UNIT 2 EDITING

Structure
2.0 Aims and objectives
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The word and its meaning
'2.3 Kinds of editing
2.3.1 Copy editing-its historical background
2.3.2 General editing
2.4 The Schooling of an editor
2.5 An editor at work
2.5.1 First reading
2.5.2 Second reading
2.5.3 The cardinal rule
2.5.4 Mss with special problems
2.6 Summing up
2.7 Activities: aids to answers
2.8 Glossary

2.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

By the end of this Unit you will grasp the requirements of editing. An editor has to
scrutinise and select good and useful reading material and order its presentation.
You will come to know the difference between a copy editor and a general editor
As a copy eciibr you must have a thorough grasp of s p e w , punctuation,
grammar, usage, etc.
You should have a thorough knowledge of the various aspects of book
publishing
You must have a passion for literature, and a spirit of enquiry
As a general editor you will have to scout for new writers and manuscripts
You will learn the value of discretion in editing-no needless corrections
You will learn to respect the job of an editor-hard work, patience and courtesy
are rewarded

2.1 INTRODUCTION
Comparatively spealung,in the intellectual history of man, editing is rather a recent
activity. If man developed the art of writing some six millennia ago, he has been at
the job of editing only in the last two centuries or so. In fact, the need for it arose
with increased reading, particularly of creative and non-creativetexts. As more and
more people started discovering the joy of reading, faster reproduction methods of
reading material came to be devised. Along with the readers, the number of writers
also multiplied.The area; of writing became diverse. With these developments came
the need for scrutiny and selection of the right material and its orderly presentation
which, in essence, constitutes editing.

2.2 THE WORD AND ITS MEANING

The word 'editing' is derived from the Latin editus, past principle of the verb
*meaning, to put forth, to give out, or to publish. The editor selects, from the
tons of material that comes into his mill-that is, he sifts, cleanses and sorts out the
best, and cooks it to @ease the taste of the gourmet or the connoisseur. Reading
Prc).chla-Cw through all that is submimed for publication, either to the publishers or the press,
selecting what would make good and useful reading, and presenting it to the r e a d i i
public in the right form apd shape-these are the main processes of editing.

2.3 KINDS OF ' EDITING

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Generally spealung, edidng is of two kinds, and these are known by their
standard terminology of 'Copy Editing' and 'General Editing'. There is, however, no
clear demarcation between the two,since the person handling one kind might do
some of the jobs associated with the other, and vice versa.

2.3.1 Copy editing ,

Copy editing is more of a mechanical job, involving intelligenceand experience. Any
one who joins an editorial office as an apprentice will have to start with this. Copy
editing involves scrutinising,with a microscopic eye, the copy or the manuscript
(MS.) of a work, after it has been accepted for publication, and preparing it for the
press. During this process, a copy editor marks the copy or the MS. for the
press-i.e., instructs the printer, through universally accepted and mderstood
symbols, what matter should go in which type, and what style it should have in print.
For instance, the title of a book or a word of foreign origin is always italicked, and
this is indicated by undetlining the matter once. Then there are names of characters
in a play which, by convention, are shown in SMALL CAPITALS, abbreviated S.C., and
for this the words are w e r l i n e d twice. A quotation from some other work is shown
within quotation marks. Or, it may be set off by indention from the main text and
sometimes, in addition, dis a house-style, given in a smaller typeface.
These styles have been qtandardised since the earliest days of publishing and have
become universally accepted. Such acceptance of an approved style is to make easy
the comprehension of the written text for the reader.
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Training as an apprenti~e:There are almost hundreds of such stylistic details

which a copy editor should know how to mark in a copy. There is no dearth of
reference books on this ~ubject,and every copy editor should have some of these ,
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ready at hand for consultation. But when it comes to learning, a course of
apprenticeship under a $enior editor in a publishing firm will be more helpful than
mere reference lxmks. i
Spelling and punchatien: There is yet- another thing a good copy editor has to be
proficient in-he should take special care of spelling and punctuation. It is of the
greatest importance that the copy be correct in this respect. For this, the copy editor
should be familiar with the standard spellings. He should have a keen eye (or ear?)
for diction. Faulty expressions, quaint and infelicitous words should be
'queried-that is, a reference be made promptly to the senior editor or the author. A
copy editor should also be careful about facts and dates.
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Grammar and udge: He should have a sound knowledge of grammar and usage of
the language. The MS. is generally passed on to the copy editor after the general
editor has done his part! But it is still possible that both the author, and the general
editor, might have slipped up on a point of grammar or usage. The copy editor will
earn their gratitude if hd points out such lapses. This is also one of the ways to train
himself to become a general editor in due course of time.

