"This book needed more editing." Spoilers: no, it probably didn't.
More often in book reviews lately, Iāve seen remarks like āThis book couldāve used more editing.ā Iām guessing someone, somewhere, told people that this was a more professional-sounding thing to say than āThis book just wasnāt for me.āĀ
They are wrong. The latter statement is more accurate as well as more professional. Please use that if you want to sound like a more thoughtful reader.
Iāve worked as a professional copyeditor and proofreader for over ten years, and have been a published author for even longer. Claiming that a book needs more editing tends to reflect, Iād guess, a misunderstanding of what the job duties are for editor, author, publisher, and everyone else involved in publishing.Ā
When itĀ isĀ accurate to say a book needed more editing:
When there are lots of typos, like at least one every couple of pages. And I do mean typos, not just style choices. If a character says in dialogue, āMe and Jill were at home,ā and that is the way that character would talk, then itās inaccurate to say, āProper grammar is āJill and I were at home,ā and therefore the book needed more editing.ā The author picked that style of speech for the character, and a good editor recognizes that and doesnāt change it.
What about when there are lots of formatting errors? If youāre seeing those in the print version, then yes, they shouldāve had a proofreader on that. If youāre seeing them in the ebook version, that could be a whole host of file-conversion issues that may or may not be in the authorās or editorās domain. If you want to be helpful, send an email to the publisher (or the author if it is self-published) with those problems so they can see about fixing the file.Ā
When it is not accurate to say a book needed more editing:
Pretty much every other time, including perhaps the file-formatting issues.
Basically, unless the issue is too many actual typographic errors, a reader cannot know if the book needed more editing unless they were personally involved in the editing process for that book.
In essentially all instances, itās quite possible that an editor did flag whatever you, the reader, deemed a problem, but the author responded, āGotcha, but this is what I want for the book. Letās leave it as is.āĀ
Iāve done this myself as an author, and Iāve had lots of authors do it when Iām editing for them. Which is fine with me. The author gets the final word. Their name is the one on the cover. That is how the job works. Besides, if you give the same book to five different editors, youāre going to get five different sets of feedback that almost certainly are not identical to each other. We are all readers too, and we all have our own opinions. So by āneeded more editingā you might actually mean āneeded an editor with tastes closer to mine.ā But even then, the author usually gets to override the editor.
You thought the blend of genres/themes was kind of weird and youāre not sure it worked? Someone elseās review says they adored that mix and it was just what they needed. (And also, thatās how the author wanted it.)Ā
You thought it was too depressing and slow and you wanted the characters to get it together andĀ doĀ something? Someone elseās review says they found this book a beautiful, powerful exploration of grief/loss/trauma. (And also, thatās how the author wanted it.)
You thought it was too ātropeyā and predictable? Someone elseās review says it was delicious and engaging, the kind of thing they love to read. (And also, thatās how the author wanted it.)
You thought it went on too long in the second half? Someone elseās review says they loved the second half best, and appreciated that the characters had time to breathe and recover from the events. (And also, thatās how the author wanted it.)Ā
You thought there was too much backstory or world-building or description, to the point where you might even call it āinfo-dumpā? Someone elseās review says the world-building was fabulous and rich, and they loved being immersed in this universe and are sad to be done with the book. (And also, thatās how the author wanted it.)
For all of the above examples, and hundreds more you could think of,Ā the book did not need more editing just because of those features. It just wasnāt a good fitĀ for youĀ as a reader.Ā That is the far more accurate review to give, and the one thatās going to be much more appreciated by those involved in publishing.
And it'll be much less insulting to the people who did, in fact, edit the hell out of that book, thank you very much.
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