good at writing as I am at editing? Ooyyy....

Any help or advice would be appreciated greatly. :)

[Michelle Lyons]

I answered an ad on FASA's web page and got lucky. I sent in resumes and writing samples, went on an interview, and got hired because I didn't get flustered when I went to the wrong stop on the "L" in Chicago. Editing experience (if it's paid or for a non-profit) does bear weight. The only thing against it is that editing for an RPG is quite a bit different than editing in the rest of the publishing world.

Working with rules is like working with technical papers. Working with fiction requires a thorough knowledge of the game world and an ability to relate to what's being written. And finally, the reason many people are going to tell you that you need to be able to write in order to edit RPGs is that you'll have to write in order to edit RPGs.

For many companies, their editors fill a similar function to line developers. They'll rewrite material as needed, fill in material that they weren't able to get, and otherwise turn around material as needed to fill in the gaps and solve the emergencies. They'll also work with the authors, and you can't tell an author how to change his document if you can't give him a clear example of what you want it to look like.

Editing for RPGs is more than doing a copy edit. If you can't prove that you know your stuff by writing, no one is really going to believe you can find the problems in someone else's writing. My best advice is to knuckle down and write some stuff, then edit it. If you know what you're doing, it's bound to show up in the finished product. :)

[Ereshkigal]

Oh I am doing the writing thing now so I can eventually move into editing. :)

But I still maintain that I am far better at taking someone else's writing and making it better than I am at writing everything myself. Maybe its only because I much prefer to be editing than writing. :) People do seem to be liking my writing, so hopefully it'll happen sooner rather than later.

I am just after any and all advice that I can get. The more I know the better I will be when I try again....:)

[Tenacious B]

<< I answered an ad on FASA's web page and got lucky. >>

I was soooo tempted to send in a resume when FASA was looking for an assistant editor two years ago (or was it last year?). For whatever reason, I pussy-footed around it for a few months before deciding to send a resume, then they announced the company was going under...d'oh!

But seriously....

I second Michelle's advice. If you're going to apply for an editorial position at any RPG publisher then get to know their products and get to know them well. Also, write as much as you can...write, write, write. And it won't hurt to get a little web site going, with an online resume and writing samples. In my experience, you're far more likely to score with a freelance writing job, initially.

For instance, I've been working with the folks over at Deep7 (www.deep7.com) for quite some time now, first as a freelance writer and now as an editor and writer for their up-coming <i>Red Dwarf</i> RPG. I got my foot in the door by submitting scenarios for their web site's freebies section. It just logically progressed from there.

<< And finally, the reason many people are going to tell you that you need to be able to write in order to edit RPGs is that you'll have to write in order to edit RPGs. >>

Again, I agree wholeheartedly with Michelle on this. Although, I've noticed over the last several years that the quality of editing in RPGs is on the sharp decline, specifically copy-editing. Many companies prefer to keep editing in-house, as opposed to hiring a professional editor, so maybe that's where the problem lies. There's only a handful of companies that I know of whose books are <i>relatively</i> (nothing is THAT perfect ;)) typo free...FASA and Steve Jackson Games instantly come to mind.

I stand by my position that copy-editing is a lost art in RPGs...and most of the writing is crappy, too. Don't get me wrong, this industry has very creative writers, many of whom I consider some of the best. It's just that some people just don't....get it.

<ducks and runs for cover....>

Mark Bruno
Three-Sixty Publishing
www.threesixtypublishing.com

[Ereshkigal]

I got my foot in the door by submitting scenarios for their web site's freebies section.

That, sir, is one fine suggestion. :)

I am already trying hard to pepper the industry with writing bits, I will have to include that area too.

People keep saying get a website get a website...I guess I will have to buckle down and make one.

[Tenacious B]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ereshkigal
That, sir, is one fine suggestion. :) I am already trying hard to pepper the industry with writing bits, I will have to include that area too.

Yeah, it's a great way to get a company to notice you. Also, try your hand at submitting stuff to RPG web sites...places like Gaming Outpost, RPG Action, and Gaming Report are always willing to accept content. And I'm not talking about reviews, either. If you're familiar with d20 then proceed with creating some content in the form of short adventures, for instance.

People keep saying get a website get a website...I guess I will have to buckle down and make one.

I use mine quite frequently, especially when I'm soliciting for work. I'll e-mail the publisher a letter of introduction and include the web site address so they can check it out at their leisure.

An online resume doesn't even have to be elaborate. Angelfire works great for posting writing samples and work experience.

Good luck!

-- Mark

[Kamen Rider Black]

I think overall it's hard to comment on editing unless it's bad editing.

On the one hand, what if the writer actually can spell, knows the mechanics of his language, and can actually maintain the proper flow?

Whenever you see 'well written' and you know the guy has all the skill of a third grader, you can take that as your compliment.

Other than that, if you want attention... take up streaking. ;)



[edit: of course, a good editor will look at that and say "you shouldn't use a 'on the one hand' opener without an 'on the other hand' follow up, fool!"]