Dressing thecopy: It is also the job of the copy editor to 'dress' the copy-that is, to
provide proper titles, hadlines, sub-headings and cross-headings, etc. This again
has to be done in consultationwith the senior editor and the author.

Rederence books: A go6d copy editor should have easy access to an array of such
reference material as Dictionaries,Encyclopaedias, Guidebooks to Style and Usage,
Thesaurusi,and a Who'b Who, which will guarantee the accuracy of his work. He
should never be ded of consulting such reference materials.
Needless to say, to be able to accomplish all this successfully, a copy editor
should have a thorough knowledge of the various aspects of book publishing, and
techniques of printing. Also, he should have a passion for literature. an eye for
d e t a i l e d a spirit of questioning.

2.3.2 General editing-its historical background

Then there is the more serious, more responsible and also the more respectable ,
level of editing-general editingIThe man who does this job in a publishing house is
called a publisher's editor; in a periodical press or a journal he is known as the
literary editor.
The publisher's editor is a post-Second World War phenomenon. With the
proliferation and diversificationof the publishing industry in the last forty years,
editing of books has become a matter of specialisation, and every publisher now has
his own editorial department with one or more editors. At a time when authors
were few and publishers fewer still, an author generally went directly to the
printer with his manuscript, because the printer was often himself the publisher too.
The author was supreme and what he wrote was printed as such, that i if the MS.
on the whole was acceptable to the printer-publisher. However, publiskmg
progressively became an economically viable and independent activity, quite distinct
from the printer's. Even then, there were no editors and the printer-publisher, and
later the publisher himself, read the manuscript, took decisions about its
acceptability, fked the stjle, read the proofs and saw it through the press. But the
situation, as explained above, has now changed. Similarly, with the periodical
press-instead of the general pool of sub-editors, we have now separate editors for
the Literary Page, Sports, Finance, etc.

Functions of a general editor

A general editor with a publishing firm, or a literary editor attached to a
periodical, has to perform diverse functions. He has to scout for the right authors
and manuscripts. He may even think up and develop new ideas and get books or
articles written on them. From among the manuscripts that pour in, he has to decide
what fits best into his scheme or framework, what goes well with his readers-and
then select accordingly. Thereafter, he has to go through the manuscripts and see
what editorial changes are necessary, Although the editor always remains behind
the screen, it is on his enterprise that the fate of a publishing firm, or a literary paper
or magazine hangs.

Activity 1
How many types of editing are there? Describe them. (50 words)
(Check your answer with that given at the end of the Unit)

2.4 T l - E SCHOOLING OF AN EDITOR

Although editing is now gettingto be common as a proibsion and editors, like
lawyers and doctors, are becoming more and more socidly ubiquitous, the calling as
such is not an academic activity since it cannot be taught or learnt like any other
 discipline. No doubt, we &about training courses and workshops for editors, but
a good editor is as original p ~ creative
d as any author, since he learns his art by ,

intuition, judgement and lopg experience. Basically, a general editor is a good critic
who not only finds faults but also sets them right. He is a man with a deep
appreciation of the finest in literature, and he has a catholic taste which can
take in the best from everyyhere.
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Let us now see an editor atwork, be he a publisher's editor or a literary editor. The
editor's job starts with the rlrrival of a manuscript at his desk, and surely it is not like
epiphany or divine grace, sbmethingwhich happens only once in a while. The MS.
keep amving by every mail, and at times are brought in personally by the authors.
Since the authors are oftena touchy lot, an editor should bc a genial human being
who should never forsake dood public relations. He cannot afford to be rude or
snobbish to his authors. HQshould learn to say with a smile, Thanks! I'm glad you
thought of us. I shall certahily go through your MS. with pleasure and let you
know' -even if it amounts Po giving a false hope to the author.
Then starts the none-too-pleasant task of going through the MS. At the start of one's
career as an editor, this nu$ pamper one's ego, but as time passes, it becomes a daily
drudgery. There is no escape from this grind. At times, the MS. come flooding in
like locusts, and it is rarely that an author brings in a ready-made printed book or
article. Sometimes the MS. may be so badly typed or illegibly handwritten that
wading through it will becqme a torture. But the editor must endure it all.
The length of the MS. sho be the first consideration. If the firm specialises in
publishing only small or the journal accepts only an 8-10 page article, then
there is no point in rwding through a longer MS. even though it is written by a
celebrity. If the author is wkll-known and the writing seems good, it may be
worthwhile to persuade to prune it down to p e required length fcr
recodidemtion. Otherwisq?,it must inevitably be teturned to the
author-unaccepted.

' 2.5.1 First reading I

No editor on earth will e v q have the time or patience to go through every word of
every MS. All that he can do is to read the synopsis first (in case of a book), and see
if the subject fits into his sclheme of things. If it does, he can then proceed with the
reading. Reading is of several kinds. There is first the cursory reading. An editor is
like a doctor who, by merely feeling the pulse of his patient, can sometimes say
whether the condition of his health is good or not. The first few pages of the MS. will
tell whether it holds intere$t.Even if it does not, it is desirable to spend a few more
hours on it, dip in here an4 there, understand the subject matter and treatment, see
the end, etc. to get the hang of the author's intent and purpose before finally
rejecting the MS. The liter* quality of the work, its topicality and future
possibilities are also mattets to be considered. Maybe a jewel is hidden away under
dirt and slime, and some cleaning up might yield a fortune.
A good editor should be able to take a quick prima facie decision on the basis of
such a sampling. This is where his intuition works. There is an unwritten rule that
what does not interest the editor cannot interest his readers, as he always carries his
readers alongwith him.
A good number of manusdripts couId be disposed of after a cursory reading, as said
above. While returning the unaccepted material, one should see that it is returned
neither too early nor too la(te.Sometimes, even before the author has leftthe office,.
the editor may have a m 4 at the decision that the MS. is not going to be useful for
his purpose. But if the MS, comes bouncing back to the author the very next day, he
will think the editor has nat read it at all. On the other hand, if the editor sits pretty
and does not convey his d+ision for months together, he will be pestered with
unnecessary reminders anp phone-calls. He must seem £aireither way.
'2.5.2 Second reading
Iff, after a cursory reading of a few pages here and there, the work seems promising,
ithen comes the closer reading. Probably the MS. may have to be read more than
once. Fit,to get acquainted with it as a whole, and then closely, to see what it calls
<brin terms of actual edi*. It is the second reading, following the decision to
(acceptthe MS. for publication, that is crucial. The editor picks up the blue pencil
(andbegins his work. In case of a book, as he goes on reading, he makes critical notes
in the margin to refer back to the author for re-working the MS,, if and where
necessary. In regard to articles for publication in the journal, he may have to do the
(entireeditorial work himself.The critical notes may read ss follows, 'Diffuse, needs
to be made sharp'-or 'Too sketchy, could be developed further'-or 'Repetitious,
the idea already occurs on pages ... .' etc. As the editor proceeds, he may correct
mistakes in spelling, grammar and idiom, rephrase faulty sentences, cut down
repetitions, prune the extraneous and the inept, sharpen whatever is diffuse and
vague andso on. There might be ambiguities and awkward expressions that block
communication;these will need rewriting by the editor himself or the author. AU
statements which are libellous, unfair, irresponsible and injudicious shodd be
weeded out to guard against possible legal wrangles. Thus goes on the work,
generally in several progressive stages, till the editor is fully satisfied.

2.5.3 The cardinal rule

The cardinal rule of all editing is that there should be no needless corrections, and
the editor should not meddle with the author's opinions or ideas. His intrusion
should be limited to one of language, style and presentation-to provide clarity,
consistency, cogency and a better focus to the author's work. As for ideas, he eithel
accepts or rejects the MS. as a whole.

2.5.4 Mss with special problems

Sometimes there might be an MS. which is weak, but is so well-written that its
defects are hidden. Depending on the exigencies of the editor's needs, it may pass.
There may also be cases where the content is good, but the presentation is bad, even
atrocious. It is then for the editor to decide if it should be accepted or rejected. In
case of acceptance, he may ask the author to rework the MS. and it if the author
cannot do justice to it, the editor should be prepared to do it himself.
An editor should be sure as to what he wants before putting the blue pencil to the :
paper. He should also have the confidence that he can carry the author with him in
all that he does. Even when he is giving a better shape to the author's bad work, he :
should have the h d t y to feel that he is-only subserving the author. The MS., &er .
it has undergone the necessary editing;should be referred back to the author, and
his finafapprovaltaken for its publication,before sending it to the copy editor.
Editing may seem a drudgery, a thankless job, sometimes inviting blame too. But
there is a kind of spiritual satisfaction about it. Editing is like midwifery, bringing a
new life into this world. Carelessly done, it may result in the death or undesirable
disfigurement of the child, but if well done, the author is always grateful to the
editor. Who knows, an MS. which has passed through the editor's hands today might
tum out to be that ohe-in-a-million classic for all time to come!

2.6 SUMMING Uf
It is universally believed that an author has to be his own editor. This is because any
form of creativity involves the critical faculties of selection, arrangement, revision,
etc. Therefore, as an author in the making, you should learn the art of scrutinising
your own work as closely as possible.
There are two kinds of editing-copy editing and general editing. Whereas the
former is of a mechanical nature (checking for grammatical accuracy, s p e m
paragraphing, etc.), general editing is of a more fundamental nature in that it is
concerned with precision and accuracy in the presentation of the central thesis.
RcrvhPr COPY Activity 2 I

Given below is a passage from The Road (Mulk Raj Anand, Sterling, Delhi), which
needs editing. Read it cl'loselyto incorporate such editorial changes as punctuation
marks, break up of sentences, paragraphing, spellings, use of capital letters, etc.
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"after the first round of prayers pandit Suraj Mani felt th& he had k n
constrained to nigkct so angust a persnality as a landlord Thakur Singh when
the latter, had c o d , in& the temple; so he carresed his white beard into the
necessary dignity d essued out, his staff into his right hand; rosary into his
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left. The Sun was , eething fire across the world; as it moved angnly over the
planes into the hill$ wich divid Haryana from Rajasthan. Pandit Suraj Mani
looked up at SU& for a moment and, then with-drawing his gaze quickly,
preyed for mercy. '
But as the flaming beat scotched his face, he knew that this God had no mercy
that his anger was more intense them ever; and that the endless temper of the
sun was about to e.+t up the world, which was full of bad deeds. Surely it had
been said in the put'anic holy texts that in the kali yog, the Sun would get more
hot and bum the miverse into ashes because the karma of sins must get its first
reward. And the gassip that panditji had heard of the explozions of the suns
energy, which had oizoned the water of the ocan, confirmed him in his
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prognostications. y, the breaking of Dharam, by Iambardar Dhooli Singh
and his followers wps only one sign of the spreding evil of this dark age; the
sparks of heat b u m all over the priests face and covered him by a scowl of
hatrid against sinfull rnan-kind. Landlord Thakur Singh and his son, Sajnu,
were seated below the pipal tree, almost as if by the instintive knowledge that
the gods were on @re side, they were waiting for the minister of devine wishes
Pandit Suraj Mani. I
(Check your answer wiq that given at the end of the Unit)
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2.7 ACT-: AIDS TO ANSWERS

Activity1
There are two kinds of &ting-copy editing and general editing. While the former
involves a close scrutiny bf the manuscripf [with a view to preparing it for the
,printer), the latter is conderned with assessing the suitability of an MS. (in regard to
its theme and presentatidn) for publication.
Activity 2 I
The corrected editorial cbpy is given below:
After the first round of prayers, Pandit Suraj Mani felt that he had been
constrained to neglqct so august a personality as Landlord Thakur Singh when
the latter had come to the temple. So he caressed his white beard into the
necessary dignity w d issued out, his staif in his right hand, rosary in the left.
The sun was b r e a d g fire across the world, as it moved angrily over the plains
into the hills which divide Haryana from Rajasthan.
Pandit Suraj Mani looked up at Surya for a moment, and, then, withdrawing
his gaze quickly, prayed for mercy. But, as the flaming heat scorched his face,
he knew that this g d had no mercy, that his anger was more intense than ever,
and that the endless rancour of the sun was about to devour the world which
was full of bad deed$.To be sure, it had been said in the Puranic holy books
that, in the Kali Yuga, the sun would get hotter and burn the universe to ashes,
because the Karma of sins must meet its reward. And the rumours that Panditji
had heard of the exnlosions of the sun's energy, which had poisoned the waters
of the ocean,con£irqed him in his prognostications. Why, the violation of
Dharm by Lambardfir Dhooli Singh and his minions was only one sign of the
spreading evil of this dark age. The sparks of heat ignited over the priest's face
and covered it with a scowl of hatred against sinful mankind.
Landlord ~ h a k u'Siqgh
r and'his son Sajnu were seated under the Rpal tree,
almost as though by b e instinctive knowledge that the gods were on their side.
They were waiting fqr the minister of divine wishes, Pandit Suraj Mani.
2.8 GLOSSARY
You will find in the glossmy a short list of the terms used in this Unit.
Ambiguities: These are obscurities (e.g. double meaningsof a word or phrase, etc.)
which interfere with the reader's understanding of a text.
Printer-publisher: This pertains to an early phase afpubhishingindustry when the
printer performed the dual mIe of publishing and prinhg.
Standard spellirrg:This ordinarily refers to the common universal spelling of a
Word. (British and American spellings differ from each other).